Before we get too late in the month, let's find out how my friends juggle it all. I asked them this.

“The holidays are such a busy time of year, so it got me thinking about balance.

Between shopping, decorating, business… family – how did you handle it all? Got tips for my readers?”

I think you'll find the answers this week interesting and helpful.

Jason Fladlien of Wishy Washy Guru (<-You know you gotta click that one) says:

For this busy time of the year… I actually get more done believe it or not. Because everyone else takes a break, they are not lined up to speak to me or need my time as much… plus with the family off of work they have more free time

I like to focus more on internal stuff and preparing for next year instead of going external marketing. But December is a great time to launch products because most people don't do it…

Jeanette S. Cates, PhD of Plan Your Online Business says:

Balance between business and personal lives is a challenge at any time of the year – but particularly during the holiday season. I've found that I prefer shopping late in the evening, after I've finished “work” for the day and had dinner with my husband. The stores are less crowded at that time of day and that's a high energy time for me. Other people are in bed at midnight as I'm closing down the stores!

I'm also doing most of my first round shopping online. As a family we “post” our Christmas lists on Thanksgiving day, so it makes it easy to pick out things you know people will like. Since we encourage everyone to be specific in what they want, they sometimes even include the store and catalog number! So right now my living room is piled with boxes of gifts to be wrapped (my husband's job – did I mention delegation?)

For my business, I preschedule blog posts and tweets. Plus my assistant tweets reminders on things several times per week. I also preschedule email broadcasts (to coincide with the blog posts and other announcements). I try to work a couple hours a day, generally in the morning, so I have the rest of the day “off” for personal fun. After all, we're working this business to have more personal freedom. NOW is the time that pays off!

Starting around the 20th of December, my assistant will only check the help desk once a day and go through email once a day. On Christmas we don't turn on a computer (except for video games with the grandkids!). Then the “quiet week” between Christmas and New Years I'll crank back up full-time. It's a GREAT time of year to get things done!

Kelly McCausey of Solo Smarts says:

I don't believe in balance in the sense that many people talk about it. Sure, you can forecast a perfect balanced schedule, but life doesn't usually fit into your expectations. Rather I believe in having well considered priorities and making choices based on them.

For this empty nest season of my life, I get to be my main concern quite a lot and I'm taking advantage of it. I focus a lot of time on my self care, going to the gym, eating right, etc.

My family is always a priority. I have a whole day every week set aside to be available to them. My calendar booking tool won't let you set up an appointment on that day. I have breakfast or lunch with my step-dad and I'm free to visit other older relatives.

These loved ones are precious and I've no guarantee that they'll be there for me to visit next year or the year after that – so they've got to be a priority now.

As far as the holidays go, I've played it very low key up to now. Not a lot of shopping, definitely not spending a lot of money. My gift to others this year is my time and undivided attention – and home made goodies of course. Future holiday seasons may not be so laid back so I'll take advantage of this one for sure!

Kevin Riley of  Blogpreneur Training says:

Fortunately, I live in Osaka, Japan, where we aren't affected by the whole Christmas madness. However, the commercial aspect of Christmas has been making inroads over here in the last few years.

Rieko and I only buy one present each for each other – just something small that we know the other person will enjoy. In this way, there's no pressure to get some big gift, just for the sake of giving a big gift. I'm very happy to be away from that whole gift exchanging thing, and just buying each other a little treat. It really frees up Christmas for just enjoying the season. BTW, this year, I bought Rieko a DVD of a season of Friends, which she loves (Shhh. Don't tell her.)

As for decorating, we only put up a tiny tree and a handful of decorations. When I say tiny, I mean tiny– about 18 inches tall. Next week, we'll make a gingerbread house, which rounds out our decorations and also gives us something to nibble on.

Tips for you? Keep it simple. Focus on just having an enjoyable time with your family. Take stress out of the equation and you can have so much more fun this Christmas. Rather than big presents, give your family your time.

Tiffany Lambert of  Work Life Balance says:

Balance is a tough one for me, but I handle everything so I must be doing something right!

For me, what works best is an all day work schedule. Some people prefer to have a set business time, but I feel less stressed if I have the luxury of starting and stopping work in between other tasks that need to get done.

Some days nothing much gets done. The Thursday before Christmas, I spent the first part of the day at my younger kids’ school participating in school events – and then brought them home for my oldest son to watch while I went and did more shopping for six hours.

How did I manage work that day?

My iPhone. I approved and responded to blog posts while standing in those long, grueling lines at the mall. I answered emails when I got back in my car between stores. If I don’t stay on top of things, then it gets out of control and becomes overwhelming to me.

Doing a blog reply here and an email reply there is easily doable.

Regardless, the key is not to beat yourself up if something doesn’t get done – whether that’s part of your home life or business world.

Guilt is debilitating, and you have to enjoy the fact that flexibility is what this career is all about. No one tells you what to do or WHEN to do it. If you need to push work aside until 8 PM because you’d like to enjoy decorating the Christmas tree, then do it! Those are precious family moments and no amount of work or productivity can replace that.

I will say that balance is much more achievable when you have residual income streams that work for you when you need time off for other things. If you're always working as a service provider, then every second you spend not working is a boulder of stress on your shoulders.

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

This is the most wonderful time of the year… and the most stressful, too.

In addition to all of the craziness that I already have, my daughter is in the annual production of Christmas on the Coast, here in town. So, I'm in the dressing room under the stage by the pit – and my hubby is doing props for an entire week. But, she loves it – so it's worth it.

By the way, if you're in Pensacola, come see the show.

So here are some things that I do to try to keep myself mostly sane this week.

1. Cut me some slack, Jack.

I try really hard to cut myself  a break during the holiday season, and just flat out do what I can and not stress too much over what is left undone.

2. Take Advantage of Amazon Prime.

Amazon Prime is truly one of the best inventions on earth. I can order pretty much anything and get it shipped anywhere in the USA in 2 days for free. This means that even if I don't start my holiday shopping until mid month, I'll be fine.

3. Presell a New and Exciting Course.

I'll be teaching a Passive Income Course in January with my friend Melissa Ingold. So, we started preselling it this month.

That gives four big benefits:

• I get to finish the year strong,
• My affiliates have a way to easily earn some quick money promoting something NEW that people will love,
• My students get the tax break of paying by the end of the year (and also a discount for buying during the launch), and
• We all get to start the next year with a fun and exciting project to look forward to.

4. Embrace Routine, but Call it Tradition.

I've read that some of the most successful people on earth have a very limited closet of clothes. Like they buy the same darned thing so they don't have to waste valuable brain power on such menial tasks as deciding which socks to wear.

I've realized that I do much better if I do the same.

For instance, this Christmas, I won't be searching Pinterest for a  new and fun way to make mashed potatoes. I'll use the same recipe that I've used every year for the last 10 years.

Now that's not to say I don't LOVE Pinterest and enjoy trying new things, but with everything else going on, now is not the time for me to be messing around with new stuff. You follow?

So, I'll be making my SAME spinach dip that I make every year, my same mashed potatoes, my same green bean casserole, and the same old can of wiggly cranberries out of the can.

Now, my husband and kiddos are totally free to come up with whatever dishes and desserts they want to eat.  But, as for me, the one who is responsible for all the holiday shopping, plus the business, plus the kids school and staying on top of everything? I have to just let myself have the “tradition” of knowing exactly what I have in front of me for Christmas dinner.

5. As for Business – Follow the Money.

I encourage my coaching clients to do this and I'll encourage you, too. KNOW where your money is coming from and focus on that, especially in times of added stress.

