With three teenagers on Facebook (and a four-year-old who won’t be there for a while, thankfully), I drank up every word of this article by the Krafskys. It’s full of wisdom for those of us who, while we may be social media-savvy ourselves, may not know just how firmly to hold the Facebook reigns when it comes to our kids. Even if your kids are younger, this is great info to read and remember when the time comes. Enjoy! -Ed.

by K. Jason and Kelli Krafsky

We knew the day was coming. “Mom and Dad, can I have a Facebook?”

Silence. The two of us looked at each other waiting for the other one to speak first. More silence gave into that weird moment when no one has said anything for an uncomfortably long period of time.

Rushing through our minds were a hundred stories we’ve heard and another thousand we’ve witnessed with teens and parents on Facebook. We’ve heard (and seen) it all!

A single status update bringing shame to the family name before hundreds, if not thousands of people. A simple online comment causing real-time embarrassment and tension between family members. One quick, thoughtless Wall post erecting huge emotional walls in the parent-child relationship.

When we were writing Facebook and Your Marriage, parents of Facebooking teens were practically begging us to write a book on this topic. And now we know why.

Our dilemma isn’t that we have just one teenager to deal with…but two teenagers (and two more pre-teens in the bay) - which adds a whole other set of scenarios for us to think/stress/worry about.

With whole families now participating in the same online social community, too much is at stake to just throw the kids on Facebook and hope for the best. Good parenting is part trust, part rule maker, and part rule enforcer. As parents, not only do we need to figure out what rules need to be made between the child and parent, but between the siblings as well. And then figure out what the potential consequences are.

After what seemed like an eternity, silence was broken. We looked into those hope-filled eyes and said, “We need to talk about it.” While this was no more than pushing pause on the conversation, we had bought ourselves enough time to discuss all the possible scenarios of having the mom, dad, daughter/sister, and son/brother on Facebook.

What happens on Facebook can and will find itself being a major story plot in the family drama at home. And if that isn’t bad enough, your kid’s Facebook can and will likely be checked by prospective colleges and employers too. This is why it is imperative for parents and kids to talk about some common ground rules while participating in the new favorite American (online) pastime called Facebook.

So we came up with some ground rules for our kids. But ground rules for Facebooking families are not just a one-way street. We discovered there was a need for parents to agree to some ground rules too.

And what happens if the kids break any of the ground rules? Let’s just say their Facebook Friends won’t be seeing their little green dot for awhile.

To save ourselves a lot of headaches and to avoid Facebook-related conversations that include excuses like, “I didn’t know,” “I forgot,” and “You never said that,” we put the ground rules in writing.

Having the parents and kids sign a Facebook Rules Agreement spells out the expectations, and the ground rules everyone will follow.

So here’s seven ground rules we came up with for our kids, and seven ground rules for us as parents, as well as a copy of a Facebook Rules for Our Family Agreement you can easily adapt and customize.

* 7 Facebook Ground Rules for the Kids >>
* 7 Facebook Ground Rules for the Parents >>
* Facebook Rules for Our Family Agreement >>

If your teenager is on (or wanting to get on) Facebook, these ground rules will set in place some clear boundaries, establish some common courtesies, and protect everyone in the family.

DISCUSS THIS ARTICLE ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE >>

READ OTHER ARTICLES BY THE KRAFSKYS >>READ OTHER ARTICLES BY THE KRAFSKYS >>

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K. Jason and Kelli Krafsky are nationally-recognized specialists in social media and relationships. As “The Facebooking Couple,” they write and speak to bring common sense and healthy boundaries into marriages, families and relationships in this social media age. They are the authors of Facebook and Your Marriage (2010) and have co-written several articles on the topic. Find their articles, tools and tips at FBMarriage.com. The Krafskys live in the foothills of Washington’s Cascade Mountains with their four children. Contact them at FacebookAndYourMarriage.com, on Twitter or through Facebook.

Copyright © 2010 K. Jason and Kelli Krafsky - Permission granted to use and reproduce with proper source citation.

It was a dark and cloudy night….

