The Cost of a Woman Working a Job Outside of the Home

It appears that the average woman is bringing home about $400-$500 dollars a week. Now there are of course some who make more and some who make less, but this seems to be the average depending on where you live.

The majority of these women have children. By the time they pay for child care, gas, clothing, food, etc they get to keep approximately ½ of their take home pay.

So for being away from their families for 40-50 hours per week they get to keep about $200-$250 of what they earn.

That is sad.

Because we all know that working a job then coming home to “work” your second job, which is taking care of your family, causes a hectic and frazzled lifestyle where one never seems to get caught up. It seems like everyone suffers and no matter how hard they try in every aspect, the woman often ends up feeling guilty on some level.

But what else can they do? When you are counting on every dime to make ends meet, what else is there? There is an alternative.

Now what if I could show you women who make $400-$500 a week and more and they get to stay home with their children? They are there for every school function, play, game, etc. Would you be interested in seeing how they do it?

I was and this is what I found out:

·         You will never get ahead always working for someone else.

·         You will never have real job security working for someone else.

·         You can start up, run and grow your own business without giving up your day job.

·         You can do this in as little as 5-10 hours a week to start out.

·         There are legitimate ways to make a good living for your family and still help others.

·         Its main cost is the determination of wanting something better for you & your family.

Click on the links below to see a just a sampling of real people who gave up the daily grind working for someone else and grabbed hold of the dream of working for themselves and made it work!

• For Moms
• Sharing the Dream
• Kathy - When successful professional Kathy of Massachusetts couldn't afford to take time off to care for her ailing parents, she started looking for a home-based business.
• Theresia – A teacher

If you liked what you heard and you want to learn on how this can work for you, then just click on the link below to fill out the contact form for your free, no obligation information packet.

Contact Form

Don’t waste another minute to see if this will work for you – contact us today to find out for sure!

The Silence of School Can Be Deafening

My son has started pre-school and though it’s only for a couple of days a week, I am having a harder time than he is with the separation.

The first two days were short days as the children got acclimated to school and the routine. Today is the first “full day”. Though full days are only 2 ½ hours long, it feels like all day to this first time mom.

It felt so weird getting into my car without him with me and even weirder when I arrived home, exited the car and entered the house alone. As I put my key in the lock and turned it, I felt like a part of me was missing so I turned around to look. I’m not sure why I turned around like I did, I just did it as if my mind asked, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

I don’t think I have ever come home without my son at least being in the house when I get there and I find the silence that I thought would be a welcome refuge to actually be quite deafening. Coming home to an empty house can be a very lonely and scary feeling when for 3 years you have always had a little shadow following right behind you.

I find myself struggling with feelings I have read and heard other parents talk about, but never truly felt till today. I know it’s the beginning of the letting go we all must do with our children, but like so many parents, I can’t help but feel a sense of sadness and loss.

We try so hard to teach our children independence. First it may be how to hold a spoon and feed themselves. Then it’s how to walk and on to potty training. Later it may be going down the big slide alone and the sting you feel inside when the child boldly announces they don’t need you to catch them at the bottom of the slide anymore.

We teach them these little life skills and are thrilled when they master them, but at the same time are hearts are heavy and even break a little as we realize a part of that life is now gone…….forever.

It is a dichotomy, us wanting to teach our children to live independently from us while at the same time desperately holding on to the baby we once knew. The baby that once looked to us for absolutely everything now barely notices when we say goodbye and leave the classroom.

Looking back at my son eagerly starting his first activity of the day as I slowly walk away makes me realize you can live without your heart. You can drive away, go home, go to the grocery, the post office, the gym and even count the minutes all while your heart has been left behind to sit next to your child while he learns, and fly with him when he runs and plays.

And then, when you go and greet your child you can feel your heart and all its love soar right back into your chest the moment you embrace him and feel his little arms around your neck. Though the love hits you harder than a thousand trucks, it makes you feel light as a feather.

Isn’t it amazing?

*If you are a stay-at-home mom who has ever struggled to make ends meet, or a working mother who would like to transition to a business that allows you to spend more time with your family, then Project MAHMA is for you!

Project MAHMA(Moms at Home Making A Difference…and a Lot of Money!) is a global coalition of moms (and dads) who are earning an income from home and giving themselves the gift of freedom— including more time with their families—while at the same time offering others the gift of better health and a better life.

Visit us on the Web at: Project MAHMA

September Health Update - Can I Afford To Buy Vitamins?

