Ok guys, it's official- I am being featured on Homeschoolers-work-at-home

It's quite a lengthy piece- check it out and see what you think! Here is the link that goes directly there:


My story

On to other things...

Stop the world, I wanna get off

I am embarking on a new techy-type purchase and I need some imput. When you work at home, you sometimes aren't really home (surprise guys!). I mean, you may be shopping or at the park with the kids.

Imagine the park scene: You're bored. If you had your laptop, you could be running ads or answering emails. But between the baby, the diaper bag and the stroller, the last thing you need is something else to babysit.



And doesn't it seem your phone ALWAYS rings at those times- and on the other end is someone SOOOO excited about your product or business opportunity they want to sign up NOW...but they are work and can't use the computer for personal ventures. They want you to enroll them NOW. You can't. Pooh!


Those of you who have been following me have probably read about Ron and I being delayed in the airport (or should I say airports) a week or so ago. Carrying my laptop around those airports for so long, it was getting heavier and heavier. And, it was another bag to keep track of.


So, since our return, I have been on a search for something better. I started out looking at small little laptops. Cute, but.....My sons girlfriend got an ipod touch. That looked interesting.








My daughters birthday was last week. Now get this. She asked for 3 different things. She only wanted one of them, it was up to us which one we got her. She wanted a parakeet, or a hamster, or an ipod touch. Ron starts flipping out about how we don't need any more animals, and besides she doesn't take care of what she has (her room IS a mess, but she knows where the important stuff is.)

So, I got on ebay and other places looking for a refurbished or used ipod touch. I mean those things are expensive! I got one at a fairly good price for me my daughter. Now, I can play with that and see if getting something like that would benefits me (ok, so no more animals worked out for me, too!).

Anyway, I think a parakeet or hamster would have been cheaper, but this does look like fun and EVERYONE at the airport had one! (I sound like my kids now!)



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Moving along...


The boys are telling me I need an iphone. I'm just starting my investigation into them, but it seems to me that they are more reasonably priced and it appears you can do more. So.......







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Which brings me to the Blackberry.



I have to look furthur into it. It seems the other day I read something on it that made me think "No". But darned if I can remember what.








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Now, for a little input here:

I'm looking for something where I can get on the Internet and check email,blog, run ads, CUT AND PASTE, etc... while being on the phone. Can you be on the iphone talking and be on the internet at the same time? How about a blackberry? Or am I better off getting an ipod touch and keeping my cell?

Do you or have you owned any of the above mentioned gadgets? If so what is your opinion of them? Did you like it/ them and if so why?

AND....don't forget about my give-away:



You can win the book The Slight Edge ( one of my personal fav books) Read about it and enter here .











And, don't forget VGNO!

If you haven't done so yet,
go to Ann's site at:

http://annagain66.blogspot.com/


Add your link. Check out the other blogs listed and leave a comment. The others will do the same for you.

Don't Quit
When things go wrong as they sometimes will
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill
When the funds are low and debts are high
And you want to smile but you have to sigh
When care is pressing you down a bit...
Rest if you must-but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won if he'd stuck it out
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer thanIt seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given upWhen he might have captured the victor's cup
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems afar
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things go wrong
That you mustn't quit.

Author Unknown

Why I love working at home with AmeriPlan!

Today is my 2nd anniversary working at home with AmeriPlan. I had tried several other business opportunities over the years, none of which seemed to pan out for me. But AmeriPlan's health benefits are a much needed service. No products, no cold calling. I love it!

Right away I saw something that the other companies I had tried didn’t have; Great team support and residual income.

The team I am on, The Prosperity Team (branch of the Freedom at Home Team) is awesome. They conduct weekly team calls and there is always a leader available if I need to speak with someone one on one.

When I started with AmeriPlan, I worked part-time at a village library. I loved my job at the library, but I had a burning desire to be here with my kids. After being in AmeriPlan for about 9 mos. I quit my job, wanting to do AmeriPlan full time.

Shortly after that, my 90 yr. Grandmother suffered a major heart attack. She resided in Pennsylvania, about 3 hours from me. My uncle, who is wheelchair bound resided there also. Gram was bedridden and needed care that my uncle was unable to provide. My sister (who lives in VA & can telecommute) , mom (retired) & I (home biz owner) took turns going to Pennsylvania to care for Gram.

I didn't have to ask my bosses permission, because I am my boss!

My uncle had dial up Internet ,which was acting up at the time. Between that and caring for Gram, I really wasn't working my biz. I did hang flyers around my Grandmother's town when I ran out to do errands. I barely worked for 3- 4 mos. I worked a day here, a day there, mostly when I went home.

Somehow in that time, I still promoted to Regional Sales Director.

Because I get paid on everyone I enroll every month, as long as they stay on the plan, I still collected a paycheck each month on business I had already done. Even when I didn't enroll anyone new that month.

Gram passed away March 31st. About a month or so later, I enrolled a couple of people from my Grandmothers town into a health plan ( from flyers posted previously!)

Recently, my daughter was having pain in her joints. I have had to take her to many, many doctor appointments in the past few months. She was eventually diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.