Well, actually…it was a cloudy and rainy morning last June (Father’s Day, to be exact), and I had just dropped off my daughter at her Sunday school class at our church. The class is in an outside portable, and between the portable and a covered walkway were a couple of outdoor rugs. One of my feet caught on the rugs (actually, it felt like both feet, since I couldn’t move either to try to right myself), and down I went like a rock.

You know how, when you’re going through something that’s even just mildly traumatic, it seems to happen in slow motion? That’s how it happened for me, and I remember every detail: a) My feet caught, b) I tried to right myself but couldn’t, then c) I made some very hard contact with the ground. My right knee took the brunt of it, followed by my right hip, right elbow, right shoulder, then both hands. The only good thing was that my head didn’t hit the pavement, too.

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with my knees, dealing with cartilage issues and various pains, and had been working over the last year to strengthen the muscles that support them, so that made this fall especially disappointing. Because of the fall, I’ve had a constant ache where my knee hit the ground. I’ve been taking it easy and giving it time to heal, but think I may be headed for an MRI, as my doctor suggested. Ugh….

The big bummer is, thanks to my knee injury, my aspirations of running in a 5K (and on up) have had to be put on hold. I haven’t even tried running again — I’m scared to, to be honest. But I can walk (though I haven’t tried very long distances yet), and I can do other things to stay in shape. If you’re dealing with a knee injury, follow the tips below for staying in shape in spite of it. (Assuming, of course, that you’ve gotten your doctor’s approval to do so, as I have.)

1. Try walking. If you can do that without pain, or at least with only minimal pain, you may be able to try other gentle forms of exercise. Walk only short distances first, gradually increasing that as time goes on.

2. Try Pilates. If you want a gentle yet effective workout, Pilates is the way to go. If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know I’m a huge fan of Exercise TV. I find it on my local cable network (check your listings to see if you do, too), and do the workouts when I want to. I recommend the Pilates workouts by Nicole Stewart or Tandy Gutierrez.

3. Modify Your Favorite Workouts. I love Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shredworkout, but until my knee is completely healed, I’m laying off the lunges. Depending on your pain level, either forgo the lunges or just don’t lunge as far. This applies to squats, as well. Only go as low as is comfortable for your knee.

4. Swim. I’m not a swimmer, but if you are, go for it. Swimming is a great way to get in a low-impact workout. Water aerobics is another option — check with your local hospital, swimming pool, or YMCA for details.

Finally, it’s probably a good idea to get off of your knee (as soon as you can) for a while post-workout. Put it up, and use ice if it’s bothering you. Remember not to overdo your workouts! Baby that knee and it’ll take you far (yeah…pun intended).

©2010 Sally Dinius
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Sally Dinius is writer-in-chief here at CrazyBusyMama.com, a blog created to inspire and motivate busy mamas everywhere to feel healthy, fit, and in control of their lives. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sdinius, and come join the CrazyBusy Mama Facebook page by clicking here.

I always love hearing about family members and friends who’ve made the decision to change their lives for the better. But every now and then, someone will give up on their journey and go back to their old way of living…the way of living that got them in the mess they wanted so badly to get out of in the first place. They get discouraged again and again and convince themselves that becoming healthy is just “too hard.”

Why does this happen? Simple: They were expecting big changes right away and weren’t celebrating the small victories.

Folks, real life isn’t like “The Biggest Loser” (not putting down the show — any show that encourages and motivates milllions of people to change their lives and bodies is all right by me). Real change in your body, especially if you have a lot to lose, takes time. And sometimes it takes a lot longer than the three months allotted to contestants on TBL.

For normal people (i.e., people who don’t have access to a gym, or dieticians and trainers telling them what to eat and how to exercise on a daily basis), it can take quite a while to lose those extra pounds. Even if you’re almost to your goal, discouragement can be your constant companion: the last five pounds can be tough to get rid of, the cellulite on your thighs can seem as permanent as the spackle on your walls, and your craving for carbs can easily overwhelm your willpower — especially on a bad day.

