This Months Spotlight- Gaida Rodgers!

G'day Mate!! I have the pleasure of introducing you to Gaida Rodgers, of Sydney, Australia!

Gaida is a single mother of a 15 year old boy who love to play guitar and work on photoshop creations. "One of my roles," she says, "is ‘Director of Home Affairs’. As ‘Mum’ it’s a 24/7 job in itself! My son tells me it’s a Lifetime Commitment …..No time off for good behaviour."

Being one of those stay at home mom's, Gaida has had the opportunity to be involved in her son's school fundraiser and school activities commitee. Her favorite activity was purchasing 800 gifts for Mother's Day and Father's day that the kids got to give to thier parents.

Her current endeavors include Skincare and Color Consulting, Internet and Afilliate Marketing, and website design. Gaida is working on an ebook right now for her beauty website.

"I love the freedom & the possibilities that Affiliate & Internet Marketing offers. My venture into Internet Marketing has definitely been a ‘Journey of Discovery’ . I’ve met many helpful people & gained new friends along the way." She spends her non-working internet time chatting on forums (where I had the pleasure of meeting her), and reading various blogs.

When Gaida is not busy with her son or the internet, she is an avid walker. She will go on beachfront walks 2 or 3 times a week, if not more, with a friend. Gaida also loves crafts, including Stamping, Scrapbooking, Folk Art, and Glass Painting. She also enjoys reading, gardening, Stock Market, and Finance & Investing.

Here are those Random Questions that we have all come to enjoy!

1. Have you ever done something to instigate trouble? Never intentionally….. Although, I’m sure I’ve trodden on a few toes along the way.

2. Did you watch cartoons as a child? Now that’s a memory stretch… Yes…. Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Tom & Jerry…

3. Would you consider yourself to be fashionable? I believe as long as you look smart & dress to suit your style & shape, anything can be fashionable.

4. Would you ever sky dive? That’s an easy one …No.. I don’t like heights & I’ve a back condition. I was out of action for nearly 9 months, so I take care these days.

5. Do you prefer regular or chocolate milk? I prefer the taste of regular milk. It's a good source of calcium which helps build and maintain your bones and helps prevent osteoporosis

6. How many pairs of shoes do you own? I suppose about 20… but do have my favourites. We have a pretty casual lifestyle so sneakers for winter (especially for walking) & sandals for summer.

7. What do you dislike at the moment? Never having enough hours in the day & trying to find a decent handyman.

8. What is your favorite piece of jewelry? A pair of filigree drop earrings & necklace my sister gave me for my birthday.

9. If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? Well… That depends on how much… I’d like to own full share of my house. Though I’m sure my son would have other ideas & a very big list.

10. What books, if any, have made you cry? Now that’s a hard one… At times my bank book! No really…. I can’t recall it making me cry, but I enjoyed ‘Au Revoir’ by Mary Moody. Mary, an Australian, escaped her hectic lifestyle for 6 months to a remote French village. Now that sounds idyllic!

So for your reading enjoyment here are Gaida's blogs and websites!

Blogs
http://BeautyInsiderSecrets.blogspot.com
http://Scrapbooking-Creations.blogspot.com
http://OnlineMasteryGold.blogspot.com

Sites: http://www.BestLookMeUp.com
http://www.BestWeddingSecrets.com
http://www.thebestcrosswordpuzzles.com/ (some really good brain teasers!!) http://www.BestAuctionProfitSecrets.com
http://www.BestDealSpots.com
http://www.7DaysToProfitsMastery.com/Reports

Something up and coming:
Currently writing an ebook for my site
http://www.beautyinsidersecrets.com/ (Launching Soon)

Well, I think we will all be anxiously awaiting to see your finished site, Gaida!!

This Weeks Spotlight- Elizabeth Weeks

A round of applause for yet another amazing mom!! Her name is Elizabeth Weeks.

Elizabeth (aka Beth) hails from Buffalo, NY, and lives with her hubby of 4 years and thier 5 children (between the ages of 20 months and 13!). She met her hubby in high school, but split up after a year and a half. Six years later they hook up again, and the rest is history!

Beth works from home running a business her hubby started for her 3 days after after they married. Unfortunately major family stress caused her to put the business on hold for almost four years but thankfully she was able to start back up in March.

I met Beth on numerous forums, but she mostly deals with online fairs and expos. Her current favorite forum is the amazing Moms Opportunity Network!! When everyone in the family has freetime they like to go camping and hiking. Beth herself loves to take quiet walks by herself after the kids have gone to bed and before hubby leaves for work.

