Subjects
Choose favorite family photos that feature similar subjects. If a vacation to the mountains was particularly memorable, choose scenes from the trip for the foyer photos. Photographs featuring nature scenes will tie the outside world into the entry of the house making for a smoother transition from outside to inside.

Faces of family members also make for good front foyer photo subjects. Try to gather pictures that are all taken in a similar style to provide continuity. Smiling faces and close-ups are excellent subject matters when attempting to create a warm, welcoming feeling in the foyer space.

Finishes
All the photos displayed in the foyer should have the same finish. If matte pictures are preferred than all the photos should be printed on matte paper. The same is true for the colors of the pictures.

Black and white photos look better when paired with other black and white pictures. Sepia tones create a unique look and give the foyer an old world feel. The neutral colors of the photos produce a more formal and sophisticated feel, while a collection of brightly colored pictures creates a more informal feel to the space. Choose the finish that works best in the space.

Frames
Frames should all be the same finish for a unified look. Although different size photos are fine, they will look out of place if some frames have a light finish and others have a dark or metal finish. Continuity with the frames will be integral to creating a visually pleasing photo arrangement of family pictures.

To continue reading this article, click here.

Summer is upon us! This is the time of year to spend quality time outdoors with your kids and family. It’s also time to bring out the grill and patio furniture. Also, if you have a pool, get busy with cleaning it out for some summer fun!

Summer time can be a slow time for some home businesses. Although, It will depend on what type of business you have to determine if you will experience some slack with your business sales and traffic. Kids are home from school, and families go on vacations. Of course, that means many people will be busy during summer months and also spending less time online visiting your blog or website. That usually means a stall with your business.

If you experience a stall with your business this time of year, do you tend to get depressed and thus, experience some demotivation? I have been there many times! However, what an ideal time to kick your writing opportunities into high gear!

Don’t get down in the dumps during summer! Instead, especially if you don’t have any kids or summer obligations; take the opportunity to get in deep with your writing. Why not join an article writing challenge? Or maybe, start writing that eBook or online course you’ve put on the back burner for so long, or perhaps do some videos for your home business. For most people online, the opportunities are wide open to take advantage of during slow times.

Above all, DON’T ignore your business during the summer months! Most times, if you do, your business will suffer. And when it’s time to get going with sales, leads and sign ups come this fall, you will fall short even more of much needed traffic for success.

10 Writing Opportunities to Think About

* This is the ideal time to freshen up your blog or website with new writing material

* Get started with writing some eBooks for your business

* Start a writer’s group with your home business associates

* Take a free online course

* Study the writing markets; looking into what the various markets are looking for, guidelines, etc..

* Contact old clients and offer some freebies. This could lead to new client projects

* Prioritize your email list, paying close attention to your top clients

* Write up and schedule some blog posts for the fall and winter months

* Polish up on your resume and cover letters

* Declutter your home office and re-organize

There are all kinds of things you can be doing during the slow summer months that will benefit you and your business. However, don’t let those things take priority over enjoying a fun-filled summer!

Tammy offers more articles on writing and also her freelance writing services at Freelance Writing Jobs and Services.

You can also find Tammy at her Grandparenting Articles and Tips blog.

Spring is a time of renewal, and for many of us, a time for cleaning and organizing our homes. The melting of winter into spring is a great time to bring order to your abode after the inevitable chaos the hibernation season brings. But spring cleaning can be a daunting task, particularly if you tackle it alone. Simplify and speed your organizing day by enlisting your family to help. Don’t think your kids will participate? Make it a fun event and you’ll have volunteers you will enjoy spending the day with.

Like many organizing activities the key to success is to plan ahead. Pick a date you can dedicate the whole day to both the work and fun. Make certain you have the supplies you need, including handy snacks and drinks. Work in teams of 2 or 3 and then switch halfway through the day. Don’t forget to choose some up-tempo music to keep the energy levels up, and make certain each member of the family enjoys listening to their favourite CD during the day.

Most kids have four basic possessions – clothing, toys, books and school related papers. These items are forever changing and accumulating. The change of season is a great opportunity to sort through the excess taking up valuable space in your home. To keep your kids interest in check during your spring organizing day, give one or two of the following ideas a try.

