It is easier to make your own homemade convenience food mixes than you may think. Not only can it be a healthier alternative for you, it can also save you money each month which could add up at the end of the year. If you have a large family and a modest budget, you could really benefit from this option.

What are some of the other benefits to making your own homemade convenience food mixes?

1. You will never have to worry about running out of a certain ingredient and not being able to continue making a special dish for a dinner party or gathering.
2. You can control the amount of un-necessary chemicals and additives that go into your food mixes, thus saving you from getting sick or ending up with un-expected medical expenses.
3. Buying things in bulk allows you to save even more money and when packaged properly, spices and other ingredients will remain fresh for much longer.
4. You can make as big a batch for your food mix as you would like.
5. You do not have to think about paying extra money just for a name brand.

What types of homemade convenience food mixes are ideal to make and store?

• Homemade pie seasoning mixes
• Poultry or pork seasoning mixes
• Rice seasoning mixes
• Baking mixes such as Bisquick
• Salad dressing mixes
• Croutons
• Stuffing mix
• Soup mixes
• Syrup
• Hot chocolate
• Tea mixes
• And even things like pop tarts

You have a wider variety of choices when you choose to save money, and whip up your own homemade convenience food mixes to serve to your family. If you are unsure of how to make your own food mixes, Susanne Myers, who is known as the Hillbilly Housewife, has come up with a great collection of recipes and will walk you through the steps of how to get started preparing your own homemade convenience food mixes and get you on the way to a healthier and more affordable living.

As a subscriber of Beth Schneider’s Process Prodigy newsletter I received this article and thought it had some great ideas for getting motivated. I know, after talking to many other moms, I’m not the only one who has their spurts of unmotivated time. Sometimes, I just plain don’t feel like doing anything, which is a good thing every now and again I know, but the problem of getting myself motivated and moving again after taking a day or two to just veg out creeps up every now and again. So, today I’d like to share with you an article Beth wrote that has some of the things I myself use to get back up on the horse plus a few I’d not thought of.

After you read the article, be sure to sign up for Beth’s free offer of a starter kit to help you put systems into place to make your life easier. Enjoy and do share what you do to get motivated when you really feel like wasting the day away watching movies, reading books or even sleeping!

By Beth Schneider, President & CEO, Process Prodigy

It is this time of year that makes me want to crawl in bed and read a book or watch movies. The holidays are over, it is cool and cloudy outside, and I feel lazy. It is this time of the year that I have the tendency to go into hibernation, with my biggest dilemma being which book to download and read.

Fast forward to reality! The days are actually starting to get longer and somehow even though there is MORE day light, you seem to get less done. And it’s all because you can’t seem to get in the mood. The key is doing the things that get you in the mood. So here are six things to get you going.

#1 Plan and take a brisk walk
There’s just something about a little exercise that gets the blood pumping. So if you feel like you need a nap, grab those sneakers and head for the door.

#2 Pick up some upbeat music
Put together a CD of songs that motivate you. For example, at a speakers training I took a few years back, I had to get up on stage and sing. I chose Tom Jones’, It’s not unusual. Now every time I play that song I get a boost of energy. Pick a series of songs that remind you of something fun, a win you had, or just get you going and then play them.

#3 Start with something you don’t want to do
I know this sounds crazy, but my mentor, Melissa Orr (CEO of a $25 million dollar corp.) starts with the things she knows she doesn’t like to do. Why? She feels energized and accomplished by getting the tedious things out of the way first. By letting it drag on throughout the day, the thought of the one task saps her energy and the longer she waits, the more energy she looses. So instead she gets those things out of the way first and then feels motivated because it’s done.

#4 See it as a challenge
Multi-Million dollar business owner Burt Linnetz says you just have to know that not every day is going to be fun, but a true entrepreneur pushes through. See your tasks as a challenge and think about that feeling of accomplishment you will get when you’ve finished. Kind of like the accomplishment of getting to the top of a mountain. There is nothing better than standing at the top, admiring the view. Focus on that feeling – that will get you going.