Here's what everyone has been waiting for: the Random Q&A!!

1. Has the death of a celebrity ever made you cry? Princess Di, I was glued to the TV all day.
2. Who's someone you haven't seen in a while and miss? My best friend Tanya, we met in first grade but haven't seen her in the past 8 years or so.
3. What do you tell yourself when times get hard? Everything happens for a purpose, I am meant to go through this crisis for some reason and in a few months or years I will see all the connections. Mother Teresa once said "God never gives a person more than they can handle, I just wish he didn't trust me so much."
4. What celebrities have you been compared to? I don't think I have ever been compared to a celebrity.
5. What makeup do you wear on a daily basis? I only wear make-up for special occasions and then I buy the inexpensive make-up, I can't see spending so much on make-up anymore since I've had kids. Don't let my ex-team leader from MaryKay read this. (ok Beth, we won't let her read it!!)
6. Has anyone told you a secret this week? Nope, no secrets this week, I'm not very good at keeping secrets anyway, I tell my husband everything, that's the one thing my 13 year old step daughter doesn't like about me.
7. How much is gas where you live right now? about 3.93
8. How many hours of sleep do you need to function? I have learned to function on very little sleep I have three children with sleep issues and no one sleeps through the night.
9. What side of the bed do you sleep on? I sleep near the wall on the nights my Mike doesn't work I have to climb over him to get to the kids when they wake up in the night.
10. Are you an aggressive driver? I do not drive and the general population is very glad about that because I am a very nervous passenger so I wouldn't like to know how I would be driving. (you sound like me!!)

Well, now that you have learned a little about Elizabeth Weeks, take a moment and check out her website. There are many awesome gifts there!!
http://www.thisweeksgiftshoppe.com/

http://smallbusadvertisingsolutions.bravehost.com/

http://site.thisweeksgiftshoppe.com/blog.html

Exciting News!!

Effective August 1, 2006 I am officially partnering with Mona Weathers and her amazing website, Moms Opportunity Network! Mona was my previous Spotlight!

What this means is that I will feature a new mom monthly, with the only requirement being that she is a member of Moms Opportunity Network! It's free to join! Click Here to Sign Up!

With that said, I hope that you continue enjoying these Spotlights!!
Thanks for all your support so far! ;)

This Week's Spotlight- Mona Weathers!

Let me introduce you to another amazing woman: Mona Weathers. Mona hails from Southern California, specifically Tehachapi. She has been married for nearly 15 years and has three incredible children, two girls and one boy (the boy is the middle child). She is one of the luckier women, because she has been able to stay home and raise her children the way she wants. In the last 15 years she has been involved in various home party businesses. In her own words, "Had some failures and successes, but realized I wasn't a very good sales person because I would almost talk my way out of a sale ;). I decided to find something I really liked to do and that, I discovered was to helping people. I really enjoy making people feel good about themselves and helping them find things that make them happy."

So now Mona is a website bulding expert! She has one of the best websites around, which is still fairly new, but gaining in popularity. Her website is dedicated to helping moms find work at home opportunities, as well as supporting them and encouraging them along the way. "I love building websites and networking with other moms" she wrote. And speaking of networking, I met her at one of her forums! So of course, you will find her at her forums (currently has 3), but you will also find her at MommyJobs. She says that's her new favorite place to hang out online (besides her own fourms!). "They are a fun group of ladies!"

When Mona has some free time (does she really I wonder?), she loves to ride her horse, crochet, and web design. Mona is also extremely dedicated to one special man in her life: "I met someone who changed my life 16 years ago. He loves more than I can comprehend, he is by my side when ever I need him, he feels my pain and loves me the way I am. My husband does love me very much but the 'someone' I speak of is - Jesus :)". Her love shows in her passion to help others!

Here are the Random Questions that she willingly answered for us:
1. What color is your bedroom painted? Plain white. We have just not had time to paint it a different color. If I had a choice it would be a soft neutral color.
2. Who was your favorite teacher? My favorite teacher was Mr. Dupratt. He was my high school english teacher. He always made me feel intelligent.
3. What color is your car? Blue
4. Can you whistle? No, I can't whistle ok!! ( I can only make a light wind sound, lol.)
5. What is your favorite candle scent? Sugar Cookie
6. How many aunts and uncles do you have? Six
7. Can you skip rocks? I don't know :)
8. Have you ever been to Jamaica? No
9. Did you ever play Capture the Flag in school? I don't remember.
10. How many times have you brushed your teeth today? Once, why does my breathe stink? LOL!