Don’t give these things (or whatever is defeating you at the moment) more power in your life than they deserve. The only thing they should be able to do to you is remind you that life is full of choices, and that next time you’ll know to make the right choice.

No matter how you think you’ve failed in your quest to get healthy — or to get your family healthy — there are also small victories that you should be celebrating. If you’ve been focusing on the negative, you may have to actively search for the positive. Here are a few of the small victories I’ve been celebrating lately:

• My husband, who’s never been a label reader, will come home from the store now and proudly point out that this item has no MSG, this one has no high fructose corn syrup, that one is low-fat, etc. I don’t lord it over him at all — I’m just so glad to see him making good choices at the grocery store!
• At a recent visit to the doctor last month, the nurse told me I was seven pounds lighter than when they saw me last (seven months earlier). I shot my fist up and said, “Woo hoo!” I’m almost to my goal weight and that’s good news, especially since I’ve been under a lot of stress and haven’t gotten to workout as much as I’d like to.
• All three of my teens exercise on their own without me telling them to. They’re building good habits that will last a lifetime, and that’s awesome. I like to think I’ve been somewhat of a good example.

You know something? I feel better just remembering that little list of victories. Give it a try yourself. The next time you feel down about your progress being slow (or even if you’ve backslid and fell back into some bad health habits), remember the small victories and give yourself a pat on the back.

So what are your little victories? Maybe you just ran your first mile without stopping (heck, maybe you even just walked your first mile without stopping). Perhaps you lost two pounds this week. Or maybe you made it through your first tough workout on Exercise TV. Could be you’re seeing definition in your arms and shoulders…for the first time in your life. These are all terrific achievements and you should be proud!

Getting healthy is a journey with twists, turns, and setbacks, yes, but also victories big and small. Remind yourself — on a daily basis, if necessary — that at this time next month, and even this time next year, you’re going to be a whole lot healthier and way more fit than you are now. Don’t give up!

©2010 Sally Dinius
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Sally Dinius is writer-in-chief here at CrazyBusyMama.com, a blog created to inspire and motivate busy mamas everywhere to feel healthy, fit, and in control of their lives. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sdinius, and become a member of the CrazyBusy Mama Facebook fan page by clicking here.

By Susanne Myers

How many times have you said to yourself that you just don’t have the time to exercise? Don’t feel bad; it’s my favorite excuse as well. We all have busy lives and not much time for anything in our schedule. That’s why I wanted to share some of my favorite ways to sneak some exercise into everyday activities with you.

Get Up Earlier. Did you know that you are much more likely to stick with any type of exercise program, if you do it in the morning? Makes sense, doesn’t it. The day is new, and you haven’t had a chance yet to get burned out from long meetings at the office or running around town all day. It’s hard to get motivated to work out after a long day, so why not get it out of the way first thing in the morning?

Set your alarm to go off 20 – 30 minutes earlier than usual and ride your exercise bike, go for a brisk walk through the neighborhood, or get an exercise tape and work out with it in the morning. Exercise is a great way to start your day and you’ll feel energized throughout the rest of your day.

Walk During Commercial Breaks. You just settled down on the couch to watch your favorite TV show, and it goes to commercial. That’s the perfect time to get in a little exercise. Just get up and march in place right in front of the TV until the commercial break is over. Doing this even just once or twice a day will start making a big difference. You can even wear a pedometer to get an idea for how much walking you get done during your favorite TV shows.

Once you get used to your commercial workout, step it up a notch by marching through the entire show. Now that’s a workout! Plus you don’t have to feel guilty about watching Desperate Housewives anymore instead of doing the dishes – you’re exercising.

Work On Your Abs While You Wait In Line. One of my least favorite things to do is to stand in line. Whether it’s at the grocery store, the pharmacy or the DMV, it just seems like such a waist of time to just stand there and wait. That is unless you are working out at the same time. You can get a great abs workout standing in line and best of all, no one has to notice. Here’s how you do it:

Stand up straight and suck in your stomach as hard as you can. Hold and count to ten before you release. Repeat. Each of these counts as one sit-up and is just as effective. Just imagine how many sit-ups you can do just while waiting in line each week.

