Article: Children in the Home Business Environment
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1.
Editor's
Notes
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Hello
again! As we are coming up to the 4th of July, I'd like to
wish everyone in the USA a Happy Independence Day! Time
to reflect on the wonderful freedoms we enjoy and remember
all who have served to protect our freedoms.
Hope you get a chance to eat some barbecue, watch some
fireworks and generally enjoy your family and friends at this
summer fun-filled time of year! We're planning on seeing
the city's fireworks display down by the waterfront and hope
the weather's nice that evening for it.
We're featuring a few Americana home decor items in this
newsletter you might want to take a look at. Lots of stars, stripes,
red, white, and blue, along with eagles!
Hope you enjoy the article Quick and Dirty Holiday Decorating ideas
as well. What holiday could you possibly be decorating for? Well,
the next one is Fourth of July, but the article gives ideas
on how to
handle quick and easy holiday decorating changes year-round...
Take care,
Liz Hekimian-Williams
Send your comments, questions, and
anything you'd like to share
with me or your fellow ezine readers here:
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2.
Inspirational Thought For Your
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Surround
yourself only with people who are going
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Hi Liz,
Let me know what suggestions you have ... my kids made nice
regular size cards for mother's day BUT both seem to have an
affinity for large 3-D projects with items such as a shadow
box, a replica of a tree.....and on and on... paper clutter seems
to proliferate by the minute around here.....with a very
ingrained packrat gene apparently. (I even tried videotaping the
items with the plan to pitch and that's failed... maybe I just need
a stronger stomach and more determination to just do it!)
-De-clutter me in St. Louis
~~~~~
Hi "De-clutter me..."
I suggest getting a small trunk to put your kids' creations in. Then
you can let your child "help you" select one of their masterpieces
for display in some location and you do this once a
week or once
a month? In effect you'll be rotating their artwork out for display.
Also, once a year, try right before the new school year starts
again,
help your child "make more room" in the trunk for more of their
artwork that will be coming in during the next school year. Just
gather
the oldest pieces together (from two or three years ago) and ask
your child to pick several pieces they really want to keep and
several that they think could get thrown away.
Believe it or not, as kids get older and more skilled with their art
creations, they also see a difference, much as we do, in what
they
made. Now, with a more critical eye, they may not like some of those
pieces anymore and be more than willing to dispose of several.
Of course, just as we like some early or sentimental attempts, they
also can pick and choose items that are important to keep and those
that are not. My kids feel alright about throwing away many things
after a year or two (or three) but we also keep and display some
items that they made many, many years ago.
I think this whole process sometimes hurts us parents more than
the kids, though! If you do this on a yearly and regular basis,
though,
both the kids AND you will get used to it!
Liz
If you have an idea for "De-clutter me..." send it to
me and I'll share
it in the next newsletter.
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7.
Feature Articles -
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Quick and Dirty Holiday Decorating
Copyright 2003 by Liz Hekimian-Williams
You're tired. You've worked hard all week. Suddenly, the kids
shout gleefully... "let's decorate!" ... in anticipation of the
coming
holiday. The "let's not" is miraculously not permitted to escape
your lips. Instead you take a deep breath while you wonder
about how this decorating could become an easier and more
fun-filled activity.
Well, it can be!
- First, insist on family members pitching in to help and treat this
like a family project. This should not just rest on your shoulders to
accomplish and it will be much more fun if you all are making
changes and creating memories together.
- Next, pick a day and time you'll all devote no more than one to two
hours for a quick holiday makeover at your home (for a major decorating
holiday schedule two or three longer blocks of time). It helps if
you
can set the decorating date about one to two weeks from now, if time
still allows for that. This gives you time to gather items together
for
the project.
- Ask the kids to create one or two new arts and crafts decorations
that are suitable to the holiday to have ready for the decorating day.
Or, ask them to select ones from among any they may
already have
on hand, for instance, from school projects.
- Decide on 3 to 4 areas you will focus on decorating this year. Here
are some choices: the front door, the front yard, the entry hallway,
the kitchen table, the dining room table, the living room, the patio, the
bathroom, the bedroom. There are other areas you could consider
as well. But if you want quick and dirty, then focus in on only 3 to 4
of the areas for decorating this year. Anyway, you can select other
areas next year for a change.
- Keep holiday decorations in separate bags, boxes or baskets in
the same closet or in the attic so they'll be easy for everyone to
retrieve when they are needed next.
- Buy items you really love when you see them advertised or they
may not be available when you later. It's common for seasonal
merchandise to change from year to year and also they are not
stocked year-round typically. So, your item may no longer be
available if you wait too long to decide you want it. Then stash
your
figurines, statues, wall hangings, and other holiday
decorations
in your bags or boxes, sorted by holiday.
- Make or buy some snacks or treats to enjoy together at the
completion of your decorating time.
Here are some favorite quick and dirty decorating areas and
tips:
1. The front door- Have a welcome sign that is theme oriented and
you can easily change by season or by holiday. You can either hang
up a completely new themed sign, or there are some that come with
interchangeable pieces you swap in and out representing
different
holidays or themes.
2. The dining room table or a table that is centrally located but not
used that often- Change the table runner or the tablecloth to a
holiday
themed one. Then showcase your holiday decorations by arranging
a combination of your kid's holiday creations and your own
figurines
or other holiday decor on the table.
3. The mantel or entertainment center- Add a string of lights and if
you wish, you can also vary the string of lights by color best
suited
for the coming holiday theme. Wall hangings can be changed around
this area temporarily as well. Holiday accessories, flags,
figurines,
etc. are easy to rotate in and to view on or around this
area of your
home.
