Work at Home Opportunity in Transcription

This is a transcription opportunity with Caset Associates, Ltd. They are a recording and transcription service in Fairfax, Virginia. This is an at-home position, full or part-time, which requires:

• some college and a good command of the English language

• proper grammar

• an awareness of current events

• a typing speed of 80 wpm

• computer with Microsoft Word

• a digital transcribing program

The link above will take you to their employment opportunities page. Good luck and Happy Halloween!

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My Babies are Sweet Sixteen!

I remember when I found out I was having twins. I was excited, but afraid. I wanted them both so much, and everywhere I turned, I heard horror stories about how difficult a twin pregnancy could be. But right at 37 weeks, there they were, so tiny they could fit into the palm of your hand. I was scared to death to take them home.

And now it's 16 years later. They're both beautiful, smart, and sweet. But in other ways, they're exact opposites. One's carefree, happy-go-lucky, and unpredictable. The other is serious, devoted to her interests, and loves routine. One has brown hair and hazel eyes. The other has blonde hair and blue eyes.

Today, the oldest of the two (by one minute) got her driver's license. Time went by so fast. Wish I could hit the rewind button. Happy Birthday Babies.

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10 Steps for Reducing Stress

I've been really burnt out lately, which is evidenced by the fact that I'm just not as productive as I was a year ago. I feel like I'm working just as hard. Maybe I am. But the results aren't the same.

Doing the same task day in and day out is just one of the things that can lead to stress. And as a transcriptionist, my job is somewhat repetitive. Also, since I work from home, I'm isolated. No water cooler gossip going on here at home.

So I've been reading about stress and how to counteract its effects. And here are some of the things I've found:

1. Plan ahead. If you have somewhere to be early in the morning, lay everything out the night before. Use a calendar to map out your month. Knowing that a bill is coming due will help you plan your finances accordingly.

2. Be realistic. No one is perfect, and no one can do everything. Give yourself a break every now and then.

3. Think positive. Worrying about what might happen will only add to your stress.

4. Forgive others who have wronged you. Holding a grudge wears away at your soul. Do it for you.

5. Find a relaxing hobby. Make time for fun. If you work at home, take the weekends off. Don't be a slave to your computer.

6. Get some exercise. A daily walk is a great way to clear your mind.

7. Stop comparing yourself to others. There will always be someone smarter, skinnier, and richer. Save yourself a lot of grief by accepting that simple truth.

8. Make sure you have a support system. It's been proven that people who have close friends or family are healthier.

9. Try to envision a positive future. Plan a trip. Go back to college. Write a book.

10. Finally, sometimes you just need to talk to someone, an unbiased third party. Don't be afraid to reach out for professional help if necessary.

As for myself, I'm going to start getting more sleep. I'm also going to try to get my work done during the week, so I can have weekends off. I'll let you know how that goes.

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Share Your Craftiness With the World

For those of you who enjoy crafting as a hobby or business, I found a great site with lots of how-tos and a forum where people share information, and pictures of their latest creations. It's Craftster.

There's also an Opportunities for Crafters Board, where stores seeking to purchase handmade goods, and magazines looking for craft projects can advertise. Check it out!


Check out Bilingual Jobs at LatPro.com.

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Halloween Treat: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Mmmm. These would be great for a Halloween party. The recipe is from AllRecipes.com. If you want more Halloween recipes, visit the site. It's great.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners.
2. Mix sugar, oil, eggs. Add pumpkin and water. In separate bowl mix together the baking flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.. Add wet mixture and stir in chocolate chips.
3. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Learn about Diversity in the Workplace at DiversityJobs.com.

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Work at Home Opportunity: Remote Agent

This opportunity is with Convergys as a remote agent handling customer service, technical help, and some light sales. You need to have your own PC, USB headset, and high-speed Internet. They are now hiring in the following states:

Alabama
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
Nebraska
North Dakota
Oklahoma
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Wyoming

Good luck!

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Sleep Deprivation : It's Not Just for New Parents Anymore

In the last year or so, I've found it more and more difficult to not only get to sleep at night, but to stay asleep. Part of it is my own fault. I'm a night person. That's when I get my best work done. The house is quiet. The kids are asleep. No interruptions.

