I came to TOASTMASTERS with no preconceived ideas. For many years I have been invited to attend a meeting, but I didn’t think I “needed” to attend, because I was not afraid to speak in front of others and I was already teaching classes.  However, I like to quote Oprah Winfrey when she says that things speak to you, first in a whisper, then an audible voice then a smack to the head.  That is how I felt about the experience.  Over the years several people mentioned the organization that creates leaders and better speakers. The deciding factor was a mentor who told me I can’t go wrong with improving my speaking abilities and I could receive speaking designations. Since that was the smack in the head, I decide to attend my first TOASTMASTERS meeting.

The organization has been around for many years and it’s amazing how many clubs currently exist. There are over 120,000 clubs in 160 countries. There must be some merit to the phenomena. What I have come to love about TOASTMASTERS are the meetings are timely and organized. I don’t like to go places where there is no agenda and it drags on and on from unnecessary input and conversation. Of course, I am the time and money saving guru, so I don’t like waste valuable time.  There was an agenda and time allotted for each item. Also, it is a safe and nurturing environment for constructive critiques on how to improve your speeches, as you are evaluated after each speech given. As I attended more meetings, it became a spiritual awakening as topics discussed at the meeting seemed to be exactly what I needed to hear at that moment. For example, I was thinking about re-creating a mission statement for an existing business and the meeting for the evening was about vision statements. How timely! Lastly, the reason I love TOASTMASTERS was the cost versus benefit. The benefit outweighed the money it costs to participate. There are many places to get speaking designations, but a session and/or certification could cost thousands and TOASTMASTERS is a nominal fee every six months. Therefore, I already declared this journey is going to change me from being a good speaker to a great speaker and a great speaker to a phenomenal speaker. Watch out world, here I come, but there is room for you. Why don’t you join and attend a meeting.

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Happy Mother’s Day!  I’m sipping on a small glass of wine and reflecting on the day.  I know that I have a wonderful family and support system to include my husband, children, mother and mother in law.  Although I am more than grateful and blessed, I am actually upset (a better word for pissed off). I mad about how many moms neglect themselves and get one day a year.  One year has 52 weeks, 365 days and 8,766 hours.  Can my mother’s get more than 12 hours in a day (I know there are 24 hours, but only 12 waking hours for most).

I am even angrier how women sacrifice their financial well being. We buy for the children, household items, repairs, vacation and are often left with little or nothing at time of retirement or unfortunate event of a divorce or no money for a massage if we want it!

My charge for women is to become selfish instead of self less.  We hear it all the time, take time for you, so you can take care of others.  My message is much more than that.  Follow the advice of your ancestors who said always put money aside for yourself.  Pay yourself first and then everyone else.  Learn from your celebrity counterparts who usually save a little nest egg, which tells you that regardless of your status, make it happen.  You will feel so differently when you do.  Putting money aside can be for no reason at all, but merely that you deserve it.

This is a tough love post, but it is in the effort to get you to a point of empowerment.  At the very least you will create a nest egg.  At the very most, you will start a business with all of your extra money! You can start small by this Mother’s Day, save money for you! Go to the bank tomorrow and make a deposit with some of your Mother’s Day money.

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It may seem easy for me to “suggest” that you think outside the box and live vicariously if I do not follow my own advice. As a result, I have made a conscious effort to do things that I have never done before and tackle things that are fearful to most. I always say that fear is misdirected apprehension, so re-direct your apprehension and conquer your fear.

Last month I went zip lining over the Costa Rican rain forest, I have joined Toastmasters which is a speaking organization to turn good speakers to great speakers and  I recently went rock climbing (I have proof – see enclosed picture).  All of the above have been invigorating and challenging all at the same time. Each time I try something that I have never done before, I get charged.  I challenge you to do something different and daring! Think outside of the box, live outside of the box and live life to the fullest!

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Here is a schedule 2012 Social Media Conferences:

http://www.momblogmagazine.com/index/2012/01/2012-mom-and-social-media-conferences/

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Actually, I don’t like the word “diet”, just like I don’t like the word “budget”. Both words sound too restrictive and limiting. You have heard of the Lemonade Diet (also known as Master Cleanse), Miami Diet (no starch, cut out white stuff and eat meat), 21-day Detox (raw, fresh fruits and veggies, no meat days 1-10 and limited meat consumption days 11-21) and liquid fast (juice everything). Well, I wanted to make a paradigm shift, a natural progression toward healthy living and the diets I named can’t be followed for the rest of your life. What I found is a nutritional program called the Paleo lifestyle and diet. Paleo is short for Paleolithic which refers to the Paleolithic era where man hunted and gathered their food. In short, the premise is fresh or raw and lean meats, pretty simple, right? Nothing fried, no processed sugar, no dairy, and no foods that have been modified, altered or tampered in anyway. Don’t misunderstand me I like things that crunch (chips) and it is hard to pass up a FREE ice cream with your meal, because I do like FREE. However, I vowed to stick with it for 30-days and then make changes if needed or continue on.

I am in the baby stage because I am on day 7 of the program and hopefully I will get to weeks, then months, then years. It’s amazing that I have lived in America all my life and I am trying foods that I have never tried before like coconut milk, tomatillos, red Thai curry paste, almond meal and black rice. WOW, I love the new recipes and challenges, experiences and tastes that I have never had before. I discovered a website about healthy eating (http://www.mananaherbs.com) and I like what she said about heart disease and high blood pressure and high cholesterol. These things are not hereditary, the way you eat is how your parents ate and that’s hereditary. So, by eating the same way, developing the same habits, you get the same diseases. It is NOT hereditary. Let that marinate (pun intended).

