Tag Archives: changes

A Change of Environment

Change can be good. Change can also be scary. One of the topics that we touch on now and again here in the Single Parents blog is the way our lives are affected perpetually by change. While it is one thing to accept that change is inevitable, it is quite another to actually seek and instigate change on purpose but sometimes that is just what we need to do. One of the areas of our lives where change may be in order is in our environment—our home, work, etc. Changing the way things feel and the environment that surrounds us … Continue reading →

Getting Rid of Clutter

What do you keep in your handbag? I posed this question recently on the forum and a number of you responded. Your answers made me feel better about the clutter in my handbags. Women’s handbags and what they contain have long been the subject of amusement, particularly to men. Years ago my husband and I taught Sunday school,pre-schoolers aged 3-5. When it came time for the collection, one little girl rummaged around in her handbag. Out came a handkerchief, a play lipstick, sweet wrappers, a bracelet, several small toys, and other paraphernalia before she found the money. My husband watched … Continue reading →

In Search of Gluten Free Recipes

It all started with an innocent question in my inbox: Valorie–I have a friend who has a teenaged son who has to have a gluten free diet. Do you have any teen friendly recipes for that? My initial reaction was “Are you kidding me?” I can’t imagine surviving without gluten. I think bread is one of my favorite food groups, and when I started to think of “teenage” foods, the only thing I could come up with were things like chicken fingers and pizza–both of which of course–contain gluten. I’m always up for a challenge so I started to do … Continue reading →

How Long Does it Take to Make a Habit?

Regardless of whether I want anyone else to know or not, I definitely have some habits I would let go of. Over the years, I have been amazed at how few days/times it can take for a habit to form—either good or bad. As a parent, it is not easy to know if a child’s new behavior is going to “stick” or not—is it just a passing phase? Or is it going to contribute to a habit that lasts a lifetime? How long does it take for something to become a habit and how can we make that work for … Continue reading →

Stress and Women

A recent survey from the American Psychological Association found that more than eighty percent of women experience physical symptoms of stress like fatigue and headaches on a regular basis. Are you one of them? The thing is, most women think they’re managing their stress well. In the survey from the American Psychological Association, eighty-one percent of women said they were managing their stress “extremely well” or “somewhat well”. Despite that, eighty-one percent of women complained of physical symptoms of stress. How do you know if you’re stressed? Physical symptoms like headache, fatigue, and muscle tension. Impaired ability to focus or … Continue reading →

When Inspiration and Motivation Changes

Many of us start our business for a specific reason–we feel inspired and motivated by someone or something and after getting our courage up we embark on our won. Over time, however, the reason we started our business may not be enough–our lives change and our inspirations might change too. This can make it challenging to stay motivated or might take our home businesses in a new direction. Change is inevitable and we certainly cannot expect things to stay the same forever. Some people might start their home business when their children are very young or they are new parents … Continue reading →

Another Resolution

Another day, another year begins and another resolution. Today, many resolutions will be made, resolutions about planned changes in behavior, attitudes and lifestyles. I know at least one friend whose New Year’s resolution is to lose weight. For some people the changes may only be minor. For others they could mean a major shake up. But the reality of New Year’s resolutions is that that are easily made and often just as easily broken. A recent poll in the South Coast Register asked people what they thought about new year’s resolutions and most decided they were a waste of time. … Continue reading →

Making Room for New Directions

By now, most of us has come to accept that change is the very nature of life. When it comes to raising children and embracing the constant growth and change, it can be a little tough on a parent. Just as soon as we get used to a certain personality trait or interest that our child is exploring, he might change and seem like a very different person. I think one of our jobs as parents, however, is to create some space and make plenty of room for our child to head in new and different directions. None of us … Continue reading →

Planning for Changes…or Status Quo?

I have written these past few weeks about ways to wrap up this calendar year in our businesses and get ready for the next one. Budgeting and planning are part of the package, as well as getting ready to pay taxes and organizing record-keeping for the end of the year. I thought it might be work mentioning, however, that not every home business needs to plan for big changes in the upcoming twelve months. It is a perfectly legitimate planning technique to plan to keep to a status quo for a period of time… Having a long term plan for … Continue reading →

Is it Time to Revamp?

I have always loved the word “revamp” but have never truly appreciated it until I started operating my own small, home business. After all, it can be easy to get in a rut and keep doing the same things over and over again. We don’t have bosses or policy manuals that tell us it is time to give the company an overhaul. Instead, we have to decide for ourselves when it is time to look things over and make the necessary upgrades and changes. You’ve probably heard the term to “revamp your resume’”? Well, the same can be true of … Continue reading →