Go For A Family Hike Or Bike Ride. Instead of just hanging out on the weekends, take the family for a hike or go on a bike ride. You get to spend some quality time with your family and get some great exercise at the same time.

If your life is as busy as mine, give a few of these exercise tips a try and see if you can’t start to find time to work out a few times a week.

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Susanne Meyers is the owner of HillbillyHousewife.com. Check out her fun and helpful ebooks by clicking here.

For more tips on how to squeeze some exercise in your busy day visit Home Based Workouts. Get healthy and low calorie meal ideas delivered right in your inbox. Sign up for a free trial at Healthy Menu Mailer.

Article printed from LadyPens.

I don’t usually do this when grocery shopping, but the other day a certain product took me so much by surprise that I stopped, stared, and laughed out loud. (It was little embarrassing considering there were other shoppers nearby.) What was the product?

Organic pancake batter.

“What,” you ask, “is wrong with organic pancake batter?”

Nothing, usually, but this stuff was in a – wait for it – SPRAY CAN! You know – the same kind of can usually filled with processed “cheese” or whipped cream.

Being a camera-happy iPhone owner, I just had to take a picture of it, along with the ingredients list.

In case you can’t read them in the picture, the ingredients are:

“Filtered water, organic wheat flour (unbleached), organic cane sugar, organic eggs, sodium lactate to inhibit spoilage, organic soybean powder, leavening (dicalcium phosphate and sodium bicarbonate), sea salt, organic rice bran extract….”

And last but not least, that most organic of all ingredients (please note the sarcasm): “propellant.”

Hmm….

No, thank you.

How are you at reading labels? If you’re new to it, there are some food additives you’ll want to keep an eye out for. If any of the following ingredients are on the label you’re reading, you should really just put the product back on the shelf.

Let’s start with that propellant. The ingredient most often used as propellant in the same type of can containing the pancake batter (and whipped cream, etc.), is nitrous oxide. According to Drug-Forum.com, it’s been known to “leave a residue similar to motor oil” in whipped cream chargers, “which can be potentially harmful to the user.” Yum, right? With motor oil residue on your pancakes, who needs syrup?

MSG is next. Short for monosodium glutamate, MSG is a “flavor enhancer” with a nasty reputation for causing allergic reactions. It’s also a known neurotoxin that, once you eat it, never leaves your body. Never. Almost everyone has consumed MSG at one time or another, but the point is to do your best to avoid it from now on, and that includes knowing the sneaky aliases it goes by. According to the site, The Carbohydrate Addict, you may be consuming monosodium glutamate (and free glutamates, which they go into detail about on their site) if you eat foods containing the following:

enzyme modified
anything fermented
anything protein fortified
anything ultra pasteurized
autolyzed yeast
barley malt
broth
bouillon
calcium caseinate
carrageen
flavoring
natural flavoring
gelatin
hydrolyzed oat flour
hydrolyzed vegetable
hydrolyzed protein
malt extract
maltodextrin
natural flavors,
pectin
plant protein extract
potassium glutamate
sodium caseinate
soy protein
soy sauce
stock
textured protein
whey protein
yeast extract
yeast food

Like I said…sneaky. (For further reading on how MSG is often hidden in your food, check out Truth in Labeling. )

Besides propellant and MSG, be on the lookout for the other usual criminals: sugar, high fructose corn syrup, different types of fat, white flour, unnecessary additives, and artificial sweeteners like sucralose (a.k.a. Splenda). Choose to keep natural foods in your cupboards as much as possible and make your own meals instead of eating out (especially at fast food joints). Your family may give you a tough time about it, but eventually – when they realize how good they feel – they’ll thank you!

©2010 Sally Dinius

Need a little help when it comes to knowing what to cook to get your family healthy? Try the Healthy Urban Kitchen Cookbook. You’ll get some helpful bonuses along with these tasty (and did I mention “healthy”?) recipes.

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Sally Dinius is writer-in-chief here at CrazyBusyMama.com, a blog created to inspire and motivate busy mamas everywhere to feel healthy, fit, and in control of their lives. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sdinius, and become a member of the CrazyBusy Mama Facebook fan page by clicking here.