I highly encourage each and everyone of you to visit her main site, and then join in her forums! We gotta keep her busy!! ;)

http://www.momsopnet.com (main site)
http://momsopnet.com/momsopforum/index.php
http://www.topbb.com/forum/index.php?mforum=mommytime

Need to go shopping? Try here!! http://www.monasmall.com

This Weeks Spotlight: Angie Aldridge!

Here's one of those inspirational women that I am so excited to present to you: Angie Aldridge.

She is a proud mother of six (5 boys and 1 girl but not necessarily in that order), with the youngest just a few months old!! They live in a town called Eden which is outside of Buffalo, New York. She and her husband have been married for 20 years (anniversary coming up in July), and are extremely happy!

Now, here is the reason I call her an inspirational woman: She runs her own Ebay store and is also invloved in many direct sales companies (Jerky Direct, Greeting Cakes, Cello In A Box, Stuff-n-Snuggle, Stuff A Friend, Purple Hippo Parties, The Diva Shoppe, Gift Cans N More, Country Cajun Gift Baskets, Candy Bouquets, The Bargain Diva, Appleberry Market, Country Crafts N Designs, & more!) ;) Imagine having the time for all those business, AND a newborn and five other children, AND keeping a successful, loving relationship with her husband! Whew!

I initially ran into Angie on some work a home mom forum, but I cannot remember which; she also is online in quite a few wahm forums! You may have seen her around too ;) But here's another reason to call her inspirational: Her backyard is certified with the National Wildlife Federation. Angie and her whole family help feed outdoor birds and other wildlife that come roaming into her back yard, all year round! Where does she find the time???

As always, I put this amazing mom under the gun with my Random Q&A:

1. What makeup do you wear on a daily basis? No
2. Do you wear flip-flops even when it’s cold outside? If I had a pair I would
3. Would you rather take the picture or be in the picture? Take it!
4. If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? New kitchen cupboards
5. Have you ever participated in a protest? No
6. Are you always trying to learn new things? Absolutely!
7. When was the last time you laughed so hard your sides hurt? When I watch or listen to my children!
8. What movies do you know every line to? Finding Nemo
9. How many pairs of shoes do you own? 3
10. Do you crack your knuckles? Sometimes
--

Wow, simple yet amazing answers!! So in short, take a quick look at each and every site that Angie is involved in! If you have been looking for a biz, then hopefully you will find one through Angie!!

Main & Greeting Cakes http://www.allhisblessings.com/
Jerky Direct http://allhisblessings.jerkydirect.com/
Cello In A Box http://www.celloinabox.com/shop/shopaff.asp?affid=82
eBay Store http://stores.ebay.com/All-HIS-Blessings?refid=store
The Diva Shoppe http://thedivashoppe.com/store/affiliate.asp?aff=156
Stuff-n-Snuggle http://stuff-n-snuggle.com/index.php?ref=191
Stuff A Friend http://www.stuffafriend.biz/members/allhisblessings
Purple Hippo Parties http://www.purplehippoparties.com/AngieA
The Bargain Diva http://thebargaindiva.com/store/affiliate.asp?aff=2073
Appleberry Market http://appleberrymarket.com/store/affiliate.asp?aff=61
Country Crafts N Design http://countrycraftsndesign.net/NewYork.html

My sincere apology!

I have been caught up with many things in my life, from the end of the school year, to moving. So I apologize for not posting a new spotlight since last month! Things are settled now and I have two moms interviewed, so expect to see a new spotlight within the next 7 days!!

Thanks for being patient, for those of you who did not know what was going on in my life! And thanks for reminding me that I have this wonderful blog to update, those of you who do know me!!

This Weeks Spotlight- Elizabeth Amaro!!

I had the pleasure of getting to know Elizabeth at two great forums, Mommyjobs and WahmZone. She left a lucrative position at a law firm to stay at home with her two children, a boy 3 years old and a girl 1 year old. She has been happily married for about 6 years now and lives in sunny Florida! Currently she is an active survey taker (she says "professional!"), has a number of awesome blogs going on at the moment (a new one under construction as we speak!), and also works for a Canadian transcription firm when she has a free night! Elizabeth is also working on a new website and trying to start a home business of her own (organization?), which should be up and running by the end of this month!

Elizabeth recently had the time to submit to my Random Q&A!!!

