I can't make up my mind what I want to do with this stuff I have in mind about going back to school for something food related. There are online degree programs in nutrition, food science, raw foods, holistic health, and so on. Part of the problem is I don't really know all the options available and the difference between each. Probably my biggest problem though, is that I don't know exactly what I want to do with it. 

As a freelance writer, health & nutrition is one of my favorite topics to write about so any education I get will make me a more knowlegeable writer and lead to better jobs.  But my interest goes deeper than that. I have been a health enthusiast for longer than I've  been dreaming of being a writer. I was bedazzled by yoga when I was ten years old watching public TV and went on to teach myself everything I could about nutrition, exercise, and health. Just because I liked it and I wanted to be fit and healthy. 

So I don't just want to enrich my freelance writing career with some type of health and food related online degree programs, but I want to reach out into that field as well. I have joined with a couple of friends who are starting a raw food business. I'm working on the website right now, writing content and helping to develop new products that make healthy, natural eating accessible to people who thought it was too difficult or expensive. This business was inspired by our own passion for good health, our desire to see our local food growers here in Michigan thrive, AND by the challenges we face as mothers trying to find the best options for our ADD/ADHD kids. 

Before I go any further I should point out I'm eating pizza rolls and a microwaved burrito. Motivation #3 for pursuing a health related degree. Ever since I became a mom I have fallen off the health wagon and it took off down the road without me. I need the boost to get my butt back in gear. Literally. =) 

It's Friday morning and I am so behind I don't know where to begin. I took a few days off with my family to visit Dad & Mama Mar at the lake. They have wireless up there now so I thought between that and the peaceful lake setting I would be able to do at least the bare minimum to stay caught up with assignments. Guess what I found out. They have just as many unexpected visitors and guests than I do at home! 

The worst day looked like this. Everybody left in the morning to go tubing so that I could work. My Dad stayed back to fish off the dock which was nice. I had my mobile office sprawled out on the back porch overlooking the water. I was sipping lemon water. Through the patio screen I could hear the spa like music I had tuned in on satellite. Just as I settled in to my chair to write there was a loud ugly screech from next door.  The neighbor had just fired up his chainsaw. He quit half an hour later - just in time for my Aunt and Uncle I hadn't seen in years to stop by to visit my dad. Everybody pulled up a chair in my office and began to snack and chat. It was really awesome seeing them and I hate that that joy was split with irritation, but it wasn't my day off. I went to the lake for quiet and an opportunity to get caught up. Only here I am 4 days later, facing a busy weekend of open houses and obligations beginning tonight, and trying to figure out how I'm going to meet all my deadlines by then. The kids and the house will be waking up soon so and what little roll I do get on will probably not last long.

Things are in some ways much less stressful since quitting my day job and focusing 100% on freelance. I enjoy the weekends more and have so much more quality time with my family. But the pressure to make money with my blogs and find good paying assignments that pay the bills is maddening at times. And being motivated too much by the dollar can lead to places a blogger doesn't want to go. I have felt spammy a few times over the last couple of months and it's not a good feeling. I like link assignments and enjoy the challenge of finding a way to fit required keywords into my blog in a natural way. I recently decided to try some ad banners, but I made sure they were products I like AND that their appearance enhanced the look of my websites. This way, they don't distract or offend readers and even if nobody ever clicks them, they still give me joy looking at them.

Up until now, I've really just been dabbling in blogging and writing web content. But now that I need to do more of it and produce more FROM it, it is necessary to explore ways to make money more money and I'm afraid that my "gut" isn't the best gauge of ethics as I investigate and grow. I've been leaning on Webimax lately to help me bone up. Not that I am trying to ride the line between what's right and wrong - not at all - but because I find I'm a little naive and have uknowingly found myself in "gray" areas. I only want to be in "white" areas when it comes to SEO, linking, and creating content. And I don't want to accept assignments which require gray activity. 

Webimax is an seo firm that helps companies grow their business online using search engine optimization, social media, linking, videos, web development - the whole magical online package! But they do it in a positive way. They don't make promises of overnight success, they are ethical and moral, and show how to raise brand awareness while maintaining the integrity and spirit of the product/website. I learned about Webimax through an assignment and although hiring a company to help me to the next level is not a possibility for me quite yet, I have found a lot of useful information and have been able to clear up some confusion I had about things like "black hat" seo and other terms and practices about which I hadn't been completely clear.