4. Special areas by kid's choice- Smaller children can help by adding
little decorations to windows and glass doors. They
enjoy taping up
their creations or they can easily put up static cling
decorations.
Other areas small children enjoy decorating include outdoors,
the dog house and their own rooms. Allow them to handle this
aspect
of decorating while you take pleasure in their big smiles and
hugs!
Finally, make your decorating time even more
enjoyable by having
holiday background music or other favorite tunes playing in the
background. Then, when you're done decorating, finish up with a
big family hug and munching on tasty snack treats
together!
Liz Hekimian-Williams is founder of Giftsprings.com, a gifts and
home decor online shopping site. Sign up for your complimentary
subscription to the Giftsprings ezine and browse the store at
Copyright 2003 Elizabeth Hekimian-Williams, Giftsprings
This article may be freely reprinted as long as you include the author
resource box and link above, the article is kept intact and you notify
the author of the URL, print publication, or ezine in which the article
is
reprinted. Please send the author a complimentary copy of any ezine
in which this article appears.
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9.
RIDDLE - from the
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ezine...
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Children in the Home Business Environment
Copyright © 2003, Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://Home-Business-Journal.comOperating
a home business is seldom easy and interruptions come
in all shapes, sizes
and forms.
Between the family, friends and neighbors who call or come
by,
and the telemarketers who insist on ringing your number off
the
hook, getting through the workday can be a real challenge.
When you
introduce children into the home office environment,
your productivity and
patience can be seriously tested.
For example, right now my three-year
old daughter is pulling
on my shirt and begging me to read her a story.
Clearly, I'm
in the middle of something important here, but how can I say
no to those eyes? I'll be right back...
Ok, that wasn't so bad
was it? She's happy, I'm happy (having
bonded with my daughter) and
now I'm back to continue my
conversation with you :-) What's the
lesson here? Flexibility
is a major key to balancing your home
business priorities with
your family's needs.
I can tell you from
first-hand experience that maintaining a
deep level of concentration on work
in a home business for long
periods of time is next to impossible. Naptime
does offer some
reprieve, but any break from the kids is usually short
lived.
Even with older children, summertime introduces new challenges
with kids running in and out of the house all throughout the
day.
I would like to share with you some of the tips I have
discovered to help manage your home office with children in
your midst.
Since children of different ages pose different
challenges, I will present
my tips in terms of age groups.
OLDER CHILDREN AND TEENS
We
will look at older children first since they pose the least
challenge to our
work productivity.
Children, who are old enough to understand the idea
of schedules
and chores, are old enough to understand the needs of your home
business. Explain to your children that you do your work at home
so that
you can be near them when they need you. But also be
sure they understand
that you must do your work so that you
will have the money necessary to keep
your house, feed the
family and to provide them with money for
entertainment.
Once your children understand the necessity of your work,
then
outline a work schedule and explain it to them. Do make sure
they
understand that emergencies are definitely an acceptable
reason to interrupt
your work. Then make sure they understand
that between hours x and y, you
will be doing work --- and
then hold them to respecting your
schedule.
INFANTS
Infants will never understand your needs for
work. But
fortunately, babies do well under a schedule or routine.
Instead of expecting your child to work around your schedule,
schedule
your work around the needs of your baby.
It is simple. Babies eat, sleep
and poop. Sometimes they play.
Fortunately, babies sleep more than they do
anything else.
Naptime offers the best advantage for getting your work
done.
Get your baby into a routine of eat, sleep and play, and you
will
experience unexpected levels of productivity.
TODDLERS
If you
have a toddler running around the house while you are
operating your home
business, then you may find that your hair
turning gray or disappearing
altogether. But, gray hair is a
sign of character, right. ;-)
I am
venturing to guess that the person who devised the door
lock for the inside
of the house did so because he had toddlers
in his own home. Inside door
locks should only be utilized when
you are making that important phone call
and your toddler is
screaming for your attention. At all other times, your
door
should remain unlocked with your door open.
Develop a routine
with your children for meal times, naptimes,
and play times. Work these
times into your work schedule and
adhere to them. If you fail to keep
appointments with your
children, your children will have less respect for
your work
and do more to prevent you from the completion of your
work.
Don't be afraid to let your children sit in your lap while you
are working. It helps them to feel wanted and it helps them to
be a part
of your daily life. There are times when it is okay
for them to be sitting
in your lap while you work, and at other
times you need them out of your
lap. Don't be afraid to tell
them to get down and go play or read a book so
that you can
resume your work.
Permit your children to have their
toys in your office. Often
they will sit contently and play while you work.
Just knowing
you are near is enough to keep them happy.
Be prepared
to take an hourly break to deal with your toddler.
Try to do potty breaks at
your hourly break and to do drink
refills. This can help your child grow
into a routine that will
work well with your home business. At each break,
spend a few
minutes with your child giving hugs and kisses and talking with
your child about what he or she wants to talk about.
Toddlers don't
always do well with the routine, so be prepared
to take a few minutes when
needed to give the attention that
your child so desperately needs in the
moment.
IN CONCLUSION
I hope these tips serve to help you in the challenge
of
operating a successful home business.
My home business permits me
to fulfill my financial obligations
*AND* see my children grow up. I would
never contemplate trading
my home business for another kind of business.
Even with the
added challenges of dealing with toddlers in my home office,
the upsides far outweigh the downsides.
Growing my own home business
with children around has definitely
given me a new respect for all people
who successfully run a
home business with kids in the work environment. I
tip my hat
to you... You deserve it!
Resource
Box:
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Stone
Evans publishes Home Business Tips, a fresh and
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Thanks
for reading! Have a peaceful week.
Liz Hekimian-Williams
http://www.giftsprings.com-------------------------------------------------------------
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