I teach financial workshops and I begin each class with how the mind must change to get the body to act differently. Well, eating is no different. Get excited about the process and how your body will change and be better. Expect great results; otherwise your negative thoughts will produce negative results. In either case, you get exactly what you expect. So, join me on this journey toward a healthy lifestyle and healthy living. Salud!

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I took a trip to Costa Rica. I always feel armed and dangerous with my Sprint HTC EVO phone, but this time I was stripped of my powers when I landed on Central American land. My phone did not work at all in Costa Rico. So, I had to work something out, as I was getting weak just thinking about not having a phone, ugh! First option – Buy a phone for $30, which inlcuded100 minutes. Not bad, but I wasn’t sure about the service, connection and I wasn’t sure I needed that many minutes for a four day trip, so I decided to look for alternatives. One down, what’s my next option?

Actually the cheapest option was to buy a temporary sim card for $6 which also includes 30 minutes. Problem is my phone does not have a sim card. Plus you must make arrangements with your cell phone provider BEFORE you travel to unblock the phone to allow a temporary sim card. On to the next option – Skype! Well, skype is free and works great, but it is only free for skype to skype users. I have two people using skype, so that didn’t seem like the best plan.

The option that worked for me is using Google Voice/Google Chat. You input the information of where you are calling and it will give you the charge before you pay. Then, you arrange payment and you are able to make calls through an internet connection. You are left with a smooth as silk sound quality with no hesitation. The bonus after four days, I still have 8 minutes to use for my next destination. Que bueno!

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It’s not too late to look for a quick getaway without your money getting away. I understand many us may not have the extra money. Fret not, because there are ways for you to plan your next vacation without breaking the bank.

Let’s start with getting there. Checkout: www.hotels.com, www.expedia.com and www.priceline.com. Sign up for email notifications for deals and steals with www.travelzoo.com and www.airwatchdog.com or www.cheapoair.com. Another way to get there is www.megabus.com, which makes your destination just a quick bus ride away.

For further accommodations, consider house swapping or vacation rental swapping, which means you stay at someone’s home and they stay in your home. Sites like www.homebasehols.com and www.exchangehomesoia.com offers properties all over the world.

Check the Visitors & Convention Bureau for the city that you plan to visit for package savings to various activities for one ticket price. A way to see the city of your choice for little money is to check websites like www.fastpitchnetworking.com and www.eventbrite.com, which most are FREE events around town.

Save money on eating out, use your restaurant gift cards and bring your coupons with you. An added bonus is www.gpsmycity.com, which offers information on free self guided walking tours to see the city sites. Pay one fee to visit several museums in one state and the visiting state may be reciprocal, which means you may be able to visit several museums in that city. Happy Travels!

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Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen, Hebrews 11:11. This isn’t a sermon, although the message is clear. The question is do you want to take hold of the message that is all around us. I attended a Christmas Party at a real estate office and there was a woman who delivered a spoken word titled Look Forward & Move Forward. Her message was clear be hopeful and be proactive. You must look forward (have faith) and get moving (have faith). After the spoken word there was another woman who delivered a message of goal setting. She said you must command what you want and work towards achieving it.

A couple of days later, I attended a movie, “We Bought a Zoo”. It is a true story about faith and restoration. A gentleman bought a property that happened to be a former zoo while he was trying to get through a great loss of losing his wife. Others thought he was crazy, but most people with faith are thought to be crazy. Remember they can’t see what you see (refer to the first sentence). The movie shows his struggles and restoration of the zoo and his family. So, my message to you is clear – KEEP THE FAITH. Now take the message and act on your faith – DO SOMETHING!

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It’s time to jump start the workout plan and lose weight. Well, it’s never too soon to make a change for the better. In every area of our lives, self improvement starts with the mental process first, i.e. the mind thinks about and you allow your body to implement the action.  Here are a few tips to help you make that shift.

As you are meal planning remember to know it or grow it! The best types of foods to eat are those grown or picked. That means a la natural. Secondly, if you read the ingredients and cannot pronounce it, then it is NOT good for you. So, when you make snack choices, think: Grow it or know it.

Kick the Condiments! There is a good deal of sugar, sodium and fat in most condiments, like ketchup, honey mustard, ranch, syrup, tartar sauce and the list goes on. You can reduce your fat and sugar intake by taking out the condiments. Foods taste great without all the condiments, if you get used to eating them naked. Try it!

Understand how to calculate your sugar intake. Look at the labels, take the number of grams and divide it by four. You will surprise how many teaspoons of sugar in EACH SERVING! Not to mention that we usually consume more than one serving. Mostly, we consume enough sugar in one meal that we should be eating all day. There are a plethora of illness that result from sugar, so be more conscious about the sugar you consume.

Eat it of Freeze it is the next tip. If you find an item marked down with a use by date, it’s ok to buy. If you don’t prepare that day, then freeze it.  You save money buying a mark down items, including veggies and freezing them.

Teach your children how to eat healthy with colors. A colorful plate means a variety of food items and food groups. If not for the kids, then for you.  Remember to eat a variety of foods.

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