I run across lots of businesses that get my attention but they don't all get highlighted in this way. But I really liked the story of how the business came to be and the history of the founder of Webimax. Having done a lot of trial and error, and gotten burned along the way, he decided to develop a business using what he'd learned to help other people avoid the scams and unethical predators on their way to building their business and brand. I find that so refreshing, especially thinking about the  thirty minutes ahead of me I have of cleaning spam out of my inbox and my blog comments, generated by people who obviously do not have the same integrity and big picture vision.

Well. The coffee is ready now and I don't have much good work time before the kids wake up. Did I mention hubs is laid off for two weeks so I have a full house home with me all day and all night shouting "Mama will you...?" while I try to work? Mhm. Expect a nice feisty upcoming post about that!

 

Summer time and hot weather makes me thirsty! Know what my favorite summer drink is? Well, as everyone on my Facebook knows, it is MOJITO. I tend to drink a lot of it and get burned out by the holiday libation season. But as history continues to repeat itself, I am craving them again by June. What is so special about a mojito, you ask? For me I think it's the mint. I. love. mint. I eat it, drink it, sniff it, spray it on my pillows, and wash & moisturize with it. One of my biggest and simplest pleasures in life is growing mint in a pot on my back deck where it greets me in passing throughout the day as I tend to my outside chores, and brings my senses alive at night when I tear off a few leaves to put in my mojito. Pure indulgence :)

Bahama Breeze has the best mojito I've ever had at a restaurant and Parrot Bay makes my favorite bottled or pre-mixed version. I haven't found many places around here that makes a good mojito, if they even make one at all. When I'm really in mood and I have the time I will make a batch from scratch. Here's how you can too!

Check your pantry for the following.  If you are missing something, go get it!

Limes, fresh mint, light or dark rum, soda water, granulated sugar.

T he difference between a common mojito and mojito excellence is in the syrup.  You need to make it ahead of time to give it time to cool.  Here's how.

Bring to a boil 1 cup of granulated sugar and 2 1/2 cups of water, over medium heat. Simmer for one minute, then refrigerate until cold.The following mojito recipe is for single servings and this syrup recipe will make 12.

Put it all together like so...

Using a wooden spoon, smash up half a fresh lime and 6 large mint leaves at the bottom of the glass.

Add 1/4 cup each of rum and syrup.

Add half cup of crushed ice.

Shake or mix with a spoon.

Add another cup of crushed ice and a splash of soda water.

Stick a straw in it and a fancy umbrella if you like and serve. Or enjoy.

I like to enjoy as I serve.

I have not backed up my system since my insurance billing days, using zip drives and tapes. Doesn't that seem ancient? Unless you're of a certain age you don't even know what zip drives are. Sometimes I slip and call the flash drive a "zip drive" and my kids act like I'm crazy. Backing up with all those tapes was such a pain and it took hours. Then you had to worry about the safety of THE TAPES! Today the information I have to protect isn't quite so precious as doctor information and social security numbers. But I would like to protect my photos and have access to them from any location, as well as to my work. It will improve productivity and make my machine run more efficiently. I am leaning toward an online storage situation versus an online backup solution because I don't want anything on my hard drive at all. I don't know if that would be an ideal situation for a bigger company with more complicated data, but for my pictures, compositions, and family calendar I think it will be just fine. 

My website and blogs have served me well enough over the years, as they are. Standard template, not super customized. But mow I'm at the stage where I want them to be more than places to vent and/or make money. I want them to still be those things but I also want them to be more like ME. To represent me better because I have come to care about them as more than "revenue streams." But I don't know how. I have been teaching myself how to use some basic HTML code and that's been fun, but I have this vision of what I want things to look like and I feel like I'm surrounded by limits and barriers. Some because of the inflexibility of the layouts, but mostly by my own (lack of) abilities. I can't decide whether I want to become more educated myself or get help from a website builder so I can get things how want them right now. I keep telling myself to be patient. I've come a long way in a short time. But suddenly I care about my blogs in a different way and want what I want right now! I'll do some more brainstorming, list making, and pondering. Who knows what my next move will be...

I thought my 40s would bring a lot of things. Most of those things involved being settled, happy, at peace, having it together, and being full of wisdom. I did not expect to be so unsettled and in process that I would be in need of a resume service or contemplating taking classes at this stage of my life. But that's exactly where I am. 