I spent some much needed time yesterday “attacking” my home office. I’ve been spending hours putting together — and getting the word out about — a new online endeavor, and my work space was looking pretty ragged. Papers were piling up on top of the printer, and odds and ends were feeling a little too at-home on the edge of my desk. I even had a lunch plate or two perched precariously on top of my filing cart. Scary.

Well, enough was enough, so I cleared out and cleaned up! There’s really only one way to do that — remove everything, wipe down all surfaces (it’s amazing how much dust accumulates), then put things back one by one. The most important rule for making your home office a place you love: If it isn’t useful or beautiful, it just doesn’t belong anywhere near where you’re working. If our eyes see clutter, our thinking becomes cluttered, too. If you take the time to organize and beautify your work space, you’ll quickly see what I mean.

My “office” happens to be a corner of my bedroom. Thankfully, even though our house is a 1968 rambler, our bedroom is fairly large. The desk and cupboards above are built-ins, and while they bugged me at first, I’m thankful for them now. Our bedroom is decorated in Country French decor — which I love — so of course I continued that theme in my work area.

I’d love to show you the details of what makes my home office one of my favorite places to be:

A printer is a must for any home entrepreneur. Mine, as you can see, sits atop an old breakfast tray. The side pocket holds my address book and planners, and the generous space underneath leaves room for a chunky basket from IKEA. The basket holds the things I use often: stapler, three-hole punch, photo paper, my camera, various cables…you get the idea.

My rolling filing cart is compact, in easy reach…and leaves no excuses for not doing my filing NOW. I love it because it’s black, so it goes with any decor, and has style, though I know that’s hard to see in the picture. I even purchased red hanging file folders to match the room. (Eventually all of the files will be red.) Someday in the future, when I’m feeling industrious, I might sew a cover for the cart…or pay someone else to do it!

I don’t remember where I got this old picnic basket, but it’s perfect. As you can see, not only is it attractive, but does double duty holding files for projects I’m currently working on. Baskets like this can be found at thrift stores, craft stores, or garage sales.

Unless you prefer to put your legs there, the underside of your desk can be used for extra storage, which is what I do. In my case, a Battenburg curtain panel, doubled over a tension rod, covers a multitude of sins. Cafe curtains from your local home store would work just as well, or hit the antique store to look for vintage linens, which is exactly where I found this treasure.

I’m sure the top of my desk will look cluttered to some. If you think it does, all I can say is, you should have seen it before! The things that are there now were carefully chosen because they’re items I love. When I’m working and deep in thought, my eyes tend to wander. I’d rather have my gaze fall on things that make me say “ahh” and not “ugh.” And I’ve found that surrounding myself with things that evoke a happy mood can have a profound effect on how much work I get done…and how well I do it!

Keeping with the theme of using things you love in your work area, try “repurposing” items intended for other rooms. On my desk, a fancy Fenton bon bon dish holds M&Ms (they, uh, help me think), and a vintage soap dish holds paper clips and push pins. Look around your home and see what you can add to your desk to infuse a little fun! Can’t find anything? Scour antique shops, thrift stores, even dollar stores. You never know what you’ll come across.

Besides two corkboard squares on the wall between my desktop and the cupboards, I have nowhere else in this small space to tack things up. But thanks to a roll of tape, the glass in the cupboard doors became my message center. It may look unsightly to some, but to me, it’s beautiful. Those doors are where I put quotes and reminders that motivate me and keep me going. I have Bible verses, quotes from other internet marketers (like this favorite from Carrie Wilkerson, The Barefoot Executive: “I can either be fearful and broke, or afraid and well paid!”), and one by Jillian Michaels that really resonated with me when I read it in this months’ issue of Success Magazine: “If you are not taking responsibility for the state of your life, you are a victim.” The quote below it, “‘Cause you strong!” is from her 30-Day Shred DVD.

Inside the cupboards I have keepsakes like special things my kids have given me and my bear from when I was little. The cupboards also hold my business library…something I strongly recommend every home entrepreneur have.