• If you make your money from publishing a new Kindle book – then do that.
• If you mail your lists daily and that's where the majority of your income comes from, then by golly, don't be messing with a webinar this month.
• However, if you know you can run one webinar with a trusted partner, make enough for the whole month and then be done with work – then do that.

Of course, the above also applies to where you're investing your outsourcing dollars. Put them where you'll get the highest ROI.

6. Planners Profit.

PLAN out the rest of the month now, if you haven't already. In writing. You know, with a paper and pen and a calendar of some sort – so you know what you've got to do and how much time you need to accomplish it.

7. Your VA has a Life.

Understand that your helpers have a life, too. Make sure you're setting them up so they have a happy holidays, too. Do this by planning ahead, posting your hours on your customer support site, and being extra careful of the timing of new promotions and coupons – so there isn't a glitch on the 24th of December that puts everyone in a panic.

8. Take Care of You!

The extra holiday stress can bring your immune system down. Take care of yourself so you're not spending Christmas morning with a thermometer in your mouth instead of a piece of pie.

9. Remember the Routine? Recycle, too.

I post the SAME blog posts this time every year with minor edits.

For instance, you'll see these posted here nearly ever year since 2008:

• Blogging Calendar
• Save on Taxes

Streamline and make your life easier – by hitting that ‘copy post' button on your blog and reworking your eagerly anticipated Annual Posts. (Remember Tradition is a good thing.) Or as my friend, Sean Platt said in a presentation that I heard him give. “Become a habit”. I hope and pray that my audience looks forward to these annual posts and anticipates them each year.

10. Don't forget to Spend.

Spend some extra money in your business by the end of the year for tax breaks, but I meant something different.

SPEND time with the ones who you love. Put down that blasted phone (unless you're taking pictures with it) – and experience the moments that you are blessed with. Work can wait and it will be there when you get home.

11. Have your Priorities Straight. 

I always tell my coaching clients this:

Remember, it's freaking ONLINE BUSINESS. We're not the ones flying the heart to the transplant. We are web publishers, social media managers, authors, coaches, and bloggers. The world CAN wait to hear back from us in 99% of the cases. But you only get one shot at Christmas 2013 – so enjoy it!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. This is a great opportunity to tell you about Tiffany's new product. Check out Work Life Balance to get a good butt-kicking about making sure you keep your priorities in line

If you've missed past Expert Briefs, you can click on the undies to see them all –>

Summer is in full swing and a lot of people have been asking me about my kids daily to do lists and how I keep them motivated around the house every year during the summer so I can get work done. Instead of just me posting, I thought I'd put the question out to get even more feedback.

So, this week I asked our experts….

If you have kids at home —
how do you manage your home
during the summer to actually get work done?

Include schedules, too, if you have them. Thanks!

I hope you find something in this week's post to help make your own summer break a little less stressful.

Tiffany Dow of The Guide to Shiny Object Syndrome says:

I have three kids at home – a college student, one transitioning from middle into high school, and an elementary school student. When they’re home during the summer, I am in Heaven! But like all kids, it can pose a distraction for me when I need to get things done.

I’ve made the mistake of being a night owl and trying to work past the bedtime of my kids, just so I could spend the daylight hours focused on them, but then I found that I was too tired during the day to work or play.

For me personally, during the school years, I end up losing over two hours a day just driving the kids to and from school. When summer comes, I gain two extra hours, which I love.

A typical schedule for me during the summer is like this:

Wake up between 6-8 AM (because after all, what good is summer if we can’t enjoy not living by an alarm clock?).

Go to bed around 9-10 PM.

Everything in between is a lovely combination of work, cooking and playing with my kids. I don’t live by a schedule. I make breakfast, lunch and dinner when we’re hungry. I take the kids swimming for a couple of hours if the weather happens to be nice.

I like to run errands during regular working hours so that stores are not crowded. I technically work from the time I wake up until the time I go to sleep, but each day is filled with breaks and cooking with my kids and maybe a TV show or two.

I don’t track time. I live according to what moments my kids need with me and what tasks I have to get done that day. If my daughter says, “Hold me, Mommy!” then I drop the keyboard and hold her.

If I know I need to get something out that day because my subscribers are counting on me, then I tell my kids that morning and they work together to help each other so that they interrupt me less. I’m sure to thank them when I’m done for being so good to me and letting me accomplish my work.

I wish I could provide the perfect “work at home Mom” schedule that’s rigid and foolproof, but I can’t. I don’t even want to. I want to say this: THE biggest perk of this career path is getting to enjoy all of these precious moments with our kids.

So soak it up during the summertime. They’re grown before you know it. Work can wait. Even if you have to set your alarm earlier so that you can get more done, make the effort. You’ll enjoy your summer more when you relax and realize that most tasks can wait.

One thing I’d like to add to this. My subscribers and I recently had a conversation about the noisiness that kids bring. I’ve turned everything (TV, video games, talking) into white noise. When voices become high pitched (like my daughter saying, “STOP IT, SHAWN!”) I instantly tune in and address it.

Carol Amato recommended a great site to help train you for white noise while working. It’s free and it’s called coffitivity.com. It’s really neat and the key is to put it really low and train your mind to work around noise.

Connie Ragen Green of Affiliate Marketing Inside Secrets says:

I do not have kids at home, but I do spend about eight weeks each summer with some or all of my six grandkids. Four of these incredible children live in Finland, so while I am there I get up very early – three or four in the morning – to do my work online. They get up around six or seven and by then I've done as much as I intended to do that day. A couple of times a week it all catches up with me and I simply take a nap that afternoon. The oldest is twelve years old now, so she and I have our own work area when she happens to get up early to see what I'm doing.

When the two stateside grandsons are with me I work around their busy schedules. They are both involved in organized sports, so I attend every practice and game and do not work at all during that time.

Two years ago I started teaching them what I do online, so now we all seem to be working a few hours each day on our businesses. They are homeschooled, and this has been an important part of their education.

I would encourage anyone with children in their life to include them in what you do, as much as possible. As a former classroom teacher I feel strongly about sharing this type of information with kids from an early age.

Felicia Slattery of Signature Speech Secrets says:

My girls (ages 8 and 10) finished school for the summer on May 24. And now I'm stuck trying to figure out what to do with them for the summer. Lucky for me is there's this thing called the Internet :-).

So far, I've found a site that has a cool list of 50 free things to do with kids in the summer, a bunch of kid-friendly recipes, and affordable summer camps for both my girls.

On the days where they won't be occupied outside our house, my schedule will include work time for me from about 7-Noon, with breaks for getting them breakfast and keeping them occupied with various activities from cleaning out their closets, junk drawers, toys in the basement playroom, and more chores. After that, they have lots of self-invented games they like to play including School (I know, go figure), Barbies, and putting on plays that require hours of practice. In the afternoons, I'll take them to the neighborhood pool and let them play with friends outside as much as possible.

June is Effective Communications Month, so I'll be busy offering webinars, teaching classes and creating content for my community. This summer I've scheduled one evening class based on my 21 Ways to Make Money Speaking that will run for 6 weeks. Daddy will be home then to take care of the troops while I work for an hour an evening once a week.

We have a couple of vacations planned and I won't work much (if at all) during those times. We love summer and always have fun, while I always make money!!

Susanne Myers of  Daily Affiliate Tasks says:

Summers are always a challenge for me. My main work time during the rest of the year is while my daughter is in school. There are a few things I’ve figured out over the past few years that made my life a lot easier. Some of them I mentioned in last year’s post including not scheduling any major projects and getting work done ahead of time.

This year I’m aiming to do something that’s worked very well last summer. My goal is to get up at least an hour or two before the rest of my family does. Since they are all late sleepers and years of having to get up early has me waking at the crack of dawn anyway, this shouldn’t be much of a problem. I should be able to get most of my work done before the rest of them are up and had their coffee, leaving me free the rest of the day to go explore, hang out at the beach and the likes.