September Health Update

Can I Afford To Buy Vitamins?

This is a question that many people often ask themselves. With the tough economy, scarce jobs and higher prices on everything, some people find it hard to justify spending money on vitamins and other health supplements.

So what’s more expensive, supplements or poor health?

Let’s look at the cost of poor health first.

In a study done 3 years ago by the Mayo Clinic, The True Cost of Poor Health¹, health care costs over $2 trillion dollars a year with U.S. employers shouldering most of this burden. The cost for each employee’s health care costs the company approximately $8,800! And this cost is just rising. These mounting expenditures are eroding the profit margin of companies and jeopardizing an already fragile job market. No wonder companies have a hard time staying in business!

There’s more than just the cost of health care added to employees and their employers, there’s the cost of lost productivity due to missed days. The costs of lowered productivity and absenteeism are registered in the billions of dollars every year! And this doesn’t even include the amount of days parents have to take off to care for their sick children!

OK, that’s what it costs companies when employees call in sick, but what is the cost to individuals and families every time they have to stay home from work, go to the doctor, buy prescriptions, etc when they and their children are sick? I believe that cost cannot be accurately calculated. I shudder to think of the amount of lost wages that people lose when they miss work when they or their children are sick. Times are hard enough as it is without having a short paycheck.

The increase in people developing heart disease, strokes, cancer, diabetes and more is startling and downright scary. And when facing a potentially life threatening illness, the cost of treatment even with insurance will bankrupt most people.

What is causing these people to miss so much work and is there anything that can be done about it?

Many people just lead hectic lives and put their health on the back burner. They all know they need to improve their diet, exercise more and stress less, but they can’t seem to ever get around to doing all that.

They run like hamsters in a wheel, always running, but rarely getting anywhere except to a doctor’s exam room when their bodies start to give out. Then they wonder how they got there, how their health failed them and what they could have done differently.

Often it is then that they end up on strict diets, potent medicines and now have high health care costs they never had before. Then and only then do they reprioritize the important things in life, like taking care of oneself. It is then they realize all of it may have been prevented if they only took care of themselves.

Many of these health problems are related to obesity and the sedentary lifestyle we have. Our Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) is sad indeed and is a leading contributor to the many preventable diseases plaguing Americans. Time Magazine wrote an article in their Health Issue² that proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle can prevent many major diseases 60-90% of the time. This includes preventing heart disease, cancer, diabetes and many more illnesses!

Imagine the amount of money that can be saved in health care costs alone!

If you or someone you know has ever been seriously ill, then you know how much money it costs in the long run. The medical bills not covered by insurance – the copay’s, deductibles and other out of pocket costs all add up fast when you are ill and need medical attention.

We all know that good health is priceless and if lost, we will pay almost any price to get it back. The saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is an old saying, but so very, very true. It rings truer in today’s world than it ever did.

It’s no secret that health care facilities, doctors, insurance companies and employers are stressing prevention to help keep people healthy longer and to keep health care costs down. Many companies have wellness programs in place to help their employees kick bad habits, exercise more and choose to lead a healthier lifestyle. The reason they are implementing these wellness programs is more than just caring about their employees, they are trying to lower their healthcare costs!

Experts in medicine, biochemistry and nutrition all believe nutritional supplementation positively affects overall health. A recent landmark study of people who took a wide range of high quality nutritional supplements for 20 years or more showed dramatic benefits compared to those who just took a multivitamin or no supplement at all. This significant study showed they had better health and had a significant reduced rate of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and more.

So when someone tells me they can’t afford to buy high quality vitamins, I have to ask, “So what is more expensive, sickness or prevention?”

Also, when it comes to supplements, you truly get what you pay for. Shortchanging your health by buying cheaply made vitamins with little to no research is money wasted. Your health is not something to bargain with.

One thing I have learned when justifying the cost is breaking it down into a daily cost. Our Multi, the Vita-Lea only costs about 38¢ a day. Our Vitalizer, which is the absolute best program out there providing the most concentrated form of essential nutrients only costs a little over $2.50 a day. Many people spend more than that each and every day on coffee, vending machine snacks and fast food!

I used to have to take medicine for a health condition I am now able to control with a healthier lifestyle. Exercising, trying to cut back on the “bad stuff” like too much sugar and fat, and adding high quality supplements has allowed me to get off all medication and best of all, I feel better! Unlike medicine that has side effects, I have side benefits from supplementing my diet – weight loss, more energy, less pain and clearer thinking!