Last, but certainly not least, you’ve got to have a great chair. If you want an office chair that leans back and rolls around, that’s what you should have. If you want a straight-backed parson’s chair, get one. My chair is a vintage, carved-back dining chair. I placed a cover on it, then topped that with an old dresser scarf secured with a fancy pin. The seat cushion is an old pillow, and it’s cover is one I found at the dollar store, of all places.

Thanks for sticking with me through this long post! I hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse into my home office. If you’ve got a blog of your own, upload pictures of your workspace, too. Send me the link and I’ll share it here.

Above all, remember: Just because you “work” in your home office, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy being there. How your surroundings make you feel — anywhere from contented and happy to irritable and depressed — really can affect the quality of your work and the level of success you achieve. Surround yourself with things you love…you’re worth it!

©2010 Sally Dinius
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If you’re reading this blog, chances are good it’s because the title, “CrazyBusy Mama,” resonates with you. Chances are also good that your crazybusy life may not let you keep up with CrazyBusy Mama as often as you’d like. I have a few solutions for you; today I’ll fill you in on the first one.

It’s Facebook.com: I highly recommend it. Social media is an excellent tool for staying in touch. One of the reasons I really love Facebook is because most of the updates are short (unless someone posts a note). Users are pretty much forced to leave posts that are only 140 characters or less. When you’re busy, that’s a much easier way to stay up-to-date with your friends or favorite businesses than having to find their blogs and read through long, drawn-out posts just to find out what they’ve been up to recently.

Facebook, to me, is like a social dashboard. Everything’s there: my family, my friends, my church, favorite causes and businesses, and fan pages of people and events that I want to know more about. I use Twitter — I’m definitely on there — but I find that unless I really utilize the new “lists” feature, I’m completely lost as far as keeping up on the updates of the people I want to hear from the most. I’m following over 2,000 people (and vice versa)…so the list feature works for me much better than just hopping on there and hoping I see the posts of someone I know (which is a little like playing Russian Roulette). But…at least for now, I’m a Facebook kind of girl.

And that leads me to the first way to connect with CrazyBusy Mama: on Facebook. Did you know that this blog has it’s own fan page? (Oops, my bad…Facebook got rid of the “fanpage” — you now have to “like” the page. Don’t even get me started on that.)

The fanpage (can’t seem to stop calling using that term — old habits die hard) is really a great invention. I love being able to share beneficial, fun, interesting, and news-worthy things that I find with you all, but don’t always have the time to sit here and write a blog post about it. On the fanpage, it’s easy to paste in the link and say, “Here you go, friends — check it out!” (And, yes — 90% of the time, the links I share are health and fitness related. I just love finding fresh information and new workouts for you!)

So stop by this link: http://facebook.com/crazybusymamablog and say hello. I’ll see you there!

Coming up tomorrow…a couple more ways to stay in the loop almost effortlessly about the top-notch health, fitness, and lifestyle info you’ll find here at CBM.

©2010 Sally Dinius
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Sally Dinius is writer-in-chief here at CrazyBusyMama.com, a blog created to inspire and motivate busy mamas everywhere to feel healthy, fit, and in control of their lives. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sdinius, and become a member of the CrazyBusy Mama Facebook fan page by clicking here.

Today I’d like to share with you a little blast from the past. I’ve been nostalgically scrolling through old posts from another blog I used to have (I think it’s still there, just sitting dormant), and found this fun recipe. I posted it back in 2007, and am actually thrilled because I’d forgotten all about this green drink (literally…it’s green). The only change I would make to it now is to add a scoop of vanilla-flavored protein powder.

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“Kermit in a Blender”
February 2, 2007

You read that right: Kermit in a Blender.

Kermit in a Blender is my new favorite drink. It’s a terrible name, I know, and you’ll think it’s even worse once you hear what’s in it. Hey…it’s not easy being green, but if you ignore the color, it’s not too hard to drink it.

Kermit in a Blender is a smoothie that is simple as can be. I found a great juice called Mega Green in the health foods section at my local supermarket. First, I’ll tell you what’s in that, then I’ll tell you how to make the smoothie.