I’m also looking into some summer programs that will keep my daughter entertained for a few hours a week, while giving me a chance to sneak in a few more hours of concentrated work. It always amazes me how much I can get done when I know that’s the only work time I have.

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

My kids are 11 and 16 but this is the system that we've been using since they were each toddlers. Why? Because it's the closest thing to sanity that I can arrange here.

We have a daily checklist that the kids must complete before the TV goes on, the computer goes on, or any game systems get turned on. They also must complete their daily list before friends are allowed in the house.

I found that, if I left the time limit open, that the lists wouldn't get done. However, if they know they can work through their tasks faster and be free of my tyranny – they work through it better.

Here's their list that I posted two years ago. It's pretty much the same today. You can click on it to view it in pdf format.

The other benefits are this…

1. The kids know what the expectations are in advance. They are better equipped to succeed.

2. My husband and I are on the same page, because the rules are in black and white.

3. I'm not chasing the kids around all day saying “Did you brush your teeth?” or “Have you cleaned up the backyard?” I look at their chart and it's right there in front of me.

4. It teaches the kids that habits are important. And, that a family works on routine. All good stuff.

I print it out weekly and they just check off the days as they go through them. If everything gets done during the week, they earn bonuses.

For instance, my son has a Gamefly account. He keeps it as long as the backyard is cleaned up daily. If there is an issue, he gets downgraded from 2 games/month to 1 and then to zero. It really never becomes an issue. He's really very self-motivated when he knows the rules. My daughter on the other hand… is a bit more of a battle.

My son is also taking some classes through Florida Virtual School to earn more high school credits again this summer which keeps him busy. And, he is doing some work for me in our business, but I'm not utilizing him enough yet.

Also during summer, I try to limit work to 1-2 hours per day – Monday-Friday. Some days, I work 10 minutes – just to quick check email for emergencies. Others are closer to 3 hours Am I letting some things drop? Yes. But, I'm finding that the important things, like getting a pedicure with my daughter – are getting done. And, it really helps me to sit down and FOCUS on projects and tasks that make me money.

Please share your tips. I'd love to hear them. Also, I'm working on a book about working from home. So stay tuned for that soon.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

This week I asked our panel of experts the same thing I asked last year and the year before …

“If you made more money this year than last year, your quarterly taxes probably won't be enough to cover what you owe (since you'll owe more), assuming everything else in your life remains the same. (Unless you added a deduction like a baby to your family or something…)

Quick explanation (with totally hypothetical  numbers):

• Let's say that you made $30,000 in 2011. Your quarterly taxes that you pay in 2012 might be then set at $2000 every 3 months. ($8000 for the year)
• Now, what if you made $60,000 in 2012 – and you're only paying $2000 every 3 months, then come April, you may have a day of reckoning. (You will have paid $8000, but then may owe as much as another $8000 for taxes on the added income.)
  

So, you'll owe a chunk of money in April.

At the end of the Year, because I've been fortunate enough that my income has grown every year, I Normally End up Making Several Large Purchases in Order to Decrease my Taxable Income for Next Year.

Do you have ways you reduce your taxable income? If so, what kinds of things do you purchase?”

I think you'll find the answers this week interesting and helpful in your business tax planning and preparations.

** Note: Contact YOUR CPA/Financial Adviser before making any decisions. The following people are not professionals in regard to tax laws.

Jeanette S. Cates, PhD of Plan Your Online Business says:

Actually I AM an accountant! That was my Bachelors' degree. My first business was a bookkeeping and tax service that I “invented” so I could write off my first computer. Happily, I sold that business for a nice profit 3 years later. But taxes remain a hobby for me.

Okay, if you're still reading (and not laughing at that “taxes as a hobby” comment), the secret to tax savings is timing. You don't necessarily WANT to reduce your taxes this year. If you're new in the business, it's likely that you'll make more next year and need more deductions. Likewise, there's a good chance that tax rates are going up, if the government has anything to say about it. So again, you may want to defer those expenditures until January.

But if you do want a deduction this year, here are a few easy ones –

• Office supplies (stock up!)
• Phones and tablets, if used more than 50% for business
• Contractors and employees (pay before the end of the year – they'll love it
• and you get the deduction)
• Affiliate payments (pay them at the end of December for sales to that point.
• Welcome money for them – deduction for you).
• Donations – always in season!

Kevin Riley of  Blogpreneur Training says:

Since I live in Japan, I'm dealing with a tax system that differs quite a bit from what I dealt with in North America. However, some of the following advice (especially, to keep all your receipts) probably applies in all countries.

One benefit we enjoy in Japan is the no-limit entertainment expenses deduction. Due to our culture of entertaining prospects and customers, the Japanese tax system does not limit you on how much you can deduct for entertainment. Therefore, any time I go drinking, eating, or otherwise spending money in a fun way, I ask for an official receipt (ryoushushou). Find out what you can deduct, and make it a habit to always save your receipts.

Since my office is in my home, I also can deduct a percentage of all home expenses from my income tax. This means that I can deduct a percentage of rent, water, electricity, and grounds maintenance fees. This is a deduction I also enjoyed in Canada, so look into it for where you live. This can make a huge difference in the amount of tax you pay.

Jason Fladlien of Wishy Washy Guru (<-You know you gotta click that one) says:

It took me a long time to realize leasing a car – at least for my business and my perspective – was actually a better deal than buying a car… I was always raised that leasing was dumb and it's true if you can't set it up to be a business deduction… but if you do it right with your accountant's guidance, it might actually be worthwhile for you to consider…

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

Hey guys! I posted about this topic two years ago and last year, and had my friend, who is a financial adviser help, too.

So, I'll resurrect that blog post because it contains some really good tips.

Here it is…

If you made significantly more money with your online business this year than you did last year, CONGRATULATIONS! That's wonderful news.

However, next year at tax time you might not think so — if you've got to come up with an extra $17,000 to fork over in April like I did this year.

Basically, it comes down to how much money you made (which is the overall amount that you took in minus expenses). That’s what we’re taxed on.

Last year, in December, I purchased approximately $5000 in advertising and paid my affiliates early and prepaid some subscriptions in order to lessen my income. (The expenses get subtracted from my income so my overall income would be less — therefore less taxable income.)

So, since advertising is an expense, I choose to spend money on it, knowing that it’ll pay me back (and then some) the following year.

As to how much is the right amount for you to spend… you’d have to run those numbers with your CPA/Accountant. Normally I spend a bunch in December, then we run the numbers again in January to see how much I should put into my SEP (which is like a 401K) to give me the best tax breaks in April.

WARNING!!!! Don’t go spending money you don’t have on things that you don’t NEED. You’re still spending money.

However, if you plan to buy things anyway.. or have a birthday coming in February like I do and want to treat yourself to some business items, then buying early can be a smart move – especially if you're planning for growth for next year.

For instance, I do some consulting for high level marketers on their affiliate programs — and I've gotten more than my regular amount of requests this month — probably because they're planning for next year. So, why not have them prepay and save on their taxes?

Now, I’m not a tax adviser (nor a doctor nor a lawyer), but I do know a CFP & CPA who I asked for advice.  So, here she is Kristine McKinley in an interview I did with her and posted in 2008:

Kristine McKinley says…

You definitely have the right idea. If your business income is up this year, then you want to do some year-end tax planning to try to reduce your taxable income for the year.

You basically have two options: you can defer income into the next year, or accelerate expenses into this year.

If you’re not sure how to do that, here are some tips to reduce your taxable income:

Defer income:

if you are self employed, one way to reduce your taxable income is to defer income. You can do this by holding off on billing clients until after 12/31. Or if you were planning a teleclass or a big product or service launch at the end of the year, you could hold off until January.

