Ernesto!

I posted the following article on my eBay blog:

Growing up and living on the North Carolina Coast, hurricanes are expected. The past few years we have been very blessed to have had very mild hurricane seasons. We might be lucky again this year (*knock on wood*) as Ernesto has been downgraded to a tropical depression. Per The Weather Channel:

The center of Ernesto will emerge over the waters of the Atlantic during the next few hours. When it does so, it should strengthen back up to tropical storm strength with an eventual landfall just north of Charleston, South Carolina Thursday during the late afternoon hours. Yet again, locally flooding rains will be the main threat from Ernesto although it will also kick up the waves along the coasts of South and North Carolina; rising between 15 to 25 feet. Some beach erosion is possible all the way to southeast Virgina by Thursday night.

All hurricane watches have been dropped however tropical storm warnings remain posted from the northern half of the east coast of Florida northward to Cape Lookout, North Carolina.

Our family always keeps a hurricane surival kit just in case! Key supplies include:

• Bottled Water (1 gallon per person per day) 3 day supply
• Canned Food (that does not need to be heated to eat)
• Wipes/Purell
  
• Extra buckets to fill with rain water (to flush toilets if power is loss)
• Batteries
• For flash lights and radio
• Board Games
• A tub filled with water (great for water for bathing)

If there is a storm warning, it's good to do the following things:

• Catch up on laundry (you may be without power for days!)
• Remove anything outside that can fly away and break cars/windows (place in garage, storage sheds, etc)
• Board up those windows!
• Clean out your freezers (if you lose power, a lot of food will spoil. It's good to trash the extra before it gets smelly!)
• Buy dry ice and place in freezer/fridge. It works great for keeping food
• Check up on your elderly/shut in neighbors, see if they need help

Good luck everyone and stay safe!

It's Like Santa Came!

I recently joined the Mom Pack. It's a group of moms (really any women who own a business) networking together. It is AWESOME! I have started to recieve mom pack fillers, which are samples, business cards, etc that you can include in your orders.Huge envelopes of fillers have been coming in the mail all week! I plan to send out my fillers this Saturday and start including fillers in my shipments next week. I am very excited about using this group with Children's Clothes ETC.

My New Toy!

Look what I got from eBay, it was 50% cheaper than a new one and I really love it!

Growing Pains

I've decided to bite the proverbial bullet and buy a domain name and get a design for the eBay store! We really needed 1) a shorter url and 2) a more polished look. We are steadily selling items. God is so good!

www.childrensclothesetc.com

Marathon for Jesus

If you've been reading my other blog Body Boot Camp, you'll have read how I am really trying to get my body in shape and eat healthier. While reading 1 Corinthians last night I came upon this verse:

24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Reading this last night I really stopped and thought to myself. I have put so much effort into working out and eating better. I've read tons of books, learned about proper caloric intake and portion control. I've made workout schedules and set my alarm early to workout. None of this is bad, but I have not made nearly as much of an effort in becoming a better Christian. I read my Bible everynight -if I'm not tired! I don't pray as often as I should and I rarely give thanks for all my blessings.

I have put so much effort into improving my physical well being while neglecting my spirit. I don't want to just have rewards here on earth (i.e. a better body), I want to have enternal life with my father in heaven. Jesus died on the cross for me, and I know that I am forgiven and have the opportunity to have 'a crown that will last forever'. I better start acting like it!

Books Books Books!

I am very excited! I have ordered the following books from Focus on the Family. I can not wait to read them and review them here:

My Truth, Your Truth, Whose Truth?
And the Bride Wore White
Shop, Save and Share 
Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry
Table for One
The Feminist Mistake  
Hedges
Be Intolerant 
Boy Meets Girl 
Do Fish Know They're Wet? 
I Kissed Dating Goodbye
Passion and Purity 
What You Need to Know About Islam and Muslims

I am going to be VERY busy!!

Current Schedule

Here is my current schedule:

9-10:30 Work on eBay store

11-2 Work at Home Job

2-3 Break

3-4 Work on eBay store

4-6 Break; Homeschool

6-12 Work at Home Job

12-9 REST/Sleep

How do you keep it together?

Business Plans

Has anyone written a business plan? If so how do you use it in your daily 'business life'? I am in the process of writing a business plan and have found a lot of interesting links:

Business Plan Templates

Writing A Business Plan

Another Writing A Business Plan Link

Creating a Strategic Plan

The SBA E-Business Institute

I haven't looked at all of these links in detail, but they look very informative!

Where have I been???

