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When Should Mom Start Dating?

May 20, 2008 By Leave a Comment

When the dust settles after a divorce, moms may start to wonder when they should date again.  There are [ad]factors to consider such as the feelings of their kids.  Here are a few guidelines that can help divorced moms determine if the time is right.

Divorced moms often devote themselves to their kids.  They spend their time tending to their needs and making sure that they have adjusted to the divorce.  In all of this nurturing, the woman who is mom gets lost.

Divorce doesn’t mean that moms are no longer allowed to experience love.  This one relationship didn’t work, but that doesn’t mean a new one will suffer the same fate.  It may take years for the scars to heal from her divorce.  Each mom must decide for herself when she is emotionally ready to allow a new man into her life.

When a mother decides in her heart that she is ready, it is a good idea to inform the kids.  There is no telling what their reactions will be.  When you inform them about jumping back into the dating game, answer any questions that they have with honesty.

Kids wonder if dating will affect their visitation with dad.  The answer is no.  The point of dating is to find someone for mom and not to disrupt the children’s lives again.  Tell them that you will take it slow and for them not to worry because they are your first priority.  Reassure them that a new man in your life will not take the place of their father. 

Encourage honesty.  The last thing a mom wants is their little ones sabotaging her chances at a new romance.  If the kids are not fine with it, mom may want to take some time and work out the problems that the kids have before starting to date.

When all of the parties are in agreement, mom gets the go-ahead.  Listing the qualities she is looking for in a new man could help in the search.  Try to meet a man on your own terms first before you let friends set you up on blind dates with one of their relatives or coworkers. 

Tell the person you are interested in about your kids.  This will give you an idea right away about his interest in children.  If he is not ready to be a stepfather, move on to someone else. 

To protect your children and their feelings, don’t bring home a date unless you are sure that he has potential.  Kids become easily attached and will suffer withdrawal if you break up.  When he has kids also, let the kids meet when you feel sure that you want to have a relationship with this person.

Dating can be tricky even under the best of circumstances.  When you add an ex-spouse and kids to the mix, things can get difficult.  A mom must decide for herself when the time is right to re-enter the dating world.  If her kids are okay with it, that is usually all the confirmation she needs.

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How Can I Market Myself As a Transcriptionist?

May 20, 2008 By Leave a Comment

If you decide to market yourself, as a general transcriptionist, locally there are several different options vailable to you. You can start with basic places like insurance companies. Insurance companies are always in [ad]need of having transcriptions done for them. 

Think outside of the box though. 

Try some places that you wouldn’t normally think of like local charities or even your local radio station. Places like your government offices are probably in need of general transcriptionists also. Other places to look for possible clients would be any type of business that do conference calls, panel discussions, etc. 

A quick overview of places to contact for possible transcription clients will be places like insurance companies, government offices, radio stations, businesses that do market research, places that have panel discussions, etc. And anywhere else you think that a general transcriptionist may be needed. 

Another option you have as a general transcriptionist is to market yourself via the internet. Now that so many small business owners or work at home moms know the value of content, many of them are hiring transcriptionists to transcribe podcast interviews, teleconferences, etc. Having these items transcribed into text format provides a way to add new content to their website. 

Either way you decide to market your business, offline or online, you will want to have a website. A website shouldn’t be an option, it should be a necessity. You will want a site so that people can find you and seek out your services. You will want to make sure that you have contact information easily available on your site along with services provided and your prices. 

Another great and easy idea to put into use, to market your general transcription business is utilizing the email signature. Most email accounts give you the option of creating a signature that will be attached to all your outgoing messages. You should take advantage of this setting and create your signature using your business name, your business website URL, your phone number, etc. 

Other ways to market yourself are by joining forums/message boards. One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t want to just spam the boards meaning don’t just post about your business if they offer a free advertising day. You should be there to build relationships and then talking about your business will come naturally as you develop relationships. Most message boards allow you to have your business name & ULR in your signature. 

There are lots of options available for marketing your general transcription business. The route you take will depend greatly on what your niche market is and whether you plan to work solely with offline/local clients or with online clients. No one can tell you what will work best for you; it’s entirely up to you and what you prefer to do.
Grab your Moms Talk Biz Guide to Starting a Transcription Business - Step-by-step instructions, resources and inside information to start your own transcription business from home.

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Create the Perfect Craft Area in Your Home

May 16, 2008 By Leave a Comment

People enjoy crafts of all kinds.  Some take up little space; some take up a lot.  Some crafts need very few [ad]supplies, and some require enough to fill a cabinet or more.  Whatever the crafts, if there is more than one person in the family, creating the perfect craft area in your home is probably something you all only dream about.

Crafts like sewing require quite a bit of space.  You need to have a sewing machine, ironing board and iron, an easily accessible space for notions, and space to store fabric and patterns.  Dad and the kids have their own crafts.  Wouldn’t it be great to have one room where all of this could be located?

Begin by deciding which room you will turn into a craft room or if you will have to add one to your home.  If you have a room to use, measure it and draw the room to scale on graph paper.  Measure each piece of furniture that will go into the room and transfer those to the same scale size; cut out each piece so you can try different room arrangements without having to move heavy furniture.

One recommendation would be to divide the room into zones.  If someone is interested in painting, they will want to have access to direct sunlight.  Sunlight wouldn’t be so important to someone who was scrapbooking or putting together models. Create a painting zone nearest the windows.

Be sure to have plenty of overhead as well as task lighting in the room.  Each task requires lighting for close tasks as well as something more general.  Lamps that can be adjusted for specific tasks would be a good idea.  Do you have enough wall outlets or do you need to add more?

Work space will probably be a premium concern.  Someone who sews would need a place for the machine as well as space to spread out fabric when cutting out patterns.  Of course, that area could be used by someone scrapbooking, as long as they weren’t trying to do so at the same time.  The longer the flat surface, the better it would be.  If it were long enough, it might be able to accommodate two crafts at one time.

Seating would be another area to consider.  Comfortable chairs are a must, especially if you’re sitting for long periods of time.  However, you don’t want to get lounge chairs.  Something that is ergonomic and practical would be best.  You want to be comfortable while working on your craft, but not so comfortable you fall asleep.  Good quality office-style chairs will probably do nicely.

The final component is where to store everything.  How much of the supplies needed for each craft can be stored on shelves rather than in cabinets on the floor?  Peg boards, wall-mounted organizers, and multiple shelved units could store a good amount of things.  What about putting strips of metal along the walls near each work area?  These would be a handy place to hold scissors, little jars to hold beads or buttons, and more.  The options are limitless if you think about it.

Crafts are an important part of our lives.  They help us relax and give us a creative outlet.  They help us to dream.  If they’re so important to us, why is it we don’t enjoy doing them more often?  Having a great space designated just for crafts might be the answer your whole family is looking for.  Think about the benefits, and then create the perfect craft area for your home.

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