Let’s begin with making room in the closets. Tell the kids you’re having a fashion show and let them try on all of their clothes (no, not all at once!). What doesn’t fit gets handed down to a sibling or packed into a box for donation. Sort what does fit into outfits and stack in drawers. Have your child make a list of new clothing needs for the next shopping excursion.

To continue reading this article, click here.

March is here and that means the last month of the 1st quarter is here. This means we’re almost a quarter of the way through this year. Can’t believe it’s gone this fast.

With that said, it’s time to discuss the goals you set. How are you doing with them so far? Are you on track to complete them on time? Did you set goals that were too hard or too easy to achieve? It’s not too late to rethink them or step up the game to reach them.

Goals help you reach new levels of success with your business. If you didn’t set goals, there is no time like the present to set them. If you set them already, now is the time to sit down with your list and see how you’re doing.business,

If you set goals and wondered if you really need them for your business or if you didn’t and are rethinking your decision on this topic, you need to read “Do You Really Need Business Goals” by Michelle Shaeffer. This is an article written by one of my guest bloggers and she really knows what it takes to reach success in business.

Once you read Michelle’s article, take some time to think about your business and goals and see if you need to have them. If you decide you do and you have them already, make sure you’re in line to reach success. If you don’t have them and want to, take the time to set goals that are achievable and will help you reach success.

My life has been busy with raising a teen, writing and more writing. I feel blessed to be able to work at home and I can’t think of myself being anywhere else. Sometimes life just gets in the way and other priorities get pushed to the back burner. I know that’s okay because life and family take precedence over my work life.

I have to admit it’s hard raising a teen. I’m grateful I have a teen that is mature for her age and more mature than her peers. It has always been that way since she was just a wee one, but like any normal teen, she has her thing…mornings aren’t really her thing nor is breakfast (sometimes) or going to bed at a certain time or cleaning up her room. Yeah, typical teen things. I’m grateful. She’s a great kid and an honour roll student.

We have a good relationship; we communicate and she tells me a lot of things about school, course planning, friends and boys. All those boys! She has a good head on her shoulders, she’s intelligent and she makes good life choices.

As a Mom, I feel for other kids. They blaze, cut themselves, skip school, get poor grades, hang with the wrong people and get bullied online. They lack self-esteem and confidence and have tons of insecurities. Where are the parents? I know they are both working because they have to. It’s not easy to live on one income in my area. I’m not preaching to anyone on how to raise their kids especially teens, but parents have to be involved in their kids lives. They have to lay down boundaries of what is acceptable and what is not and there has to be consequences if those expectations aren’t met. They have to help boost their kids’ self-esteem and confidence levels. They need to be loved and supported in these difficult years of being a teenager. Forget YOLO (You Only Live Once) and swag right now because that can come later. Getting your kid to understand that is another thing, but when you give them guidance, you’ll get better results than telling them what to do.

Encourage your kids to get involved in school sports or clubs where they will find like-minded peers who are striving for the same goals. Being good at something and getting compliments from it will help your kids gain confidence and self-worth.

A parent’s job is never done. My lap is too small for my daughter now, but my heart is always big enough to wrap around her while she still has room to breathe.

Sophia McIntyre is offering two free eBooks on raising teens titled “Raising Teens: Dealing with Bumps in the Road” and “Talking the Talk: Communicating with your Teens”. You can grab them both on her website at www.workathomespace.com/ebooks.php.

Being a full time work at home mom (regardless of what you think or believe), does have it’s thorny roses. It’s like anything else and also like an outside the home job. No matter what, there will be challenges in whatever you do.

The various social networks are always a great help. If you use the social platforms correctly, YOU too will establish your home business and also build your brand. It takes some hard work and determination to make it in the WAH niche.

When I say correctly, I mean be polite and courteous by putting aside all differences you have with others. Really, it takes a lot less energy than being negative with your social audiences. And it sure don’t help promote your business.

The Tips Below Include positive and social skills that lets you promote your website or affiliate links more effectively.