The maker is R.W. Knudsen, and Mega Green is in a line of juices called Simply Nutritious. The front of the label says Mega Green is “a juice blend from five concentrates with spirulina, chlorella, green grasses & other green foods.” (Spirulina and chlorella are types of algae.) The juice has a heck of a lot of potassium in it (330mg per 8 oz. serving), which is great for improving your memory, among other things. Take a look at this lovely list of ingredients:

FILTERED WATER (SUFFICIENT TO RECONSTITUTE), APPLE JUICE CONCENTRATE, PEACH PUREE CONCENTRATE, PINEAPPLE JUICE CONCENTRATE, BANANA AND MANGO PUREES, SPIRULINA, CHLORELLA, NATURAL GUMS (XANTHAN GUM, CARRAGEENAN, LOCUST BEAN GUM, SODIUM ALGINATE), BARLEY AND WHEAT GRASSES, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), NATURAL FLAVOR, BROCCOLI AND SPINACH POWDERS.

By itself, it tastes like a virgin pina colada being sipped through a seaweed straw, but put it in the smoothie, and you’ve got a tasty breakfast (the “green” taste seems to disappear). Or at least a quick snack.

Kermit in a Blender
8 oz. Mega Green juice
4 oz. apple juice (optional)
7-10 ice cubes
1 banana

Place all of the above in a blender. On mine, I have a “crush ice” option, so I put it on that setting until I no longer see any large pieces of ice whirring around. So give it a go. Mix it up, and share it with a friend.

So far, this drink has a fan base of only two: my 11 year-old daughter and myself. My 12 year-old son, who will not drink it, affectionately calls it, “Kermit Getting Sick by the Lake.” Perhaps we need to think of a nicer (and more appetizing) name….

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It was fun sharing this blast from the past with you. Let me know if you try the drink, or if you have a favorite smoothie recipe of your own.

More blasts from the past to come!
©2010 Sally Dinius
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Sally Dinius is writer-in-chief here at CrazyBusyMama.com, a blog created to inspire and motivate busy mamas everywhere to feel healthy, fit, and in control of their lives. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sdinius, and become a member of the CrazyBusy Mama Facebook fan page by clicking here.

By Guest Blogger Aurelia Williams, author of Balancing Work and Family


The trend of moms working from home to be near their children has grown in the last couple of years. Now that they have found jobs or businesses to run, they’re starting to realize that working from home is not as easy as they thought it would be. The work they do is hard to separate form their personal lives, which makes it hard to schedule time for work responsibilities and home duties.

The workspace these moms use to do their jobs at ends up being a part of their household, so that makes dividing work and home life even more difficult to do — and one of the motivating reasons for creating my Balancing Work and Family guide. Imagine that your office is a part of the dining room, which also happens to be the room where you eat your meals as a family. How easy is it going to be for you to leave your work life to be with your family when the office is 5 feet away from the dinner table?

The realities of dividing work and personal life can get smudged for work at home moms. When that happens, one’s stress level is sure to rise, which could jeopardize one’s sanity. To prevent your sanity from leaving, you should find ways to ensure that separation takes place between your job/business and your family life.

Assess the current situation. Try to find an area, within your home, to have your office so that it won’t interfere with your family life. The home office needs a room with a door where you can be apart from the rest of the house. A den or a garage can be converted into office space that is exclusive to your business. Some people have resorted to placing their office in the laundry room, just because it has a door! When that is not an option, set up shop in your bedroom to keep it away from the family areas.

Organization is the next step. A messy desk can be a huge distraction when trying to work. Everything needs to have its place. If you worked in an office, your boss would not stand for a messy work space. There’s no difference when you’re office is at home and not at the worksite.

Use inexpensive organizing items, such as baskets with separate compartments to help organize the odds and ends on your desk. You can keep rubber stamps, letters, invoices, pens, pencils, and the like in here. Organization makes finding things much easier, which results in a more relaxed work day.