Accelerate expenses:

– Software: I know I’ll need tax software in the next month or so, so I can choose to purchase it in 2008 if I want to accelerate my expenses, or if I think my 2009 income will be higher, I can wait until Jan 1 to buy my software

– Supplies: same concept; any supplies I know I will need for tax season I’m going to buy now to reduce my 2008 income.

– Furniture and equipment: do you need a new computer, an external hard drive for backup purposes, a new chair for your desk?

– Web hosting or domain renewals: do you have any domains that will be expiring soon? Renew them now instead of waiting until they expire.

– Office supplies, shipping supplies, computer supplies: basically stock up on any supplies that you use on a regular basis in your business before the year is over

– Continuing education or classes to improve your business: if you are required to take continuing education, or if you just want to take some classes to help you improve your business, signup and pay for the class before the end of the year so you can deduct it on your 2008 taxes.

– Membership sites: if you’ve been sitting on the fence about joining any membership programs (Shelancers for example), signup before Jan 1 so you can deduct the fees on your current year tax return. Even better, if they offer a lifetime membership fee, choose that option to save money and to take an even larger deduction on your tax return.

– Do you need any work done by web designers, VAs, or other independent contractors? Consider prepaying them for work that you expect them to do in the next 30-60 days. Don’t forget to send them a 1099 if you pay them $600 or more during the year.

– Affiliates: do you usually pay your affiliates on the 5th of the month? Consider sending them their December commissions on 12/31 instead of waiting until Jan 5th.

– Donate to charity: while donations to charity won’t reduce your business income, they will reduce your total income, so consider donating cash, services or goods to your favorite charity before the end of the year

Basically, any expenses that you expect to incur in the next few months that can be accelerated into 2008 will help reduce your taxes for 2008.

One other strategy that every self employed person should consider is funding your retirement account. However, you have a little more time for this strategy as the deadline for most retirement contributions (to IRAs, Roth IRAs, Simple IRAs, etc.) is April 15.

Here are my recommendations for some items you might purchase (based upon my favorite things)…

They are also products that I personally use in my online business.

For when you’re on the go.

• Kindle or Nook – Read and learn on the go.
• mp3 Player – More Learning on the road. (Be sure to load up my podcast.)
• Cell Phone.
• Headset for your Cell Phone. I love my headset. I can use my cell as an mp3 player while I walk the dogs (and still feel good about having my phone on me).
• iPad. I keep mine in my purse. It’s so much easier than carrying around a laptop.
• Good books – just in case you get trapped on a Deserted Island.
• Comfy office chair or a Lazy Boy Recliner for your office.
• Noise Cancellation Headphones. (I have some. They’re weird.)

Software.

• Camtasia
• SnagIt
• Photoshop
• GotoWebinar

• Premium WordPress plugins
• Premium WordPress Themes
• Hire someone to redesign your blog

Stuff for your Office.

• Desk Pad Calendar. For scheduling and staying organized.
• Day Clock – in case you lose track of time, really badly!
• Demotivators. (You probably saw those in my home office.)
• Big freaking White Board. Did you see mine in my office video?
• Space heater. Again… brrrrr….

Camera & Microphones.

• Video camera for video marketing.
• Headset with Microphone. For recording tutorials and webinars on your PC.

PLR!

• PLR Articles Because you can always use more articles for your blog.

Promo Stuff

• Personalized Twitter T-shirt
• Cool Business Cards. Zazzle has really cool “skinny” & “chubby” sized cards.

Courses to Learn Cool Stuff From.

• NAMS Membership
• Easy Link Love.
• MomMasterminds Annual Membership. This is a great program for Moms and I recommend it for anyone looking for assistance in their online business.

Travel

• Luggage for traveling to cool Internet Marketing conferences to hang out with me.
• Ticket to NAMS for February.
• Airline tickets

Business Tools

• Autoresponder – if you’ve been putting off this purchase, now’s the time.
• Shopping Cart – Switch to an annual plan and pay for a year in advance.
• Get Organized with your Outsourcing – organize all of your helpers.
• Roboform – to be more efficient in 2011

Hire Help

• Hire a Virtual Assistant or Virtual Assistant to write press releases, articles, sales pages, or design graphics for you.
• Also, you can go to the Warrior Forum and check out their Special Offers section to find great deals on advertising and copywriting.

Get a Coach

• Hire a coach or consultant to come into your business and tweak/refine it to make you more money.

** Most of the stuff above is tax deductible.

And, of course, you can hire Kristine to help you with your financial planning (which is another way to spend a bit of cash). She said:

Hope this helps! If you need more ideas I’ve got several posts on my blog about year end tax planning. Here’s my site: http://www.beacon-advisor.com/

Keep more of your money instead of handing it to Uncle Sam.

Best of luck.
Nicole

So, what to say? How to proceed?

The Rules.

Here are the rules if you choose to read this blog post.

1. I will explain what happened.

2. I will also still be mama bear and will protect my girl.

So, please, if you choose to comment, understand this –

• Latvia is a beautiful country of proud, hard-working people. The language, food, and scenery are all amazing and wonderful. Their history is inspiring. Yes, their economy is suffering, but it is a country with rich culture and I love it.
• Our girl lives in a safe Children's Home. (The words Children's Home translates to “Bernu Nams” if you're curious). It's in a VERY small town west of Riga.
• She's smart, beautiful, strong, and also a bit stubborn. I love her dearly and always will.
• Any comments that don't support her in every way will be deleted.

The Background Story.

Last December, we hosted a 15 year old girl from Latvia through a mission organization New Horizons for Children.

The purpose of New Horizons is this…

We are a Christian based, international hosting program, which brings over orphaned children from Eastern Europe twice each year to share with them the love of God and the love of a family. NHFC is the largest, faith-based host program, facilitating orphan hosting nationwide.

The Sad Facts…

Without intervention, upon leaving the orphanage, 60% of girls will end up in prostitution, 70% of boys will be on the streets or in jail, and 15% will commit suicide within the first two years on their own.

One person can revolutionize the life of an abandoned child.

My friend, Steph, introduced me to NHFC.

It was getting close to the deadline for Winter Hosting and there were many kids left who had not been claimed yet. Always so many kids, and the little ones always get chosen first. So, I printed out the list of available children (several pages long) and handed it to my husband and said “pick one”.  I didn't ask if he wanted to host a child. I just gave him the papers and asked him to choose. That's how we roll.

I sat down with the papers myself after he went to work. I was going through the photos of one amazingly beautiful delightful child after another, and my heart stopped when I saw her. It was like I already knew her. If you can believe in such things.

Joe came home, and I asked while holding my breath “Which one?” He pointed right to her.

So, we started on this journey to host a child and nothing more. We looked at it as just having a guest for a bit. A fun adventure for her. A fun adventure for us and the kids.

We'd always been open to adoption, but weren't by any stretch actively pursuing it. Plus, we didn't even think it was an option as she was so close to 16 – so we thought that window was closed.

That is, until in walks this sweet, funny, brave girl right into our hearts. And everything changed.

Four Weeks in our Home. (Dec. 2011 – Jan. 2012)

We knew we were in trouble the second night. My Joe was a little afraid to talk to her as he is as he says “big and scary” at 6'3″ and didn't know what her history was. We assumed there was probably some trauma with all of these kids or they wouldn't be in the Children's Home in the first place.

So, he wasn't really talking to her much or making direct eye contact. He'd talk through me (like I speak Latvian or something???) lol.

Anyway, Ivita was in her jammies and socks and she was at the other end of the hallway. Joe asked me to ask her something. I said “no, ask her yourself”.