Hello! I have been gone for a while (9 days!). I have been busy working on my own cottage industry- my eBay store. My family and I have really been working hard listing items, etc. We mainly sell children's clothing, but we also sell other things. So far things have selling pretty well and I am excited about the future of the store!

I also have started to work at home. I've looked at various work at home options (and filtered through the scams :) and found a job as a call rep for a website. I will be busy in my semester home!

Does anyone have any suggestions for books dealing with biblical womahood? I'm looking for a books about being a woman in college, keeping your faith etc. Are there any?

Working at Home

My Thoughts on Women at Home

I believe that when a woman decides to marry and have children, her priorites change (as do men, but this is a female blog so we wont discuss them;). It's no longer me,me,me. It should be God, husband, and children. Unfortunately a lot of women have other priorites that don't give them the time they need to fully take care of home. Am I saying a woman should have no hobbies or outside interests? NO! But women shouldn't let them be a main priority.

You will probably note that I said married women or mothers. I think that the time before you marry gives you the opportunity to fully explore hobbies and careers. This is the main reason I want to finish school and work before I marry. I know that there are certain things I want to accomplish in my life. I also know that I can't do BOTH career/motherhood. So I want to finish one season in my life before I start another one.

Working at Home Options

There are times women need an 'outside' job after marriage. Maybe you are trying to pay off debt, buy a home, or just need some extra cash. There are several work at home options that will give you the flexibility you need to still be a keeper at home.

Crafts- Are you skilled at making crafts, scrapbooking,painting etc? You could try to sell your creations (try church bazaars, message board swap lists). Or if you are homeschooling you could be an art tutor. I'm sure a lot of homeschooling mothers who aren't crafty would love to pay for an art teacher (or you could barter subjects).

Cooking- If you are great in the kitchen try catering. You could make money on the side without starting a full fledged company. You could cook for friends weddings, parties, church events, and make treats for yard sales or church bazaars. Getting your name out is the key here.

eBay- Ebay is a great way to sell unwanted items. I call it a virtual yard sale! I have an ebay store- Children's Clothes ETC. If you collect certain items or know a lot about certain things (books, eletronics, purses) try selling them on ebay. This is a great chance to have a small home business with low overhead. I suggest selling items you know a lot about. Knowledge gives you an edge (I think).

Other jobs- There are several other opportunties. I don't reccommend Avon,Mary Kay, etc. If the point is to be able to stay at home, these opportunites really need a lot of outside networking to be successful. There are also some companies who allow their employees (or independent contractors) to telecommunicate. With most of these jobs you answer customer calls or call customers (telemarketing, verifying information,etc). Many times you get to set your own hours. Some of these jobs are:

• Ver-A-Fast
• CLC
• West (work at home agent)
• Baby2Bee
• Live Ops

Most require DSL or cable internet. For some you have to use your phone line or have a seperate line. I recommend visiting WAHM.com or WorkPlaceLikeHome.com to find more information on applying and to talk to other representatives.

_______________________________________________________
Note- I'm sure some are thinking 'how can she give advice? She's not married!'. I'm not! But while I'm home for this semester I want to help my parents out as much as possible. I've become more aggressive on my eBay and I will soon start working as a customer service rep at a company (telecommunicating). This way I can help my mom out with stuff she needs, and still earn some spending money.

Losing Weight

Decided not clutter this blog with weight loss/homeschool. So here is another blog for my weightloss. It's going to be mainly my excercise rotations,food journal, etc!

Body Boot Camp

New Project

I'm going to do some preschool activities with my niece. Check out my new blog specifically for this project:

Preschool at Home

Tired

I am tired. I am BONE tired. I have been in school for 16 years (since I was 4). I have decided to take the semester off. I am going to come home and RELAX. I will probably be lazy lol. But I am so glad to get a break. When I go back to school next semester I will be revitalized and ready to take on the world again!

Home Organization part 2

My mom has really enjoyed her notebook so far. I found a lot of free information and printables at organizedhome.com

Also Candy at Keepingthehome.com has a lot of information on making a home binder as well.

Home Organization

I made a home management binder for my mom. I believe (and I say this with the most love) that my mom is the most cluttered/unorganized person in the entire world. So, she told me to make her a schedule and I decided to make her a home binder. Be warned, I am the worst picture-taker in the world. But here goes:


Here is the cover

The weekly cleaning schedule

A really blurry picture of a weekly meal planner page.

Blank paper for Mom to make shopping lists.

A calendar.

A pocket holder for coupons.