For less than $3.00 a day, you can help prevent many of the major diseases plaguing us and leading a more fulfilling life because you will have the energy and good health to enjoy it!

So the question to ask isn’t, “Can I afford to buy vitamins?” it’s, “Can I afford not to?”

Best Wishes for Good Health,

Julie

For more information on our Vitalizer you can check them out here: Shaklee Vitalizer

And Shaklee is offering a FREE membership with every purchase of Vitalizer.

Plus, for every person you share your reason for buying Shaklee and when they buy $25 or more themselves, you get a $25 dollar credit to your next order! Recommend us to 3 or 4 people and your vitamins could be free!

Contact me for more information on how to get your products for free! - Contact Form

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

¹The Cost of Poor Health by The Mayo Clinic 2008

²Time Magazine’s Health Issue June 2009

Today I Am Thankful For:

The wonderful people still in my life and the ones I have known that are not here anymore.
What are you thankful for today?

Getting Your Child to Drink More Water

We all know that drinking more water is important to good health, but how do we get our children to be good water drinkers?

As delicious as pure water is, it can be hard to compete with all the juices and sodas. It makes sense, why drink plain water when there are so many sweet, sugary drinks out there?

One way is to only provide your child water to drink right from the start. Once old enough to stop drinking breast milk and formula you can only provide them water to drink. I also believe in giving my child organic cow’s milk once or twice a day, but there are many children who are lactose intolerant or parents who do not believe in giving their children cow’s milk. If children only know to drink milk and water then they don’t know any different, but that is not an easy accomplishment in today’s sugary drink filled world. When they see other kids drinking pop they naturally want some. And I see way too many young kids drinking pop. It really is an epidemic and is a big component to childhood obesity.

So what’s a parent to do?

You can try flavored water alternatives. This is where you fill a cup ¾ full of purified water and then add just a little flavoring. I have been known to do this with fruit juice and the sports drink, Performance, which is not loaded with sugar. You can also do this with other additives, just be sure to read the ingredients making sure it doesn’t have any added sugar or artificial ingredients. You certainly would not want to do this with any of the “energy” drinks out there that are loaded with stimulants. Even watered down, these drinks are not good for little, growing bodies and can be dangerous.

I would treat these occasional flavored drinks as special “treats" that the child can look forward to. The goal is to get the child to drink more water so be sure to offer plain water throughout the day in the same cup you gave them the flavored water in.

Make sure you are providing filtered water. Tap water and even bottled water contain too many contaminants that are not healthy and can make water taste bad. Real purified water has no taste and is very refreshing. So invest in a good water purifier.

Another way to encourage more drinking is to let them pick out some of their favorite cups. Look for ones with their favorite cartoon character, animal or colors. Just be sure to purchase cups that are BPA Free. Children will be more apt to drink from their favorite cups that they picked out themselves.

I also have water break times throughout the day. This is where every so often we stop what we’re doing and run to kitchen to have our water break. I try to make it fun and it is just part of our daily routine. If your children balk at stopping to take a drink, tell them they can’t go back to play till they take three drinks or however much you want them to drink. They soon learn it is just part of the routine and will eventually start doing it on their own without any prompting from you.

Make sure to take the water outside with you and your children, on car trips running errands, to the park, etc. Encourage them to take water breaks on regular intervals.

Another way we get our son to drink more water is we use a special water bottle that is the same one his daddy takes to work. When my husband comes home from work he often sits his water bottle on the counter. Our son would sneak it off the counter and start guzzling it down like he was stealing something only grownups drink. Occasionally there would be a little watered down pop in it, but more often it would be the watered down Performance sports drink my husband drinks to keep his body hydrated and energy up while working hard. It has a flip top that my son can open. He would guzzle it down and giggle as he knew he was getting away with something.

So I got my son a water bottle just like it and would tell him, “Daddy left his water bottle here, would you like to drink it?” And of course he would with enthusiasm.

Some would say that’s trickery, but I don’t think it’s harmful. I think it’s more like finding unique ways to encourage our children to make healthier choices. What are some ways you can think of to encourage your child to drink more?

Want to know the most important way to encourage our children to drink more water? To lead by example – let them see you drink more water. You know you need to drink more water and less pop, so show them you are making healthier choices and they will follow your example.

Down the hatch!

Julie

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Performance Sports Drink – Used by winning Olympic athletes and even NASA astronauts!

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