Keep your business phone separate from the family phone line. When using the same line, you run the risk of your children answering business calls or picking up the phone during a conference call. This causes your professionalism to fly right out the window and takes your customers or employers along with it.

The same goes for the computer. It’s best to keep your business computer separate from what the other family members use, but budgets don’t always allow for this. In that case, make sure that the business/job files and documents can’t be easily accessed by anyone but you. This will help prevent some of the stress that could be brought on by family members stumbling on a client’s important document and accidentally deleting them.

Be sure to use calendars or planners as they are very helpful when trying to keep track of business appointments or deadlines and family appointments. This will lessen the stress of setting up family appointments when you’ve forgotten about business deadlines you have.

Consider hiring a sitter on days you have a lot of work to do. Being a work at home mom gives you the benefit of controlling your own schedule. Having a sitter keeps the kids away from your office and gives you quiet time to focus on your work and gives your kids a chance to have fun without you feeling too guilty.

Mixing business with family in the home setting can be a major source of stress. Keeping the business side of your life organized and separate is crucial to success in keeping your stress levels down and your sanity intact.

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Get More Help:

Working at home can be extremely rewarding, but it’s challenging. Get the help you need with Real Life Guidance to Balancing Work and Family. It’s your practical guide to tracking your time, setting priorities, learning to say no and achieving that balance you strive for.

By Guest Blogger Aurelia Williams

Time is one of the most important resources that we have. Time is one thing that you can’t swap, borrow or purchase. We are all given the same 24 hours to each day. Even with all of our modern day time-saving conveniences such as e-mail, fax machines, microwaves, and dish washers, there is no way to get more hours into your day. It is up to each of us to make the very best use of our time since we can’t get it back.

Here are some time saving tips that you can use to optimize and free up your precious time:

Double Up. One way to maximize your time is to double it up. Try exercising while vacuuming or while watching TV. While you are talking to your children, use that time to go through their back packs and ask them about their day. During your down time chats with your girlfriend on the phone, why not clip coupons or browse through the sales paper.

Make Use of Services Available To You. Take advantage of pick-up and delivery services offered by neighborhood stores, dry cleaners, and restaurants. One wonderful service to look into would be to hiring a teenager or an errand service to run certain errands for you.

Schedule Like Tasks at the Same Time. Instead of sitting in front of your computer all day returning e-mails as they arrive, try to return all e-mails during the same block of time. Set aside an hour or so to return multiple e-mails as opposed to doing it sporadically all day.

Combine Your Outdoor Errands. When you are out grocery shopping also pick up your needed prescriptions, run to the post office, and fill up your gas tank. By doing this you will not have to leave the house 3 or 4 times in the same day.

Organize Your Home. We spend so much time looking for things, trying to re-create things that have been lost, and cleaning up clutter. Create a spot in your home where you keep, record, and pay your bills, and store your stamps, envelopes, and other things that you use frequently. Don’t forget about your children. How many minutes or hours a day do you spend looking for shoes, socks, toys, or that favorite stuffed animal? Arrange things so that your children can take care of some of their everyday needs. Try using shoe racks that hang on the closet door so that your children can hang up their shoes. Use clear storage containers for small toys and a desk for storing all of the arts and crafts supplies.

Make Use Of Small Bits of Time. Take care of small projects during waiting periods. For example, if you find yourself waiting in the doctors office, why not use that time to plan and write out your grocery list or “To Do” list. If you use public transportation use that time to read those magazines that have been piling up.

Plan Ahead. We can’t always foresee what will be needed but we can be prepared for certain things. Pick and set out your children’s clothes the night before. When you are cooking dinner, double the recipe and freeze half of it to be used for a meal in the upcoming weeks. Before you go to bed, create a short list of the things that you have to do the next day.

Be sure to allow for some flexibility in your schedule. If the sun starts shining on what you thought was going to be a rainy day, grab those children and head to the park or take an impromptu trip to the zoo! Just make sure to take care of yourself and be wise about your time.

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Aurelia Williams, certified Personal Life Coach and owner of Real Life Coaching and author of the Journey to Joy ebook. Learn to quit running yourself ragged: Take the Journey to Joy instead.