I did not have to ask a boss for time off, and again I got paid whether I had new enrollments or not.

I have tried many home business opportunities in the past. None of them paid me when I didn't work. And...

None of them promised me a 6-figure income in 2-4 years!

I personally know people on my team that have achieved that and more.

I plan on joining them

How About You?

If you want to know what AmeriPlan is all about, go to:

http://www.prosperityteaminfo.com/

To request an interview or start now:

www.freedomathometeam.com/sperry

Follow me on twitter:

www.twitter.com/home4ever

I'm so glad I work at home now. Otherwise, I would have been spending Saturday morning working at the library where I used to work. Great job, but not as great as being my own boss.

The day started out with my 11 yr. old daughter, 17 yr. old son & I making Valentine's cookies.

While that was going on...........

While the kids started cutting out the cookies, I decided to clean out the refigerator.

It's not like I set out to punish myself, but this particular recipe called for cooling the dough for ease in handling. There was barley room in the fridge to accomodate even the small bowl that I had the dough in. I guess time got away from me. Business, doctor appts., home, family and Girl Scouts all kept me from getting to that fridge (ok, I know, more excuses!)

Once the dough cooled, there was only thing to do - dig in and take care of the mess! I figured I had an hour or so until my grandson came over.

I started heaving out bowls of stuff that I can only describe as...........well, indescribable! Leftover mashed potatoes had an orange tinge to them, while the accompanying bowl of gravy sported some white fuzzy stuff. A clump of cheese had green splotches that resembled warts. I happened to remember reading somewhere that white fuzzy stuff and clumpy, lumpy green stuff is what pharmaceutical companies use to make pennicillin.

Thinking back to all those trips to the doctors with the kids for strep throat and earaches, a light bulb went off in my head! Hmmm....maybe I could keep the white matter and little green wart-like things. Maybe I could try my hand at homeopathic medicine. Anyone up for a little white and green lumpy & clumpy tea? Not sure where to begin with that little project, I pushed it aside for another day. I threw out the stuff. I'm sure I'll have more again one day!

I continued on with my duties. I unearthed a plate that yielded a piece of dried, cracked mystery meat. I was just ready to throw it in the garbage, when an idea struck. Having heard about dehydrated food (add water and presto-chango- it's instantly hydrated). I decided to experiment. My dog was to be the proverbial guinea pig. Supposedly, they won't eat bad food. I put the hunk of meat in a bowl, and proceeded to add water. I expected the meat to soak the water up like a dried out sponge, miracuously transforming into a juicy filet mignon. The water simply rolled off. I wrapped the whole mess in plastic wrap and threw it in the microwave. Several minutes later, it still resembled shoe leather. The dog turned his nose up at it, so I tossed it out!

I really needed to get to work! The kids were ready to bake their cookies and I was still cleaning! I reached my hand in and pulled out a pound of hamburg I had taken out of the freezer days ago to make hamburger helper. A wave of guilt rushed through me. I was so busy that day that even hamburger helper couldn't help me! (I know what you're thinking. "She not only doesn't make a homemade meal, she doesn't even make a prepared meal!") Oh, well............I'm sure the kids ate SOMETHING...they're still breathing.

Suddenly, we heard a rather loud truck in the driveway. David was here with the baby. They always seem to come 1/2 hr-45 minutes earlier than they say. How could I forget? Yikes! I grabbed a dish rag and quickly wiped out the now empty fridge. I looked around at the million of dishes on the counters from the fridge. And said, " Oh well.....maybe later." Grabbed the baby, kissed him and got right down to teaching him how to cut out cookies with the little bit of dough we had saved for him.

We baked up the cookies and planned on frosting them later........For once, they turned out perfect! Every cookie seemed to have the perfect thickness. They were cooked perfectly. We were planning on frosting them & writing cute sayings on them. We had hearts, lips, bells,etc... Thought we could write things like , "Kiss me" on the lips, "You can ring my bell" on the bells, etc... with frosting.

Grandpa came home from work, Grandma (me, of course) gave him a cup of coffee and recommended he get a cookie (non-frosted) b-4 they are gone. We went to bed with one (unfrosted) cookie left. I gave Ron his card & an empty cookie tin :)

We had the babe until about 9 p.m. The dishes got done, the fridge was clean. We had no cookies for midnight snack, but it was a good day all and all.

Grandma Aggies Butter Cookie's

1 c. (2 sticks) butter
1 c. Sugar
1 egg
1 tbl. milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Cream butter; gradually adding sugar. Beat until light & fluffy.Beat in egg, milk & vanilla.
Combine dry ingredients. Gradually add to creamed mixture.
Cool for ease in handling.
Cut with floured cookie cutters.
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.
Decorate as desired

Just because you work at home, does that mean you have to be stuffed into a home office 8 or more hours a day with the door closed? Doesn't being your own boss mean running your home business from anywhere?