1. What movies do you know every line to? Probably Superman I-IV since my son has been watching those almost everyday for the past year, LOL!

2. When was the last time you laughed so hard your sides hurt? Saturday, my sister told me some family stories that were great fun!

3. What is your biggest regret? The two years I didn't speak to my mother for more than a few minutes at a time.

4. What is your biggest fear? My children getting hurt and me not being able to do anything about it.

5. If you won the lottery, whats the first thing you would buy? Not a lottery person, but if I won a lot of money somehow, I'd pay off my home and then buy some chocolate.

6. Do you wear flip-flops even when its cold outside? Yup.

7. Have you ever cried in public? Yup.

8. When was the last time you slept on the floor? Probably a few days ago with my lil girl.

9. Has anyone ever called you spoiled? Yup. I don't know why though since it is very obvious that I'm not. LOL!

10. What time is your alarm clock set for? 8:00 am


So now that you've gotten to know her her a little bit more, take a few minutes and visit her blogs:
Free Survey Lists
How to Make Internet Money
Hurricane Tracking
Famous Quotes of the Day

And her newest
Pedalcars

She has a treasure trove of information in her blogs and she does great research into what she has talked about, so don't be shy about trying some of her tips out!!

Work At Home Moms Week!!

First of all I would like to say


HAPPY BELATED MOTHERS DAY!!!


My good friend, who was the lucky first spotlight, Michelle, pointed out to me today that this week is Work at Home Moms Week (May 14-20). She found out about it here: http://members.shaw.ca/high5/02cal.html. This is a great site about different holidays that are and aren't well known to the public! Go see what else is happening this week and today!


The next spotlight will arrive this week! Keep your eyes open!

This Weeks Spotlight- Me!!!!

When I came up with the idea of this blog, many of my forum friends asked if I would spotlight myself. I was planning on waiting until I had a few more spotlight's under my belt.Well, my intended spotlight has been busy, and not able to respond to my Q&A. I am sure I will get her for the future, but I didn't want to upset those who were waiting for a new spotlight! So I humbly present myself as This Weeks Spotlight!!


Many of my current readers will know a little about me, enough to count me as a friend. For those of you who don't know who I am:

I am a proud mother of two, an 8 1/2 year old boy named Daniel, and a 6 year old daughter named Marie. I have been happily (mostly) married for 9 years now! Here's a pix of me and my family!


I am a busy woman LOL!!! Aren't we all as mothers!! I am heavily involved with the PTA and Cubscouts. I help with fundraising and volunteer during school hours as an Art Docent. I am currently scheduling training sessions to become a Cubscout leader!! My biggest accomplishment yet (other than becoming a mom!) is that I will be finally graduating in July with a double bachelors degree from the University of Phoenix!! After four years of school, I am anxiously awaiting having more time to dedicate to my family and to start working heavily on my home business.

As for my business, I actually am involved with three, starting to heavily promote two of them now. The business I would like to focus mainly on is my partnership with the Stayin Home and Lovin It! Team. I've been with them for one year now, and I have made great friends with members of my organization. I have learned a lot from them on how to promote the biz and how to retain customers, so now I just have to make my dreams a reality by helping others to reach thier goals along with educating them on how to live a healthier lifestyle by ridding their homes of toxic chemicals. That's my main focus. I have always wanted to help people; when I was still in highschool I wanted to be a veterinarian, but I fainted when I saw blood, so that dream was shot. Then I thought I would do well working around animals, so I got a great job as a kennel receptionist, but that fell through becasue I discovered that I was allergic to dogs!! So I thought, if I could help SOMEONE or SOMETHING then I would be happy. I worked for Goodwill Industries for 2 1/2 years as an assistant manager in one of the retail stores, and that somewhat fulfilled my dream. I worked for a company that put people first, and helped them out of homelessness (among other downfalls) and back into the job market. But that didn't last either. And unfortunate even led to my being fired last year. I took that as a blessing in disguise, since I had been spending way to much time away from the kids. So it was after I had stopped working that I was presented the SHALI team. And within 30 minutes of talking to my sponsor/enroller, I felt FINALLY!! I am now able to help other people, like I have always wanted, AND keep my kids happy at the same time!!!