After all the time I've spent nurturing my writing career and getting it on track to where I want it - I have found my dream job. Dream SIDE job. It wouldn't probably be a dream come true if it didn't so perfectly complement freelance writing, but it would still be a great job. It's at the University of Michigan Flint, writing, correcting grammar and doing such related things. Getting paid to do more of what I love, in an atmosphere I love, in a city that inspires me, WHILE securing health benefits and tuition assistance for my family. Maybe me too. EPIC WIN as my kids would annoyingly say. Unless they don't call me. Then I supposed it's an EPIC FAIL.

Either way it turns out, though, will be fine.  What the job already did for me is open up my eyes to the existence of opportunities I didn't think existed. I have expanded the definition of my "freelance business" and my wheels are turning in new directions to grow the business without the limitations I didn't realize I had put on it, until now. 

I never imagined I would be trying to get a new job in my 40s but whether it's the actual job or just the inspired thinking that came along with knowing about it, I think this is another valuable piece of the puzzle to get me closer to that quiet, satisfied, wise, and together place. 

 

I had a really weird dream. I was in France with a church group. I knew the people in the dream but I can't place any of their faces now. Except Amber, she was there. She and I were in an airport restaurant and she was flirting with our waiter - whose face I DO recognize today as being Representative Paul Scott. Someone I don't care for at all. I haven't been able to figure out the relevance of his presence in this dream. The part that resonates with me is on the plane when, returning to U.S. and all the passengers were getting out their i.d.'s and I panicked. I had left mine in France. Along with one of my shoes.

When the leader of our group, a preacher, asked me why I didn't mention the I.d. loss earlier, I acted as if I didn't care.

Flashback of me in the street yelling, "Cellulaires! Cellulaires!" It went on like that forever and came down to  while I was looking for my phone, I left other possessions behind, not even caring, and even walked out of one of my shoes without even noticing.  

Flash back forward to me crying hysterically that I might not get to go home, when suddenly someone brought me my purse with my i.d. in it. Still no cell phone though and I didn't care. I just wanted to go home.

The message seems to be about priorities, though I'm not sure what the "subject" priority is. And what the heck were Amber and I doing in France with a church group anyway?! And why the heck was that dolt Paul Scott there?! Maybe I'll get a part 2 tonight! 

Well. I  have to pay some bills so I'm adding a few banners. My theme was pretty simple so hopefully the added activity isn't too distracting. We'll try it out and see how it goes. And I promise not to recommend anything crappy. I decided to go with Groupon and Vistaprint. Both of which are wonderful companies to me. Groupon has some fabulous deals AND I want to work for them. They write the snappiest silliest ad copy. And I have ordered time and time again from Vistaprint so I am more than happy to recommend them. Check out the links or the banners. Vistaprint is an awesome source for all your business and printing needs. They even have websites now! And Groupon provides you with fun savings specific to your community. Enjoy!

Guest post written by my buddy Brian Workman

This morning, my faithful friend and confidant, Rusty, went for a leisurely stroll through the park near the house. Just like most mornings, we did a little stretching (well.. I stretched anyway) and set the house alarm (home security indianapolis). We were on our way”headed for our favorite spot; the local park.

Rusty, my Irish Setter, and I prefer the park to most other places we walk. It's a quiet place with wooded areas that are home to many interesting pla! nts and animals. Though, Rusty seems to like the animals much more than the plants. He has delusions that he is actually fast enough to catch a running squirrel. It's ok though, I'll let him have his moment.

Mornings are one of the best times to go for a walk in the local park. At this time of day, there are rarely any people out, so the woods are like our own. There is no competition for the trails and we can go as fast or slow as we want. The only action we encounter in the early mornings is from the “locals”. Birds and squirrels are busy hunting for their morning meals and checking out the funny red thing and his two legged companion walking through their back yard.

I love our walks　together　and wish they would never end

I was invited to a jewelry party this week and I didn't go. I just didn't want to. I used to love home parties - hosting and attending them. But my life is so different now. My spare time is limited, disposable cash is scarce, and I rarely wear jewelry these day. I don't even want any. Although I have been sort of interested in what I've been seeing happening in jewelry fashion trends for MOMS.   I have always liked the "idea" of mother's jewelry with the birthstones and such, but not found it to appeal to my taste. But I love all the interchangeable charms and beads pieces that you can customize to represent everyone and everything that you love. They're more whimsical and durable than the dangly charm bracelets of not so far back. Even so - I still haven't evolved to that place as a mom where I'm buying jewelry and such for myself. Most of my money is earmarked for things the kids need. A splurge for me is a mojito scented bar of soap and a bottle of mood enhancing natural energy pills to get me through the day and checking everything off my to do list with biting anyone's head off. What's your mom splurge?