1. Use Social Networking – There are literally boundless opportunities to connect with the right people that will benefit you the most. Take time to get to know every one of your connections. It just makes good business sense!
2. Keep Up With Technology – Now for a lot of work at home moms, new technology is a foreign language. However, if you’re going to be working on the Internet, you definitely need to keep abreast with all things tech. For example; will a smart phone, lap top, or Ipad help you with your business? In most cases, all the above would be excellent assets with keeping in touch with your contacts and other work at home professionals.
3. Thinking About a Partnership – Now sometimes this is not even feasible due to close friends or family members being involved. However, it may be a perfect work solution and no foreseeable problems are waiting to strike. A partnership business all depends on the various parties involved and their attitudes. The determination to always work hard (for all parties), needs to be practiced. There also needs to be some sort of agreement signed by all parties on how business should be done and also know upfront what’s expected of you at all times. Take time out for some careful thought before getting your feet wet with a partnership business.
4. Stay Away From Bullies – Yes there are indeed a ton of bullies online just waiting to belittle you! What do these bullies want? Most times folks that bully gets a false sense of security. And they sure don’t think much of themselves if they do. It’s called getting their kicks; which is a twisted way of making themselves look good. Stay away from bullies and stick like glue to positive people that will respect you just as you respect them.
5. Seek out friendships and help buddies – For most people, having friends you can rely on and help give you feedback (when you need it) is a necessity. Online friends helps with the work at home isolation or (blues) is sometimes what it’s referred to. Also, it’s always a good motto to treat your online (and offline) friends and buddies the way YOU would like to be treated.

The best time to be social is NOW! Hopefully the 5 tips above helps someone along the way reading this article. Be sociable ! Be successful!

Tammy is a passionate blogger. You can find more grandparenting tips and articles by Tammy Here

You can also find Tammy on Twitter

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had a relaxing break and you did everything or almost everything you set out to do.

A New Year symbolizes new beginnings for many. It’s a time of change, new growth or rekindling. Whatever the situation may be with you, it’s never too late to start setting attainable goals. For many people, setting new goals in the New Year becomes a bit of a challenge. You may be gung-ho for the first three months and then suddenly your motivation drops completely. Here are three tips on how to set goals that work.

When you set goals, you need to write them down. It doesn’t work if you keep it all in your head. You have to see it and visualize it. For some people using an online software such as Evernote for their goal setting works very well, while others prefer a tangible notebook. If you’re going with the latter, I recommend you get a notebook you can personalize and look at as your goal book. You can easily use a steno pad or yellow pad of paper, but when you think about it, how motivating is that to look at?

Secondly, you have to break down your goals and be specific. It’s easy to say you want to lose weight. That’s very general so what you want to do instead is write down, for example, how many pounds you want to lose, your goal date, or how many inches you want to lose off your waist, hips, etc. Next, to lose those inches or pounds, what will you have to do? You might decide you want to eat 150 fewer calories daily and incorporate 45 minutes of brisk walking per day. Once you’re able to accomplish it easily, revisit your goal setting notebook and tweak it. Set a new goal of eating 250 fewer calories or add another exercise regimen. If you fail to do it, don’t scrap your goal completely. Go back to your starting point of 150 fewer calories.

Thirdly, you have to rid yourself of the temptations. In the above scenario, you can donate your junk food to the food bank or give them to your friends or other family members who don’t live with you. Once you throw out the “old” you can bring in the new, but that’s only the physical part of it. You have to also change the way you think. In order to start receiving good, you have to purge your mind of the negative. It’s not easy if you’re not normally a positive thinking person; it won’t happen overnight, but if you’re aware of it, it’s easier to catch it and change it.

When it comes to goal setting, you’ll experience failure before you find success, but don’t give up and don’t let it frustrate or discourage you. Keep your focus and the goal you want to reach and don’t forget to celebrate your small successes along the way.

What tips do you have for goal setting? Please share your success stories in the comments below.

Sophia McIntyre is an Internet Marketer and Ghostwriter, and founder of WorkatHomeSpace.com, a free resource focusing on work at home jobs, home businesses, ghostwriting services, money making opportunities, and more.