#5 Call a client
Set up an appointment with a client. A great way to force yourself to get motivated is to involve someone else. You’ll have no choice but to get yourself motivated before the call and then after you can just coast on the motivation from the call. It’s like a two-for-one.

#6 Tidy up a bit
A clean office is a happy office. Spend a few minutes picking things up so that you feel really good working in your space. It will make you want to be there.

The best part is, once all your work is done for the day, you can just hang out!

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Beth Schneider, President of Process Prodigy Inc., www.processprodigy.com, along with her team of highly sought after operations consultants, reveal the insider secrets billion-dollar corporations pay thousands of dollars for. Specializing in process creation, Process Prodigy tools and techniques have helped entrepreneurs increase productivity by as much as 600%, and revenues by as much as 250%. Visit http://www.processprodigy.com/ezine and grab your FREE systems starter kit valued at $297.00.

This song really keeps me grounded and reminds me of all the things I’ve been blessed with but may take for granted some times!

Starting a New Year means a lot of things; getting back on track with our frugal living, eating healthy, paying off our debt, just to name a few. I know the first of the year, many of us make our New Year’s Resolutions with a gusto… This Year will be different!

Then, come about the middle of January, we realize we’ve been slipping back into our old habits. How can we keep from falling into that same rut year after year? With a solid plan!

I’ve just come across the very comprehensive guide – “It’s Resolution Time: Making and Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions” (it’s an ebook). This guide walks you through typical resolution scenarios, with real strategies and assignments to keep you on track. Click on the link below and take a glance:

Keeping Your New Year’s Resolution eBook

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day!

We’re back again for another of LaTara’s posts here at TCMW on her Life, Love, Liberty Blog Tour. For those who don’t know, this blog tour is part of LaTara’s month long birthday celebration. Her birthday is actually on Monday (1/17) but she’s doing it up BIG and celebrating all month long! So, I ask you to join me by wishing her a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Once you’ve read today’s post and left your comment (you could win personal coaching from LaTara when you comment) I’d like to invite you to learn more about the blog tour and why LaTara chose to name it Life, Love, Liberty by heading on over to her Integrated Woman Ministries site and check out this post. Tomorrow We Stretch – LaTara Ham-Ying’s Life, Love, Liberty Blog Tour

Now onto her post, which today is all about balance and why God wants you to find it and keep it! I know at some point or another we all as mamas struggle with finding balance. Throw in running a business and it can get pretty hairy…heck down right SCARY really. So, even if you think you don’t need this post, I encourage you to read it, because unfortunately balance is not something that once we have it always stays in tact…craziness, the busy-ness and the overwhelm creeps back in quite frequently and if we don’t learn to recognize it and nip it in the bud early it only grows and gets worse!

Why God Wants You To Balance Your Life?

In the midst of trying to be everything for everybody you may have lost a sense of how to keep everything in it place. Not the things on your kitchen table or the items in your laundry basket. I am talking about those physical, emotional and spiritual things that throw you off balance if they are not in place.

The connection of your mind, body, and spirit are integral to your daily existence to help you maintain balance. When your body is out of whack it throws of other facets of your life; like your sleeping pattern, your stress levels, and your hunger triggers. When your mind is out of whack it takes your reality and twists it into a false perception. This perception often messes with the way you think you appear to others, how you feel about yourself, and what you think others are saying about you. And when your spirit is out of whack, your relationship and connection with God is out of whack too.

Your ability to leave the pseudo you behind and live a more authentic life, is interrupted when your mind, body, and spirit are out of sync. God does not desire for His children to live lives that are unbalanced. He created you as a balanced being and has given you all you need to maintain it.

One thing we do that throws us off balance is putting on the Super cape we created and stepping into the role of “every woman” to everybody.

I love the song “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Khan. However, the reality is that we are not every woman and cannot pretend that we are. Yes, like the Proverb woman (Proverb 31), we as women are equipped with the ability to do much.

