The key to becoming a successful conqueror is to always remember you are fabulous, gorgeous and capable of overcoming anything that opposes your will or desire while being mindful of the needs, desires and emotions of others.

When you start feeling down or unsure of yourself, think of something you are good at. Even better, think of something you either didn't know you could do or thought you couldn't do but did anyway.

What did it for me? My "by jove, I think I've got it!"? The thing that made me feel like I'm "the King Queen of the world!"? I made pancakes that earned a "million cazillion A+" from my son.

Before you scoff, let me assure you, that was no easy feat. You see, I'm the grown-up version of the girl who refused to follow the local decree that females should be inside, cooking, sewing and doing all the other "girl" stuff. I wanted to be outside, learning about the wilderness, working with the animals and all that. You know, having the kind of fun I saw the boys having.

Now that I'm an adult, I'm trying to learn those previously-abhorred "girly" things. I'm trying to be a true balabusta, successful single parent and give my son the best environment I possibly can. Pancakes may be simple but overcoming my internal issues toward them and all they represent is an ongoing challenge.

If you are ready to begin your own world conquering campaign, I encourage you to find your empowering moment. Then seize it and milk it for all it's worth.

In time, you'll see that you've conquered the world (or at least, your little piece of it) by mastering yourself.

Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
Whether you are new to the world of self-employment or have been in business for a while, a good network is always something to strive for.

The Mom Pack is one of the best resources I've come across online.

As of this writing, there are officially 9,252 members on their interactive Yahoo group. One of which is speaking to you right now.

In addition to the main list, The Mom Pack maintains spin-off lists such as Chat, Goal Meeting/Motivational List, Homeschoolers and a few others.

Whether you are looking for honest feedback on your site layout, a barter, info on shopping carts or an understanding ear for your work/life balancing dilemma, I highly recommend The Mom Pack.

Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
Most of us recognize the ASPCA as one of the biggest names in pet rescue and advocacy. What may not be so well known is their effort to help everyday people like us.


Their Free Pet Safety Pack is just one of numerous resources they offer to help keep our fubies (fur babies) happy, healthy and safe.


Get yours here and then have a look around their site.


Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
At about lunch time today, I signed up with Inbox Dollars. I saw a banner similar to the one you see to your right and clicked on it.

A few hours later, here is my earnings report:















Mind you, this is not doing a whole bunch. I was just doing my thing and checking my email as per my usual routine.

Now, I know that $8 doesn't seem like much but when you think about how much time and effort I actually invested (not much), it does perk a gal up.

Seeing as how most of that was the sign up bonus, we'll have to see how it goes but for now, I'm happy.

Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
FaveCrafts.com has several *free* craft e-books covering everything from beginning sewing (yay me!) to knitting, making your own jewelry, holiday crafts and even home decor.


Zip on over and grab the ebooks that interest you.

Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
When my cushy upper-level exec job vanished due to the economy, so did a lot of the little perks my son and I took for granted. Daily Dunkin' Donuts stops after school to discuss our day, weekend trips to the beach, bi-monthly trips to Toys R Us and our weekly pizza night among them.

Owing to our new, reduced income lifestyle, everything from our home to the food on our table was affected. Panic was starting to set in as I wondered how on God's green Earth I would give my son a quality, home education without my previous budget and resources.

Shelling out a few thousand dollars on curriculum alone wasn't a problem before. In fact, I was proud of my ability to do so. This didn't even begin to include the museum memberships, field trips, "extra" activities, et al.

One night, after CJ went to bed, I was up worrying and berating myself. What kind of mother was I if I couldn't provide for my little family?

That was my low point.

Round and round my thoughts went. What a terrible mother I am because I don't know what to do and don't know how I'll do it. Here I am, with all this business experience and I can't do a thing for my son! I could manage an online campus, translate documents and meetings, train others and provide instant data for ... wait!

It took me remembering me - who I am, what I have done, what I can do - to snap me out of my funk.

Why not use some of my corporate skills to find a solution to our financial dilemma? A quick search for "make money online" and every variation thereof ensued. The results were truly startling. There are so many results but not enough real ones out there!

In the coming days, I will be posting the resources I found, use and personally recommend. You'll find them filed under Penny's Money Challenge.

Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,
In case you hadn't noticed, I've been MIA for a while. My blog is -gasp- almost empty. So not like me. As someone recently asked me, wth (what the hey) is up with that?

Honestly? I've bitten off more than I can chew. Too many projects added to the single parent thing is just killing me. Real estate, virtual assisting, pet resources/advocacy, kids resources and online arcade, PLUS volunteering to help promote Texas "Heart Galleries". All fantastic in and of themselves but altogether, overwhelming.

My tech projects have also taken up time. I reworked my server, am replacing the power supply in my favorite laptop, need to order a motherboard for one of my desktops, and have to send two hard drives to be rescued. Both were damaged in acts of sheer stupidity on my part. [#1 was a carpet and #2 a frustrated bonk!]

Oh yeah, I also took in another rescue. A sad-looking black Lab named Blackie. His "mom" was an older lady who finally gave in to living at an assisted living facility but wasn't allowed to take her beloved dog. Depression doesn't just affect people. This poor guy was actually starving himself to death.

My son and I started taking our mile-long walks in the morning and at night again. Such a stress reliever. The outdoors, wind and running from the javelinas. Whee! I'll be starting the daily workout again in the next few days. I hate feeling unfit. It's not just the way my clothes fit. Those still get looser every day. It's the way I breathe, move, and generally feel. Sluggish. Ick!

Anyway, hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. Belated Happy Chanukah to my Jewish friends, Merry Christmas to my Christian friends, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to everyone and, if I missed your holiday, drop me a line. I certainly don't mean to offend anyone.

Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,