Besides working my SHALI biz, I do have two others that I am proud of. I am also an independet rep for Stuff-A-Friend. Great idea for bday parties!!! And I am a distributor for Mia Bella candles. But SHALI will always be my #1 biz ;)

Other than my biz's, I am an active participant on a number of WAHM forums, including moderating at my #1 site, Mommyjobs.com! I also support WAHMZone, and Internet Based Moms! There are a number of other forums that I participate in also, but it's a long list! I also have three other blogs besides this one. One is dedicated to heatlh and wellness, one for my "venting", and the third is where I have started to post some of my creative writings. I also have recently gotten involved in the autosurf world and PTR's. But that's a temporary thing ;)

So when you have time, and haven't already done it, check out my other blogs:
Health and Wellness 4 You!
What's Really Happening to Me!
My Creative Side

And my biz's:
Healthy Home Biz Opportunity Here
Enter to Win a Free Gourmet Soy Candle!
Stuff A Friend With Me!!

THANKS!!!

So far the responses I've recieved from the first Spotlight have made me extremely happy!! THANK YOU EVERYONE!!


I am currently working on the next Spotlight, which will be featured by the end of the weekend! Remember, if you would like to be in the Spotlight, contact me through my email kiraskidscomefirst@comcast.net, or through private message at any of the forums you see me on!! My user name is KJDM on most and KJDAMA on a few others!

SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR RESPONSES!!! I'm looking forward to putting YOU into the SPOTLIGHT!!! ;)

This week's Spotlight: Michelle Wallace!!

I honestly have to say that Michelle was my inspiration for creating this blog! So let me tell you a little about Michelle!

Michelle Wallace is a freelance writer currently working from the comfort of her own home in Arkansas, while taking care of two beautiful daughters. She has been happily married for 10 years now. I got the pleasure of meeting her in a few working mother forums. She currently moderates a writing folder in two forums, takes care of a number of blogs, and does her writing for different papers around Arkansas. Whew!! She certainly keeps herself busy! Her biggest accomplishment in the writing world is receiving the Freelance Writing Award in 2005! She accomplished that by submitting an article in 2004 to the Arkansas Press Association Better Newpaper Editorial contest. I think Michelle is very deserving of that award!

I recently asked her some personal questions, just to shake things up a bit. Here are her answers:

1. What inspires you to write the most?
The bills! Haha, I don't really know. It's not something I can NOT do. It's who I am. Some people have red hair. I write. I don't write dreamy things for my own entertainment and self-fulfullment anymore, though! There are utilities to be paid and groceries to be bought, and it just so happens that I can do that through writing about some wonderful people and places in my beautiful home state.

2. What advice would you give to an aspiring journalist?
Keep writing and keep trying!

3. What's your favorite TV show and why?
I don't have a favorite TV show, I don't guess. I don't watch much TV at all, although I was able to run down the programming for the whole weekday on a local network channel for my husband the other day. He turns it on every morning in our bedroom and then leaves it on. I see what's on when I go in and out of the room doing laundry.

4. What's your favorite thing to do when you don't have the kids bothering you?
;) Sit at the computer and drink coffee.

5. Where would you like to travel to when your kids are grown?
Everywhere! I haven't been hardly anywhere and I wanna go!

6. What color do you wear the most and why?
It depends on the season. If it's winter, I wear a lot of black these days. If it's summer I've been wearing a lot of beige. Before I had kids I wore purple all the time but then I got pregnant and my purple stuff didn't fit. I went from all purple to maternity/breastfeeding clothes to whatever is comfortable!

7. If you were diagnosed with cancer and had only 6 months to live, what would you do in that short amount of time and why?
Spend time with my husband and children and visit as much family as possible. Family is so important. They're the ones who are there for you.

8. Could you imagine yourself with more kids? If so, how many more?
NO! Two is plenty! Actually I always wanted to have four, and then when I actually gave birth to my first I realized there was no way that was going to happen. We just had one more so the first one wouldn't be by herself. If I ever start wanting more I can just go get a couple neices and nephews and then I realize what a zoo it is with four or more kids around!


So take a few minutes to visit Michelle's websites and see what she's been doing! I promise you will find something enjoyable to read!!
Arkansas Profiles website
Arkansas Profiles blog
Mommy's Working
Living the Mom Life

What is my purpose here??

Hiya there!! There are so many mothers out there struggling to keep work and family life balanced. I figured that I would help some out by exposing them to the world, and hopefully helping those mothers who read this a few tips to thier happiness as a working mother!

If you would like to be featured, please contact me and I will try and get to you as soon as I can! Don't be frustrated if it takes a few weeks, or longer ;) I expect a great response!!

The first featured mother will appear after the Easter holiday! Have a GREAT HOLIDAY!