However, we are not equipped with the ability to be Every Woman. We were created to be one woman – the unique, rare individual God created us to be. To try and be anything more than that, is like telling God you are not satisfied with the skills, talents, and gifts He has blessed you with. It is only possible to be YOU; and as long as you try to be anything more, you can forget living authentically because the path you are on is not yours.

I am looking forward to reading your comments. Remember when you comment, you are entered into the Total Soul Makeover contest here on They Call Me Wahmmy! On Monday I will be choosing the winner and the blessed lady will get 4 hourly sessions, where together we will look at your mind mess, your body mess, and your spirit mess to determine what needs to be worked on, how to do it, and how you can have a better business as a result of it!

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LaTara Ham-Ying a certified herbalist, writer, Biblical Life Coach, entrepreneur, and the Founder of Integrated Woman Ministries; a coaching ministry that focuses on helping women find their true path through abundant integrated living. She emphasizes the use of practical Biblical Strategies for healing, transformation, and living in the NOW for a better life and business. Visit LaTara today at http://www.latarahamying and be sure to sign up for your free copy of 7 Strategies for Biblical Success

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Remember, wish LaTara a Happy Birthday, leave your comment for a chance to win coaching from LaTara, then head over and learn more about her blog tour, including where you can find her touring for the rest of the month! Life, Love, Liberty Blog Tour

Also, if you liked what LaTara had to share with us, please let us know. Who knows maybe, just maybe if we show her interest we can have her back or even help me get her interested in putting together something special just for the They Call Me Wahmmy mamas!

Have a great weekend ladies!

Remember last week I told you LaTara Ham-Ying would be guest blogging here this week? Well I’m so happy to share her first post with you today. I think you’re really going to love this post and I encourage you to read, really read the words she’s so graciously shared with us today about loving yourself. Keep reading and take the time to think about where you can stop the self-sabotage in your own life – we all do it in one form or another and I for one think it’s time we stopped and loved ourselves for the creature God designed us as.

At the end of the post, LaTara has generously offered to give free personal coaching to one person from this blog. But, you must comment in order to win. I would like to ask you to do more than just comment though, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post and really engage in some deep conversation with you about this topic. LaTara and I both will be around to join in the conversation and help you kick the self-sabotage to the curb!

Without further ado, here is my mentor in Christ and best friend, Mrs. LaTara Ham-Ying! Enjoy!

Stop the Self-Sabotage – How to Love Yourself

Every day, almost everywhere we look we’re bombarded with someone else’s idea of perfection. We’re told, “You need this,” “You should wear this” and “You need to be this way or that way,” but no one tells us that we’re just fine.

In this society of “whoever has the most toys wins,” no one really does.

A perfect example of self-sabotage is the story of Madame Bovary. It’s a story about a woman who has it all: a loving and devoted husband, wonderful children, a beautiful house, public standing and respect, and a family who loves her dearly.

When she was young, she went to a fancy ball at a count’s home. For the rest of her life she compared everything to that one night. Nothing she ever had was enough. She cheated on her husband and ran them into debt to fill the hole in her life that she, herself, had created.

In the end, she ruined herself and her family all because nothing was ever good enough for her.

We do that to ourselves with negative thinking about our bodies, wanting more things, and trying to make ourselves something we aren’t. We watch TV and movies and see perfection: the perfect romance and the dashing hero saving the damsel, where everyone is beautiful, heroic and perfect.

That’s fiction. We need to learn to accept ourselves and enjoy the good things we have in our own lives. That’s reality and the only way to really love one’s self.

Here are a few areas where you may be comparing yourself to others. You’ll find out how to get away from the “societal norm” so you can be on your way to loving yourself for who you are.

Your Body

Hollywood would have us think that everyone is tanned, skinny, fit and has perfect hair, teeth and skin. But it’s all a facade! You can’t compare yourself to that imagined picture of beauty.