But the result is I'm frequently still up at 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, which wouldn't be so bad, except I have to be up at 6:30 to get my kids off to school. That leaves me (yes, it's true) 3.5 to 4.5 hours of sleep. But wait! It gets better. Sometimes I don't fall asleep right away. I toss and turn for a little bit, worry about bills, think of all the stuff I didn't get done that day.

Now most of the time, I can go back to sleep for a few hours after I drive the kids to school. But if I have transcription work due that morning, it's just not happening. And even if I do get back in bed, there's no guarantee I'll actually get any quality sleep. Many times, the phone wakes me, or the dog next door has a yapping fit.

So I've been searching the Internet for information about insomnia. And here's some of what I found:

• Sleeping less than 8 hours a night leads to obesity.
  
• The less you sleep, the more likely you are to suffer a serious illness.
• If you sleep less than 5 hours a night, you are at increased risk for high blood pressure.
• Sleep deprived brains don't make new brain cells. So yes, you are getting dumber.
  
• Recent studies show that more and more Americans are sleep deprived.

What can you do about it? Here are some tips:

• Only use your bed for sleeping. Don't lie in bed watching TV or reading. Help your brain to associate the bed with sleep.
• Keep your room dark.
  
• And this surprising fact which, in my case, explains a lot: Using your computer before you go to bed suppresses melatonin.
  
• The best temperature to sleep at is between 54 and 75 degrees. My sleep number is 74.
  
• Get up at the same time each morning, and try to hit the sheets around the same time each night. You have to train your body to sleep.
• Avoid caffeine after 7:00 at night. (All bets are off on this one.)
• Get some exercise.
• Have a light snack of tryptophan before bed. That's milk or turkey.

I'm going to try some of these tips myself. Maybe I'll get some sleep tonight and grow some new brain cells. Wish me luck!

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Is It Time to Take a Break?

Thanks to BLaugh for the all-too-true cartoon!

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Best Stumbles of the Week

I found some great sites this week while stumbling around the Internet. The first is What Should I Read Next? It's great for those of us who head to the library, only to wander the aisles hoping something catches our eye.

You just enter the title of a book you like into the search bar, and analyzing their database of reader favorites, they'll recommend what you should read next. I typed in one of my favorite books, Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, and was amazed to get back a list which included many of my other favorites.

The next great site I stumbled across was The Universal Packing List, where you can generate a packing list for wherever you're going. Just type in the name of your destination, when your trip begins and ends, your accommodations, and a few other specifics, and it will create a custom list of the things you need to take.

Finally, have you ever told a friend you'd meet them halfway, then proceeded to argue for the next 30 minutes about where exactly the halfway point was? At HappyMedian.com, you enter a friend's location, your location, and the type of place you'd like to meet at, and it will find the halfway point for you.

Enjoy!

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New Work at Home Opportunity: Customer Service Rep

This one looks promising. It's with BT Conferencing. The work requires:

* 10-20 hours per week

* first shift schedule normally

* flexibility required

* $10.00 per hour

And it looks like the company provides some great help getting started:

* training

* desktop PC's

* reimbursement for 50% of your monthly DSL bill

* cordless phone, if necessary

Good luck!

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Was It Worth It?

My three-day tribulation is over: three days of breathing chlorine, listening to the non-stop blare of buzzers, and dehydration. Was it worth it? Well, my daughter got 7 new best times, saw her hard work pay off, and seems pretty content with herself. So yes, it was definitely worth it.

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Help! I'm Sweating Chlorine!

I'm getting ready for the third day of a three-day, out of town swim meet with my daughter, so I'm on autopilot right now. The air was so hot in the pool area, that it was nearly impossible to breathe. Some kids were actually crying.

My daughter, who has exercise-induced asthma, spent most of her time outside, waiting for her swims, even though it was freezing. She said she'd rather be cold and able to breathe, though. And frankly, I have to agree.

Thank God this is the last swim meet we have to go to at this particular facility. Next week, a brand new pool is opening nearby, and we are ecstatic! No more long drives back and forth for local swim meets! No more being poisoned by chlorine gas!

Some people think I'm crazy when they here all that competitive swimming involves. But my daughter loves it, and it's been great for her self-esteem and health (until this weekend). I'd recommend it to anybody who wants their child involved in a sport that teaches discipline and hard work.

