Search Results for: blog keep the information flowing

Establishing a Chain of Information

Communication can be one of the ongoing challenges of the single parent. We have to get information to our children, their schools, family members, and often, we have to share and communicate information with the ex or the other parent. Exactly HOW we share that information can be one of the ways we get some order and structure into our single parent families. An effective and healthy “chain of information” can be beneficial. By this, I mean that we set an expectation and a priority of how we will communicate what and to whom and stick to it. For example, … Continue reading →

Keep the Information Flowing

When there’s only one of you running your home business, things can get bogged down and pushed to the side. You may forget to tell your clients or customers important things, or forget to pass on information that they really need to have. You may think that since you are a small business, the flow of information isn’t such a big deal–but it can be… After all, when there’s just one of you–who do you need to tell? Unlike a more traditional job or business, where you might be part of a department or group or have a boss to … Continue reading →

Give Writing A Try – Write A Family History Story

Sometimes, it is nice to take a break from your current genealogy research project and try something a little different. Writing a family history story is a fun way to put some of the facts that you have gathered into a larger context and preserve information about the life and times of one or more of your ancestors. Wait, what’s that you say? You say that you can not write a family history story because you are not a good writer? That is okay. You do not have to be a published author, or anything close to that, in order … Continue reading →

Household Management: More Inbox-Slimming Strategies

The bulging inbox: it’s a problem that’s oh so familiar to all parents. What are your strategies for managing the inflow of information and appointments in your life? Yesterday I mentioned some of my weekly and monthly strategies for budgeting and shopping. Here are a few more tips that I use to keep my inbox flowing. Filing systems. I have files for paper, and I must admit to being a bit of a piler. I stack forms and sort them into the files every few weeks. I also have filing systems for objects. For example, in the basement cupboard I … Continue reading →

You (Yes, You) Can Write Your Family History

Just as not all writers are genealogists, not all genealogists are writers. What, then, is a genealogist to do if he or she is not a writer yet wishes to write his or her family history? The first thing that you can do is to dismiss the idea that since you are not much of a “writer”, you cannot write your family history. That is simply not true. In fact, who better to write the family history than you? You are uniquely qualified in that you have done all the research and you know the information inside and out. Once … Continue reading →

Parents Play a Pivotal Role in Reducing Teen Pregnancy

In the midst of a debate over the best way to lower teen pregnancy rates, whether it is through teaching abstinence or informing teens about the risks of sexually transmitted diseases and methods of birth control, the story of an eleven-year-old girl giving birth to a baby, to me screams, “neither is working!” The fact is, teachers can preach and teach until they are blue in the face, but until parents take initiative in teaching their own children about sex, teen pregnancy is not going anywhere. Teens are constantly being bombarded with images of teen sexuality in television, movies, books … Continue reading →

Take Extra Time to Find the Answers

Recently, I was at a hotel and I asked a question which the two desk clerks obviously didn’t know the answer to. One of them answered with a very sincere and apologetic, “I don’t know,” while the other one said to me “If you can wait a few minutes, I will see what I can find out.” Ordinarily, I would have been quite understanding and appreciate the apologetic “I don’t know.” After all, I would much rather someone simply tell me when they do not know the answer than to try to bluff. But, I realized that the clerk who … Continue reading →

Author Interview—Marianne Arkins

Today we are joined by author Marianne Arkins. Marianne, thank you for agreeing to chat with us today. On your site, you describe your books as “sassy, sweet romance.” Can you tell me a little more about that? The “sassy” comes from the fact that I have a difficult time keeping a completely straight face in my writing. There are exceptions, of course, but for the most part my heroines have a little snark, or I have strange secondary characters or unusual pets. The “sweet?” That’s because, at least thus far, none of my stories or novels have fully consummated … Continue reading →

Remote-Controlled Toys and Air Travel—What You Need To Know

Talk about timing. Last month my 3-year-old daughter was invited to her pal Chris’ birthday party. A few days before the party we went shopping for a gift. After 2 hours contemplating what constituted as the “perfect” present (for Chris… and my daughter’s next 7 birthdays) we settled on a remote control Jeep. Believe it or not that Jeep turned out to be the hit of the party. Chris ripped it open and let it fly through the backyard. For the next hour or so party guests lined up for their turn to take the Jeep for a spin. That’s … Continue reading →

Touch Base Regularly With Prospects

This may seem like incredibly simple advice–but I am surprised at how often people sight “marketing to prospects” as one of those areas that needs to improve in their small businesses. We know that we need to do outreach and pay attention to marketing if we are going to build healthy home-based businesses, but we drag our feet. Or we get so caught up in the “every day” or going after the big sales, that we forget to nurture along our prospects. It might help if you set up a calendar and make it a priority to make regular, scheduled … Continue reading →