If you are expecting a new baby or if you are already a parent, it is extremely important that you take time out of your busy schedule to childproof your home. When it comes to purchasing safety items to make your home child-safe, most parents just think about outlet covers, cabinet and drawer locks. However, there is a lot more that you need to be doing!

Before I get started with giving you my checklist of items that you will need, I first want to remind you to invest in a good infant and child first aid kit and a few up-to-date fire extinguishers. It is always better to prepare ahead of time for an emergency than to have an emergency you are not prepared for.

Childproofing Items Every Home Should Have

Door Alarms – These are great for all doors leading to the outside and for doors that lead to a flight of stairs such as your basement entry door.

Window Guards – These will help to prevent accidental falls out of the windows. All windows that children have access to should have window guards and/or alarms on them.

Safety Gates – You should use safety gates to prevent falls from stairs or to block off entryways to rooms that you don’t want your children to wander in to. When it comes to purchasing a gate, always look for updated new models so that you avoid outdated or possibly recalled baby gates.

Toilet Locks – These are pretty inexpensive and can be found in most department stores. You will want to place one on each toilet in your home to prevent accidental drowning’s or expensive plumbing costs should your child try flushing something they shouldn’t!

To continue reading this article, click here.

As a mom, there is something in our chemistry that says to us “Do whatever everyone else needs and don’t worry about yourself.” We cook 3 meals a day to make sure that our families are healthy. We clean up after our families so that they have a clean environment to live in. We play chauffeur and teacher and we do our best to be the best wife and mother possible all while running a home business or working an 8 hour job outside of the home.

So, how can you break away from the everyday stress of being a wife and mother without running away from home?

The most important thing I have found that relieves stress is to delegate the daily responsibilities. If your kids are old enough to do chores, make them wash the dishes and help with the laundry. They are going to have to eventually learn to cook, so why not ask them to help you prepare dinner a few times a week. Your husband or boyfriend works hard as well, but that doesn’t mean that he gets a free ride at night. Ask him to help the kids with their homework or to straighten up the living room. You don’t have to do it all. You are one person and the rest of the family is there to help you as well as each other.

As I said before, you do all these things for your family. Are you not part of the family? Make time for you!! Use the weekends to do something for yourself. You could go get a manicure or a pedicure. Get together with your friends and have a “Girls Night Out”. How long has it been since you had a date with your husband or boyfriend? Plan one!!! You are important, so treat yourself right!

Amy Royce has two children and has been married since 1995. She is an affiliate marketer and a Virtual Assistant. She enjoys helping others through the programs she markets and the tasks she performs as a VA. To learn more about Amy and what she offers, visit her site by clicking here.

Being a work-at-home-mom (WAHM) is a tough job. You have so many responsibilities, so many different roles, and only so many hours during the day. It can be difficult to fit in all that needs to be done, let alone have any time left for relaxation or simply breathing. The trick to finding time for yourself is to create mini-moments for mommy. These moments will lift your spirits and lighten your load. Try some of the ideas below to create your own moments of relaxation.

Cheerful Chocolate
It is rare to find a woman who does not like some sort of chocolate. The key to creating a mini-moment for mommy is to always have that type of chocolate on hand. Keep it hidden in a high cabinet or on the top shelf of the refrigerator where small hands cannot reach it. When you need a moment to recharge and calm down, sneak off to the kitchen and have a small bite of chocolate. Even if you are on a diet and concerned with healthy eating, a small piece of dark chocolate can make a huge difference in your mood. Beside, dark chocolate is good for you! If chocolate is not your thing, use whatever works for you.

Bathroom Breaks
One of those secrets that moms do not let out very often is that we sometimes hide in the bathroom. If you are having a rough day or just need a breather, escape to the bathroom for two or three minutes to recharge. Wash your face, brush your hair or just sit and breathe. It may not be a fancy spa, but when you are a busy WAHM, those tiny escapes, even to the bathroom by yourself, feel luxurious. Keep a new magazine and a pretty scented candle in the bathroom, so that you can take advantage of them when you have a few extra moments of quiet.

To continue reading this article, click here.