Ivita said “what?” and I said “Joe wants to say something but he's scared of you.”

She ran dow the hallway, slid on her sockie feet up to the island, looked him straight in the face and said “what you want to say with me?”

Joe laughed, but then he turned and looked right into my soul and I saw it in his eyes “Nik, holy shit, we are in serious trouble… ”

He knew. We both knew at that moment she just fit. We were in for a bigger adventure than we realized.

There are so many amazing memories from those four weeks that she was in our  home. Too many to recount here.

I took over 400 pictures and it was easily the best Christmas of my life to date.

Here is one of my favorite pictures from that month together…

She said she was afraid of dogs. But, that didn't last long when she met my wrinkly Luke.

And, here's a pretty picture of her at the beach.

My favorite memories are too many to count.

I adored watching her English improve so quickly – simply because it allowed us to talk, and talk, and talk.

It was really thousands of tiny moments that added together. For instance, I remembering hearing her giggle and yell “In my pants, I has sand!” when we were at the beach.  It still makes me laugh.

We all enjoyed our time together, but the departure date was looming like a dark cloud in the distance.

As we got closer, Joe and I started to panic. “What if we never see her again? What are we sending her back to? How can we just let her go? Will she be safe? What about when she is sick? Will she be cared for? Will she be warm? Where will she live when she ages out of the Children's Home?”

It's also the time we both started to hear the whisper in our ears louder. “Mine”.

She felt like she was ours and we were absolutely in love with this child.

Legally of course, we couldn't just keep her. Charges of International Kidnapping were not on our wish list.

The day came. I won't tell you how horrible that day was for Joe and I. We'll just say we managed to keep our stuff together to get her on the plane but not a second longer. We drove 5 hours back home in total silence.

To Adopt or Not? That Was the Question.

So at this point, we had to very quickly decide whether to pursue adoption or not.

The problem was threefold.

1. We didn't know if she even wanted to be adopted.
2. We didn't know if she could be.
3. Even if she did and she could be, we had only 3 months until she turned 16 – which was the date she would no longer be able to be referred to us for adoption. We were told that it would be next to impossible to get the referral from Latvia in time to even be ABLE to adopt her unless we moved some serious mountains.

We asked her if she wanted to be part of our family, and while it was a difficult decision to leave her friends and her language and culture behind, she said “Yes”.

We started pushing mountains – I had Congressmen and Senators on standby, I begged and cried at the Biometrics Office in New Orleans to please let us in early (they did not). Joe grayed. A lot.

Those of you who saw me at the February 2012 NAMS, I apologize. I was a mess. We were in the middle of our  home study and I was tears on feet. So, if you were at NAMS and walked by me in tears more than once, this was why.

BUT… with a whole lot of massive action and mountains of paperwork overnighted all over the place, we got her referral just 2 days before her birthday.

Our Trip to Latvia. (June 2012)

When adopting from Latvia, you go on three trips overseas. Our first trip started June 3rd and was a few weeks long. We brought our kids with us, so the four of us headed off on our adventure.

When we showed up at the Children's Home, Ivita squealed and jumped into our arms. We're not sure if she was that happy to see us or shocked that we actually came. Either way, we were thrilled to see her again. We scooped her up and took her to our apartment in Riga.

But she looked skinny. Too skinny. The stress of being in limbo – stuck between two worlds was a lot on her. Heck, the stress was a lot on us. And we weren't the ones uprooting our lives. So, we were concerned. For her. For the odds of our success of bringing her home and being a family. For all of it.

Here are the kiddos in front of the Latvian Freedom Monument. It's basically their Statue of Liberty. (Look at how blue the sky is!)

Joe and I agreed to push down our worries and focus on the time we had together.

We quickly got back into family mode and we had the best little translator in Latvia showing us around.

Funny side note. We went into a shop to get Ivita's Visa pictures taken. I watched Ivita and the lady talking and Ivita was looking frustrated. I was confused, so I just waited. We turned and walked out with no pictures. I said “What happened? Can she do the pictures?” Ivita looked at me with exacerbation and said “I don't know. She speak Russian!” lol. I almost fell over, I was laughing so hard. I just thought she had a really weird angry Latvian accent. Ivita does speak some Russian, but apparently the two were not in sync.

During our time in Latvia, we did a ton of stuff. One of my favorite things to do was to hop on the train and go to Jurmala – which is an adorable beach town near Riga. Jurmala is on the Bay of Riga, which is part of the Baltic Sea. On one of my favorite days, we rented bikes and rode all over town.

Here's a picture from Old Riga that I just love.

Oh, and a picture of the infamous “Cat House” building. The builder designed it to point the catt's butt at the building behind it to prove a point.

Anyway, suffice it to say, the three weeks in Latvia were life altering in many ways, and Ivita was a huge part of the best summer of our lives. We fell even more in love with our girl.

The last day we went to “Orphan Court”, where Ivita signed the papers stating that she did, indeed, want to be adopted.

The entire time we were there, we kept saying “we will see you in a few weeks”. That was, we thought, the plan. A few weeks. She could make it a few weeks. And then we'd be back.

But — on the drive to take Ivita back, the adoption coordinator mentioned that our  next court date in Latvia was scheduled for October 5th. FOUR MONTHS.

It was like an episode of Quantum Leap. When the adoption coordinator said that, Joe and I locked eyes in the back seat of the car and we both knew to make this good-bye a good one. The odds were shrinking rapidly that we'd finish the adoption, let alone see her again. I saw Joe's eyes fill with tears, and I was holding back my own. I just kept reminding myself that this was 1000 times harder on her than it was on us. And it was So. Damned. Hard.

The Wait.

So, basically, we had nearly four months between trips. This is obviously not good when dealing with a teen who can let fear and doubt build in her mind.

And, that's exactly what happened.

To protect Ivita's privacy, I won't get into details here, but at this point, we knew that she was having serious doubts about coming. It wasn't because of us. We know she loves us dearly. It is the whole picture of leaving what's safe and small and known – for a big city, big schools, and a difficult path.

While we were waiting to hear what was going on, I was posting in a private Facebook group that I have for our closest family and friends.

Here are a few things that my Joe and I had posted as we were waiting to hear…

And, my husband posted.

As we were going through the waiting stage, several friends told us that it would happen as it was meant to be. Which to be fair, is a saying that I despise, especially when I'm hurting. Because I think it's a pretty crappy thing to say to someone who is hurting.

But my husband is more gracious.

This was his response.

August 2012.

We found out for sure that our adoption is over.

My opinion is this.

1. She is in a safe place now and has a good life… now.
2. If she had come here, she would have had to struggle now, but would have probably had an easier life as an adult – with a much bigger safety net, having a large family behind her.

She's 16. She chose now over later.

Regardless, the adoption process was over.

The Aftermath.

We are ok.

The Positives:

• She's not dead. She's just 5000 miles away in Latvia.
• She loves us. We know that for sure.
• She wants to still have a relationship with us.
• It gives us an excuse to go to Latvia and see her – and see her older brother and sister who we have come to love dearly, too.

Negatives (There are Too many to count.):

• No keeping her safe.
• No making sure she has pineapple juice in the fridge. (Her favorite.)
• No big big hugs.
• No cooking and baking together.
• No painting her ticklish “feet fingernails” (There's no word for “toes” in Latvian, if you didn't know. There are just hand fingers and feet fingers.)
• No watching her swim in the pool when it's too freaking cold for me to think of getting in.
• No taking care of her when she's sick. I can't make her soup or bring her a blanket or sockies if she's cold.
• No Christmas morning together by the tree.
• No Birthdays or Latvian “Name Days” spent together.
• I don't get to bring her up to Wisconsin and introduce her to all of the people who have been waiting to meet our girl and who already love her.
• I really really wanted to be Mother of the Bride at her wedding and to be Gramma to her beautiful Latvian babies someday.

ok. Well, that all sucks, but I guess it's good. I just love my girl so darned much. Part of what I adore about her, though, is her bravery, optimism, and stubbornness… which is part of what's put us in this position. She's optimistic about her future and she loves Latvia.