So off we go again tomorrow. Just one more day of labored breathing to go. If blogger ever gets the photo uploader working again, I may even post a pic.

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Just Because It's Cute and Halloweeny

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The Best Price on Books, and Banana Bread to Boot

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know I love books. I don't have a lot of time to read them. But I love them. So I was really excited when I came across BestBookDeal.com.

It's a service that compares book prices in real time at 100 different online bookstores all over the world. Then it provides the price, condition of the book, shipping information, availability, and location. That way, you always get the book you want at the best price. Cool!

Another great find is Kitchen, Crafts & More's "Recipes Using Five Ingredients or Less." I've got to try the Miracle Whip Banana Bread. Five ingredients. That's my kind of cooking. Enjoy!

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New Work at Home Job Opportunity in Customer Support

Customer Support Rep Working From Home

Educate Online is a provider of live instruction facilitated exclusively through the Internet. More details can be found at: URL. Directions:

Search for Educate Online.

Then search Customer Support.

Choose location: All.

Hit search button.

Click on Customer Support: Work in any U.S. City.

In the upper right corner is the link to Apply Online.

I tried to post the direct URL to the job post, but it would not let me. Good luck!

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Great Customer Service Job Opening at Careerbuilder.com

This a virtual help center position with Careerbuilder.com. Customer service is via email and chat. It has benefits and looks like a great opportunity. The description indicates the position may qualify for work at home status. Good luck to all who apply!

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Mom's Burnt Out Taxi Service

One of my daughters is going to be eligible to get her driver's license very soon. And I'm torn. On the one hand, I'm scared to death to let her drive a car. But on the other, I'm pretty close to having a meltdown over the endless shuttling of kids back and forth to work, practices, and friends' houses.

I feel like I'm driving from morning 'til night. I told my kids the other day that I might as well just camp out in the car, get a little battery-operated mini-fridge (if such a thing exists),a few changes of clothes, and they could just run out and jump in when it was time to go again. They thought that was hilarious.

The sad thing is I was only half joking. I've often thought I should get a laptop computer with WiFi, so that I could work while waiting for this one or that one to finish some activity, rather than driving home, squeezing a little work in, then jumping back in the car again to go fetch them.

My oldest has been driving for four years now and has been an excellent driver. So why am I so hesitant this time around? I guess I still see my younger two as my babies. It's hard to imagine them out in the world on their own. But that 16th birthday is approaching fast, and Mom will just have to give a speech and say a prayer and let them drive.

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Work at Home Procrastination

This seems to be the theme of my month:

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

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My Daughter, the Bridesmaid

My daughter is going to be a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding this weekend, and I'll admit I'm a little freaked out. I can't believe she's old enough to have friends who are getting married. Although, as I made clear, I think the bride and groom are still too young for marriage. I think it's wiser to hold off on buying matching wedding bands until you've at least finished college and begun a career.

Thank God, she doesn't seem interested in marriage, herself, at this time. She says she wants to wait until she's done with school and has a few years of the work world under her belt. Whew! Don't get me wrong. I love her boyfriend. After three years, he's a member of my family now. But I want her to have time to get to know herself and enjoy some freedom before settling down.

I got married at 22, and I think it was too young. Because I lived at home during college, I went straight from my parent's home to sharing a home with a husband - a husband who was also, as it turned out, too young for marriage. It all passes by so quickly. Seems like just yesterday, we were putting the wedding rings on each other's fingers.

Oh well. I just hope she doesn't come back with wedding fever.

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Don't Try This at Home: A Blast from the Past

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Everyone Needs a Little Grammar Help From Time to Time

It's true. We all need help from time to time with our grammar. I go back to my trusty Harbrace College Handbook at least once a day to check on the proper placement of a comma or to see if a word or words should be capitalized, italicized, or surrounded with quotation marks. My education is in writing and editing, so you'd think that would be unnecessary. But I don't mind admitting I'm still learning.

That's why I love Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. I stumbled upon this site the other day, while researching some transcription. There are lots of helpful hints on punctuation, style, and proper business form, and even some memory tricks to help you remember those tricky rules of grammar. Have a look!