Sometimes I love just holing up in my office, shutting the door and getting to work. Othertimes, the day to day walk down the hallway can feel like......like going to the office. Like a J-O-B office. Yuk! I gotta have a change. Maybe it's too much aloneness. And then there are times, just because I CAN it's nice to get a change of scenery. That is one thing I love about being my own boss. I don't have to be confined, I can march to my own drummer.



For instance, since moving the old bunkbed out of my office and changing things around, it hasn't been working for me. It doesn't flow the way I like it to. It feels cramped and stuffy, not right. Not to mention, I get bored easily. I JUST KNOW Spring is around the corner. The office is feeling a bit claustrophobic.A sunny spring day will cause me to lust for the great outdoors,to listen to the birds as they sing in the trees and relish in the new flowers popping their little heads out of the dirt.



So last Spring I created an" outdoor office ". It's a great place to hang and play on the Internet - placing ads, answering emails. It is a little noisy with traffic now & then. Although we are somewhat "countrified", we do have a small family owned store a few miles away. Delivery trucks need to take our road to get there. Of course, you have your school buses and garbage trucks as well. So, depending on the time of day, I may or not sit out there and make phone calls.



Last summer I worked at the beach a couple of times. Not only did I make calls to my team to let them know I was working at the beach (you REALLY can work anywhere!), but also did some prospecting calls. I also left a paper trail (cards, flyers in bathrooms, handed to people, etc...).

With a laptop , wireless Internet, cordless phones & cell phones you can conduct business almost anywhere. The last month or so, I find myself working more and more at the kitchen table in the morning. It's bright and sunny, the coffee pot is right behind me, and since I am usually posting ads at that time I can catch up on the news on TV.



I can leave the computer out here all day and do some business, do some housework. A lot of houswork can be done while you're on the phone. Later as nighttime falls and the kids go to bed I find myself more and more bringing the computer to bed with me. I can sit up with pillows behind me and make any necessary calls, tweet my friend's, socialize ,do my blog, or listen to a training call, whatever. When I'm done, I put the computer on the shelf by the bed. In the morning, I get up, grab my best friend (computer) and back to the kitchen it goes.



I know what everyone's thinking, why not change the office back the way it was? Time, my friends, time.

Between working a biz, Girl Scouts, kids, Dr. and dentist visits (me & kids), a grandkid, yadda-yadda. Ok, I'm making excuses I'm sure.

But, hopping around from "office to office" works until THAT DAY arrives - you know THAT DAY.


A day that has just a few more hours, no problems, no appointments......ya know, the 12th of never.


So until then, if you can't find me, check the living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom (not really) the park, the zoo, the doctors.........who know's where I might be found! If you really need to fnd me, call or tweet! Later!

How many home business opportunities have you tried and "failed" at before you found "the one" ? 3? 4? More? Or haven't you found it yet? That was a question I asked the members of my group , " The Pajama Momma's" the other day. I have tried so many in the past 20 years, I think I forgot one or two when I did that post.



So, was I a failure, or did I fail to plan? I think the longest I worked any of these businesses was about 3 months. Then I threw in the proverbial towel and proclaimed the company and it's products "impossible to sell."



For gosh sakes, I've been here 6 weeks and haven't made a dime!



I just knew I would never succeed. Another company out to get my money!



About a year or so ago, I ran into a woman who was my upline in another company about 8 years ago. She was driving a VERY nice car. Dressed to the nines. Great hair. Great face ( hmmm...those beauty products that were part of our inventory?) I asked her if she was still with that particular company. I was floored when she smiled and said, "Yes, I am." All I could think as I drove home is "that could have been me!"



So that got me to thinking. Why do some home business owner's flourish in business, while others wither away?



I was about a year into my AmeriPlan business and was growing, but pretty slow. Giving up wasn't an option. I believed in the service, believed in the opportunity and I was so thrilled that there was no product to sell, store and ship. So I decided to get a little old fashioned education. I listened to motivational speakers on CD's - those people that had what I wanted. I read inspirational books. Read about famous people and what they have accomplished, and the time it took them to succeed. I almost hung my head in shame! Compared to some of these people , I hadn't even STARTED the process needed to be successful.



Check out these facts:



We all know this one! Look how long it took God to create the world, and he's GOD! C'mon, I'm just me. How long did I try before I gave up?



Thomas Edison's teachers proclaimed him "too stupid to learn anything." It took Edison 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. Edison 's attitude was this : I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.



Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he succeeded



Dr. Suess's first book , And to think I saw it on Mulberry Street, was rejected by 27 publishers. Vanguard Press eventually picked it up. It went on to sell 6 million copies. Since that time, well....it's all history.



The list goes on and on. In fact, some of the most successful people had tried and been unsuccessful at least a few times. Which gave me a new resolve- I was going to look at the successful people in my company and do what they did. All they did was keep on keeping on! I did, too. I made Regional Sales Director soon after. Now I help participate in training calls to help other's reach RSD.



Why am I willing to go the long haul now? I think it really came when I saw my upline from the previous company. She had what I had wanted way back when but did not have the courage and conviction to see it through. Granted, she probably believes in the product. I admit I didn't feel comfortable selling stuff I didn't even like using! But I do believe in health benefits.