The good things to come of this is because we chose to host her and pursue the adoption…

1. she got to come to the United States, see the ocean, fly on an airplane, try new foods, and experience tons of new things. Her world view has expanded.
2. her english is ROCKING. Lots and lots of practice.
3. she was “chosen” to come and got to feel special when she went back.
4. she knows she's loved because some crazy Americans spent months doing paperwork and got on an airplane to see her.

The gifts through this process were…

• I met many incredibly remarkable friends through the adoptions groups who inspire me to be a better person.
• I am a completely different person than I was earlier this year. I have a new-found sense of peace, learning through this experience to let go of things outside of my control.
• I am so thankful that I didn't do fundraising so it's only our money that we're losing. I would feel awful if others had contributed to our adoption. Thankfully no one else had.
• This experience has brought my husband and I closer together. He has jumped through hoops, sweated blood, and done everything asked of him to bring our girl home.  He is my personal hero. And he is our glue.

And, most importantly…

• If she hadn't said yes, we would have missed out on the BEST summer vacation of our lives – with the best little translator in Latvia.

Regardless, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

ok. Enough rambling. I'd better get to work and let you, as well.

I would also like to personally thank  everyone who prayed for us and sent lots of love to us. (Please direct those prayers to the 178 million orphans on the planet. They need the prayers more than I do.)

Thank you for reading.

Hugs,
Nicole

Let me introduce someone to you…

When I first heard about Carrie Wilkerson a few years ago, she was one of those people that everyone else was talking about – in a good way.

I was like ‘yeah, yeah'. And, didn't think much of it.

Then, her name started popping up more … and more…

So, I decided to connect with Carrie. We've interviewed each other a few times over the last 2 years, and have emailed back and forth about life and work and have become friends. She's also been on my podcast. You can listen to it here:  Download Free Carrie Wilkerson Audio or on iTunes.

No, we don't braid each others hair or anything, but I do like her and would call her a friend.

She's energetic as heck and knows how to motivate people to get things done.

Carrie has just released a no-fluff, no-nonsense, very practical book called “The Barefoot Executive: The Ultimate Guide for Being Your Own Boss”

The best part? You can download a free chapter here

She sent me a copy of the book a few weeks back with a note that said “Thanks for being part of my life story. Love, Carrie”. Here it is on my nightstand for proof.

She's classy.

I've included a little excerpt from the book below.

But first, check out Carrie on CNN.

Here's the link again:
You can download the free chapter here

Before you grab the free chapter, be sure to go grab the full chapter today. (And if you decide to buy the book go through the link on this page. After getting your chapter, you get a cool bonus!)

— Begin Excerpt: Barefoot Executive —

The number of dollars I earn does not propel me. The number of
children I can help and the number of opportunities for my children
and for my family propel me. I have a son with extensive special
needs, and to be able to shop for therapies and treatments based on what
is best rather than by price tag is–well, it's priceless.
Those are the kinds of choices I want for your family too.

So, when I say the money is never enough, what I mean is you are
never going to work really hard just to have a lot of money. Money
is intangible and is not really at its very core anything that
really motivates us. What motivates us is what the money can do
or the cause it can support or the choices that money allows
us to have.

You want to be rich in what?

Rich in blessing, rich in opportunities, rich in choices, rich in
freedom, rich in what? I want you to really think about your “why.”

— End Excerpt —

Want to read more?

You'll get the free chapter immediately when you sign up here.

After you download it, let me know what you think!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. It must be book season. Stay tuned for details about a book that I contributed to recently. I think you'll like it.

I always have a hard time promoting NAMS, simply because I can't seem to express in words what I feel about how special this event is.

NAMS is family. Plain and simple.

There's no other event that I look forward to as much.

My NAMS Timeline

• NAMS 2 (August 2009): I first discovered NAMS in August 2009. I bought a ticket and went as an attendee to meet the instructors (and, of course, learn a thing or two). I hung out and learned lots and had a great time. I was asked during that event to come back as faculty. (The man in charge, who started NAMS, David Perdew, knew that I worked with Jimmy D. Brown as his Affiliate Manager. David was also familiar with my work here on my blog and my EasyPLR.com site – as well as knowing that I'm a fun person with integrity. So, I was in.)

Here's a pic of me and David taken in 2010:

• NAMS 3 (Jan. 2010): I went again in January 2010 to NAMS 3 as a presenter (and was so impressed that I brought my mom with me) – and had a fabulous time once again.
• NAMS 4 (August 2010): I went to NAMS 4 (my 3rd time) and made tons of memories. In fact, I laughed so hard on a number of occasions that I gave myself a headache.
• NAMS 5 (January 2011): NAMS 5 was virtual. (Pout pout.) I did a presentation as a webinar, but, unfortunately wasn't able to hang with my friends since there was no live event.
• NAMS 6 (August 2011): And, now I just got home from NAMS 6. I brought my mom again, as well as my 14 year old son. There are not many events that I would bring my family to, unfortunately. But this is DIFFERENT.
• NAMS 7 (January 2012):  I can't WAIT for NAMS 7 in February!

What Makes NAMS Different from other Conferences?

As someone who’s been to bunches of seminars and conferences about Internet Marketing & How to Make Money Online – NAMS is unique and stands apart in many ways.

1. This is a Workshop as opposed to a Seminar.

The difference is that there are presenters, but the attendees are encouraged to accomplish goals during the day. Prizes are even awarded for those who take initiative and make progress.

2. Meet a Variety of Rockstar Faculty Members.

There is a huge faculty so you have the opportunity to hear things from different perspectives which is something that I love. Usually there are about 20 presenters, plus normally at least 8 aides (helpers) who are also knowledgeable marketers who are on hand to help the attendees.

3. Choose the right level for you. (Not one size fits all.)

The workshop is broken up into four rooms where newbies, beginners, intermediates, and advanced level marketers are challenged. There's the 100 (beginners), 200 (have a blog and need to make more aff sales), 300 (setting up more streams of income, including product creation), 400 (assets, outsourcing, systems, etc). Beginners never feel ‘dumb’ and Advanced students aren’t allowed to get bored.

4. There is no “pitching” allowed by the presenters.

Several seminars that I’ve attended were laughable because every single speaker ended his/her presentation with a sales pitch for a $2000-$5000 product that was “essential” and “breakthrough” and would change your life forever. I take that back. It would have been laughable if it hadn’t been so sad. It doesn’t sit well with me to see beginners writing check after check for materials that they do NOT need. It would be such a better investment for them to spend that money outsourcing and getting things DONE. (Stepping off the soapbox.)

Anyway, at NAMS, the presenters are there to help, not to sell, although we are able to have a “where you can learn more” slide at the end of our presentation with a special offer or just a link to our blog. If we meet at NAMS and you ask me about my products, I’ll gladly tell you where you can learn more about them, but I will not be up at the front of the room, telling you that you must spend your money on my stuff or be doomed to fail. In fact, I may recommend that you do not purchase my products if it's not a good fit for any reason.

5. AWESOME presenters. Big Hearts & Big Smarts!

Seriously. One thing that I love about David is that he doesn’t just look for smart people, but he finds positive, energetic, warm people who truly care. And, I’m absolutely honored to be included in that lineup for this event. As I mentioned, the presenters are great people and they are all highly approachable. You will not feel intimidated to talk with them, nor is it “cliquey”. The whole point is that the faculty is expected to be approachable during the weekend.