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Great Halloween Crafts and Recipes for Kids

It's almost that time of year again, the night when little ghosts and goblins roam the streets in search of treats. I know some have decided that Halloween is no longer politically correct. But I, for one, love it. Always have. It's the one time of year children can pretend to be whoever they want to be, whether it's a princess or a Ninja turtle, or have a little fun pretending to be something that otherwise would frighten them, like a witch or monster.

It's a fun holiday for adults too. I can remember dressing up, myself, when my children were small, and going door-to-door trick or treating with them. The kids loved it, and it gave me an opportunity to relive simpler days.

So in the spirit of Halloween, here are a few sites you might want to share with your kids. They're filled with great costume and craft ideas, spooky recipes, and even a little Halloween history:

Halloween is For Kids

Enchanted Learning's Halloween Page

Kaboose.com's Halloween Page

Britta.com's Halloween Recipes

Share them with your kids and have a great Halloween!

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The Hassle of a Family Move

If you read this blog often, you know that I recently moved to a new home. Unfortunately my living room still has a whole corner devoted to unpacked boxes, pictures that need hanging, and stuff I just don't know what to do with. I'm beginning to think those boxes will still be there when we move again, although I hope not.

I hate the whole moving process: going through and throwing out as much as possible, packing what you're taking to the new house. And last, but certainly not least, the actual packing and unpacking of the moving truck.

My daughters and I moved ourselves this time. We rented a truck, spent a whole Saturday loading it up, then broke down and called for backup on the unloading of the furniture and boxes. I hadn't moved in five years, and I had forgotten how exhausting it can be. All you're thinking about around 8:00 on moving day is how you can get that bed put together and sheets on it in time for bed.

So I've made a vow. Next time I'm going to call a moving company. There's a service called MyMovingquote.com, where you can fill out one form and get quotes, within hours, from selected moving companies in your area. And they check to make sure all the companies recommended are licensed and insured, so you don't have to worry about it.

I'm hoping to get some of those pictures hung and boxes unpacked this weekend. Wish me luck.

This is a sponsored post.

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New Work at Home Opportunity

There's a new company geared specifically to the work-at-home mom. Lifebushido.com is "building a global network of people working from home." The hours are flexible. You start out small and increase your hours as you go. And you are assigned jobs that match your unique skills and abilities. Right now, Lifebushido is seeking 100 stay-at-home-moms who are also MBA graduates for a "top secret project." Check them out.

And the dog? I just thought he was cute.

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Cool Site O' the Day

Love this site. It's Better.tv. Watch Halloween craft demonstrations. Learn how to cook a four-course meal or organize your pantry. It's all on video, step-by-step. Enjoy!

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Teach Your Children to Resist Evil

One of my youngest daughters and I were watching Ken Burns' The War this past weekend on PBS. It's a great documentary about World War II, and I would recommend it to anyone. But it was fairly graphic in its depiction of the Holocaust and the horrible crimes committed against the Jewish people, and my daughter became quite upset.

She had been exposed to the history of the Holocaust in school. And I think it's important that our children, by the time they're teens, know about the Holocaust. Because as someone once said - I'm not sure who - those who don't understand history are doomed to repeat it. My daughter could not fathom how the killing and torturing of so many innocents took place. Specifically, she could not understand how so many people could turn to evil.

And so when I found this article by Stanford University professor Philip Zimbardo, The Lucifer Effect, it seemed like serendipity. In it, he advises how you can resist negative or evil influences in your own life. There are 20 tips. My favorites, though, are #5: "Be ready to say the three most difficult phrases in the world: 'I was wrong', 'I made a mistake', and 'I’ve changed my mind.' Cut bait, accept immediate loss of money, face, etc. that could lead to bigger long term losses..." and #17: "Trust your intuition, gut feelings when you sense you are becoming a target of influence, put up your counter-arguing mentality, and dig down for sources for resistance." Good advice for everyone.

I was unable to give my daughter an adequate explanation as to why the Holocaust occurred, why so many willingly let evil guide them. I don't think it's a question anyone will ever be able to adequately answer. But Philip Zimbardo's article provides, I think, some useful talking points for parents to discuss the issue of evil and how to resist its influence. At any rate, it's a starting point.

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