6. The networking simply rocks.

I haven't been able to figure out why this is the case, but the attendees are fabulous. The participants are smart, funny, good people and I always learn just as much by talking with them as I do from listening to the presentations.  In fact, some of the best brainstorming happens after hours.

Here's a pic in my hotel room at about 1 am during NAMS 4 –

Lain Ehmann, me, Kristen Eckstein

Overall, it's a very fun weekend. I'll be posting pics soon, but, in the meantime, wanted to make sure you could be part of this amazing community at whatever level you choose.

Let me quickly give you some options so you can pick what's right for you.

---

Option #1: My NAMS Membership  with the Benefit of Attending the Live Event in February for Only $97

David Perdew is creating a very cool place where you can learn, network, and grow with other affiliate marketers – and right now you can get in for a discount

All of this is included:

• Monthly webinars with proven experts.
• Exclusive eBooks, special reports, and training modules.
• Special offers on upcoming events like the live NAMS workshop that I'm at that happens twice each year (you can attend for only $97 if you're a member)
• Access to a private forum where you can ask questions of people who can help you.
• Monthly Q & A sessions where your specific questions will be answered.
• Member site reviews, so you can see how your sites can be improved.

Why so cheap? He's in pre-launch mode right  now.

Here's how you can get in before the first price increase.

Go to:  I Wanna Be a NAMster, too! and enter coupon code: MYNAMS85

---

Option #2: Get the Recordings from Last Weekend ($97 for the next few days)

If you'd like to get access to the recordings to all of the presentations, go here now, and you can save $200 with coupon: IWASTHERE

It's three solid days of awesomeness.

My presentation in the 400 room was “Building Assets on the Web: Multiple Streams of Income without Madness” — Terry Dean actually BLOGGED about my presentation – including mentioning an idea that he's going to copy from me. WOW. I'm still giggling a little about that.

ok. So, if you want to be a fly on the wall and learn about conversion from Terry Dean, building assets from me,
monetization from Bob “the Teacher” Jenkins – as well as Webinars from Paul Evans and a bunch more — check out this link:

Grab the NAMS 6 Recordings

Use Coupon Code: IWASTHERE to save $200!

---

Option #3: Buy a Ticket to NAMS 7 in January

The other way to attend is to purchase a ticket for NAMS 7 in February at full price. Here's the link to do that: NAMS 7 February (but again please note, with Option #1 you can get your ticket for a lot less).

I hope that helps tell you a little bit more about where I've been and what NAMS is all about.

I'll be posting more pictures soon!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

If you've missed past Expert Briefs, you can click on the undies to see them all –>

Summer is in full swing and a lot of people have been asking me about my kids daily to do lists and how I keep them motivated around the house every year during the summer so I can get work done. Instead of just me posting, I thought I'd put the question out to get even more feedback.

So, this week I asked our experts….

If you have kids at home —
how do you manage your home
during the summer to actually get work done?
Include schedules, too, if you have them. Thanks!

I hope you find something in this week's post to help make your own summer break a little less stressful.

Felicia Slattery of Signature Speech Secrets says:

This is the first summer I've noticed a big difference, because last school year was the first both my girls were in school from 8:15AM-3PM.

All of a sudden in early June I went from having all those (quiet!) hours in a row to myself (minus the drive them to and from school time) to having my girls home 24/7. Yikes!

So I cut back on my work a bit. And I got a reliable babysitter (my Mom and Dad!) to watch them on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30AM til their Dad picks them up on his way home from work. They all get back in at about 3:30 or 4 PM.

The rest of the time while they are home and occupying themselves, I do the kind of work that doesn't require silence like writing an article, editing a video, or writing a sales page and save the work that requires silence like shooting videos, recording audio content, doing teleseminars, conducting interviews, and more for the two days a week I know they'll be away.

My girls are 9 and 6 and play together nicely, with the occasional yelling, “MOM! She said she wouldn't let me play with her toy!!!!” I'll handle those moment. I stop to feed them snacks & lunch. And everything else gets planned around their schedules, honestly that's as normal. I never miss a field trip, I volunteer in school when needed and am fully present for them in their lives. This summer they took tennis and swimming lessons, both in the mornings, so I used the time to clip coupons, walk around the courts for exercise, or answer email on my iPhone.

I also never plan to work on Fridays (or the weekends) so I save our adventures and fun for those days.

Finally, my 9-year old started a business this summer http://PetPortraitsByGrace.com, so I helped her get her website up and now she keeps busy during quiet time with her drawing work, while my younger daughter naps (yes we are nappers in our house!). I answer emails and do more writing. And I coach my daughter in running her business, customer service, and doing her first speech!

For me, I never want to lose sight of why I started my business: to be home to take care of my girls. They are my priority. Work comes second. It's an easy choice for me. I now have enough systems in place and I rely on various assistants and outsourced help to get things done, and I enjoy my life and my business.

Shannon Cherry of BusinessCHARMSchool.com says:

This is my last ‘lucky' summer so I am taking advantage of it. Why lucky? Because my girls' preschool is year round, meaning I don't worry too much about keeping my kids busy every day. However that is about to change as the girls hit kindergarten in the fall.

And because I am a planner (and it's never to early to start), I've already laid down the foundation for keeping my girls busy so they stay out of my business.

First is, you need a plan. The girls did have 2 weeks off in early summer and will have 2 weeks off before the start of their new school. So I had to plan how to use that time to keep them occupied. I scheduled a special ‘field trip' with them every day. Sometimes it was to the pool or sprinklers; other times it was a picnic in the park or a trip to the museum. I'd have them mark it on the calendar and set a time with them to do it. That way, they knew if they ‘behaved' they would get their treat.

I also cut back my hours, which I planned on in advance. So instead of working 25 hours, it's down to 20. That five hours made a BIG difference.

I also gave them a checklist each day of what they needed to do. Because the girls are only 5, I kept it simple and used some images to help. Think: feed the dog and cats; remind mom at XX time that she has 30 minutes before we all go on our field trip (this helped their learn about telling time); etc.

I planned play dates and asked for help from other moms to take the girls for a bit. That helped keep them busy (and out of my hair).

The key is to keep them active AND responsible – and use the time you have to get the work done.

Alice Seba of Contentrix says:

It's a balancing act at our house, that's for sure. I am lucky because my husband is home and he shoulders a lot of the “keep the kids” busy stuff and I head off to the local coffee shop for quiet work time. We also have them registered in a variety of activities to keep things interesting. There is also a local Boys and Girls Club, so we can kick the boys out whenever they get antsy.

But one thing we are doing differently this year is getting our two eldest involved in doing work for me. They've had WordPress blogs for a couple of years now and they've been tooling around with those, but know we're getting more serious. I've shown them how to make a time sheet and keep track of their hours and they're pumped to see the dollar figures grow. My youngest boy is 8, so he has been working with our site builder at http://internetbasedfamily.com and will be helping me with some promotions for that site. The oldest will be 10 this year and he's been working with our Speedy APLC Publisher to load PLR articles and I'm slowly teaching him about search engine optimization. So while it slows me down a little bit to teach them and keep them focused, I know it will be worth it for me, and especially for them, in the long run.

The youngest is just turning 3 in August, so she isn't ready for internet marketing tasks just yet, but sometimes I'll pass her the iPad while I work (which Nicole kindly gave me through an affiliate contest). Then my daughter tells me, “I workin' too,” while she finds her favorite show on Netflix or plays with her cake maker or currently favorite app.

Susanne Myers of AffiliateTreasureChest.com says:

We don’t have much of a schedule during the summer and mostly play stuff by ear. We do a lot of traveling and are spending quite a bit of time at the beach this year. Both my husband and I work from home and carry our smart phones and laptops with us wherever we go.
Here are a couple of things we do to still get work done.

Morning Work Routine
We’re not morning people and our daughter isn’t’ either (thankfully). She’s perfectly content to spend the first few hours of the day in PJs reading and playing. I also have her do some summer worksheets.
I use that time to get my most crucial work done including content and product creation as well as customer support email, staying in touch with my VAs etc.

Smartphone
I carry my phone with me anywhere we go. This way I can check emails and respond to them while we’re driving somewhere (hubby is driving of course), or while watching the rest of my family play in the water.

It’s important not to get too addicted to checking the phone every few minutes. You still want to spend quality time with your family. Just find a balance that works well for you.

Task Lists and Being Super Focused
Here are a few of the things I do to stay focused.

• Work on one project at a time.
• Break it down into small manageable chunks.
• Focus on one “chunk” at a time whenever you have a few quiet minutes.
• Cave out more little pockets of time whenever possible.

Above all, enjoy the time with your family and just live with the fact that you won’t be as productive as the rest of the year.

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

My kids are 9 and 14 but this is the system that we've been using since they were each toddlers. Why? Because it's the closest thing to sanity that I can arrange here.

We have a daily checklist that the kids must complete before the TV goes on, the computer goes on, or any game systems get turned on. They also must complete their daily list before friends are allowed in the house.

I found that, if I left the time limit open, that the lists wouldn't get done. However, if they know they can work through it faster and be “free” of my tyranny – they work through it better.

Here's their list. You can click on it to view it in pdf format.

I print it out weekly and they just check off the days as they go through them. If everything gets done during the week, they earn bonuses. For instance, my son has a Gamefly account. He keeps it as long as the backyard is cleaned up daily. If there is an issue, he gets downgraded from 2 games/month to 1 and then to zero. It really never becomes an issue. He's really very self-motivated when he knows the rules. My daughter on the other hand… is a bit more of a battle.

My son is also starting to do some work for me in our business, but I'm not utilizing him enough yet.

Confession Time: Actually I lost my mojo this summer, so I took off the entire month of July and stayed offline.  I decided to pretty much just punt and not to fight it too much, and instead spend as much time as possible enjoying the kids. I'll be sharing more about that soon.

Now I'm back online, but am trying to work 1-2 hour days – Monday-Thursday for the rest of the summer. Some days, I work 10 minutes – just to quick check email for emergencies. Others are closer to 3 hours, but will be averaging about 4-8 hours per week. Am I letting some things drop? Yes. But, I'm finding that the important things, like getting a pedicure with my daughter – are getting done. And, I've been happier in general.

Please share your tips. I'd love to hear them.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. Here are some related posts you might enjoy –

• Tips to Make Working from Home More Fun
• How to Protect your Time and Get More Done in an Online Business
• Creating Passive Income and Summer Fun
• So You Had a Bad Day …
• Just because I’m Home Doesn’t Mean I’m H-O-M-E!

Eddie was afraid of cameras, so I got very few pictures of him in his short life.

Here's a few of the rare pics we have of him –

Thanks for cheering him on on the last two months that he was ill. It means so much to me to have such a fabulous online family – and that you’re part of that.

Hugs and thank you for reading – and caring.
Nicole

The question is “Why do you choose to do business with a specific company or person?”

And, the followup question is “How can we take the answer to THAT question and apply it to our own businesses?”

I've got a bunch of examples that I'd like to go through from my recent travels, but I think that I'll unveil them a bit at a time so we can really ponder this question and our answers.

You up for it?

I'd also love love love for you to share your experiences in the comments – pretty please.

ok. Here's the story.

I've been traveling recently and have had to make some quick and dirty decisions along the way about where and how I wanted to spend our money. Obviously. That happens to everyone when they're on the road, right?

Also, I realized that I have a problem. Every year that I take the family to Wisconsin to visit relatives, we have to stay longer simply because we want to do all the same stuff again AND we discover new things to do each time.

This includes a variety of things.

• Visiting the same relatives.
• Spending time with the same friends.
• Eating at the same places.
• Seeing the same things.
• Experiencing the same experiences.

BUT – we want to do different things, too.

However, there are only 24 hours in a day, and only so many times we can eat during the day (although we do push that limit when there's reaaaaaally good food).

So, I got to wondering why some places earn our money and others don't during each trip.

And, one of the big factors came down to the experience.

Honestly, several of the restaurants in my home town order the exact same premade food from the same supplier and cook it following the same directions. So, why would I eat either? Good question. I'm still trying to figure that out!

But, how do I choose? Easy. The experience.

And by that, there could be any number of factors involved.

The environment.

Is it too loud?

Do I have to park on a busy road or struggle to find a parking spot?

The staff.

Are they helpful?

Example: There is one place here in Pensacola that serves really good food, but we haven't been there in years – simply because the staff was not friendly. They weren't rude or anything. We just didn't leave with a positive experience the last few times we went there, so we decided not to go anymore.

Relationship.

Obviously if there's a family-owned business, and I know the owner – I'd be more likely to go there than to the competition.

Value.

For instance – one place we like to go is to

oops! Post published. Will finish it in a bit. After coffee…

Before I hit “send” I realized that this information can probably help more people, so I asked Lain if she would mind if I shared the discussion here. She's a sweetie and said “go for it”.

Here's the conversation…

Hi Nicole-

I was thrilled to discover your success cast. It's very educational and inspiring. I just listened to the Susanne Myers Interview, and she had so much great content and advice! I like hearing what Internet marketing “gurus” have to say, but I always take their advice with a grain of salt – after all, it sometimes seems that the only people making money online are those telling others how to make money online! But her story was so true and honest, and she's actually been there in the trenches doing what she turns around and suggests to the listeners. Wow!

I listened over and over and took notes about her advice on what she'd do if she had to start over from scratch. Amazing!

I would like to learn more about how to get incoming links on my website, but I haven't found much on that topic.

Can you possibly help steer me in the right direction?

Also, I was interested in knowing if you sponsor any training programs, or if you do coaching. Out of all the Internet marketers, I think I resonate most to what you have to say. I love how much you love your mom, too! It's so sweet. You're a real person, not some used-care salesman.

I believe in offering quality content to help people improve their lives, first and foremost. I don't want to automate a business selling something people don't need, or take part in some shell game or pyramid scheme. You seem so honest and real, and that matters to me.

Thanks for all you do-

Lain Ehmann – www.getscraphappy.com
Life doesn't have to be perfect to be good.

Hi Lain,

First of all, I LOVE your blog. I just got sucked in when I clicked through your link. Your writing is very genuine and heartfelt. I love it.

Second, thank you for the kind words. They mean the world to me.

As for your question, my belief is that 80-90% of your efforts during your day should be spent “off” site, rather than “on” your site. Yep. That means time spent actually marketing your products and services Well, that is IF it's a blog that you want to make money. Personal blogs are different, of course. But, the ones that need traffic to support your family – be doing at least one marketing activity per day (that not counting blog commenting or time on Twitter).

My awesome helper said she sent you the link to WebTrafficBasics.com to help you with some basic link building – it's an older course and needs to be updated, but it's still solid, and still free.

As for me, my one-on-one coaching rates are really high – just to try to protect my time a bit, so I really hesitate to send you to the page. I mostly work with infoproduct sellers who have a stream of income that I can help them to boost.

Actually, Susanne does have a link building course now. Just click here to get started -> Beginner Link Building Course

There are $300-$3000 courses that I could recommend, but I think you'll get more than what you need in that course. I trust Susanne 100% when I have questions about Link-Building so I recommend her course without hesitation.

Warmly,
Nicole