Your personal beauty comes from inside you. Write down the things that you love about yourself. If you’re overweight and unhappy about it, then do something! Change how you eat or get out and walk a little everyday. Not everyone is a supermodel, nor is everyone supposed to be.

Your Career

If you’re stuck in a job you hate, find a new one. If your work is making you physically ill, it’s time to move on. That misery you feel will carry over to the rest of your life.

Figure out what you love doing and then find a way to get paid to do it. It’s not easy, and it might not happen overnight, but if you love what you do, your entire life outlook improves.

Your Possessions

We’re bombarded with ads for stuff and they all look so amazing. We find ourselves wanting more and more things, but do we really need them? Possessions won’t fill any personal void you have or provide you with true happiness.

What is it you’re missing in your life? Figure that out and then fill that need, but be honest and realistic with yourself about it.

Your Relationship

If you’re in a healthy relationship and you’re truly in love for several decades, then you’re very blessed. In reality, as a relationship goes on for months and years, it may not be that whirlwind of romance anymore and you can’t always expect your partner to be breathtaking.

Yet, no matter what you see on TV, a relationship always takes work and sacrifices. Think of ways to make your relationship feel new and exciting, and take joy in the fact that you have someone who loves you.

Your Past

The past is just that – the past. You can’t do anything about the past, except learn from it. You can’t base your life around a singular event no matter how great or terrible it was. All you can do is remember and learn from it.

Don’t let something that happened eat you up and destroy your future. Instead, think about how you can become better from it, and then make the commitment to move forward.

Love Yourself

Lastly, remember that you are who you are. Everyone is supposed to be different; it’s what makes you special. There’s no one in the world who is exactly like you and that makes you special, unique and amazing.

Talk to the people who care about you. They can help you see yourself the way they do. This can help you understand why they love you and why you should love yourself.

Heed these tips to find a renewed satisfaction in yourself, your loved ones, and your life. You’ll be glad you did!

Where are you? How are you sabotaging yourself and denying your existence? How do you think you are hindering your relationship with God when you commit acts of self-sabotage?

I am looking forward to reading your comments. At the end of my time with Arika I will be giving one woman the chance to coach with me for one month. You will get 4 hourly sessions where, together, we will look at your mind mess, your body mess, and your spirit mess to determine what needs to be worked on, how to do it, and how you can have a better business as a result of it!  I call this my Total Soul Makeover!

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LaTara Ham-Ying a certified herbalist, writer, Biblical Life Coach, entrepreneur, and the Founder of Integrated Woman Ministries; a coaching ministry that focuses on helping women find their true path through abundant integrated living. She emphasizes the use of practical Biblical Strategies for healing, transformation, and living in the NOW for a better life and business. Visit LaTara today at http://www.latarahamying and be sure to sign up for your free copy of 7 Strategies for Biblical Success.

For many of us, 2011 means getting and staying organized for good. At least for me it does. I’ve spent the last week cleaning out the clutter (physically and mentally). I’ve made plans to redecorate my entire home, starting with the kiddos’ bedrooms.

Another thing I’m doing is getting back into the swing of creating a bi-weekly meal plan. I got off track with this in 2010 and my budget and our health has shown the signs. I’m running to the store spending more than necessary grabbing items here and there way too many times during a week, which caused our grocery bill each month to almost double. Not to mention, because I’m grabbing things quickly we aren’t eating as healthy as we should be either. While I had a spreadsheet I used to plan our meals out for the week, I found a free one at List Plan It earlier this week that’s a lot more simple.

While I was looking through my membership at the site, I noticed that Jen has uploaded quite a few new trial lists for the New Year. She’s got not only the meal planning list, but also pet care, craft supply, homeschooling lists and more available to download for free. So, I thought I’d pass them along to you as well.

See and download the sample lists here.

Once you’ve given the trial lists a spin, to keep yourself on track the entire year check out her membership options. She’s got a few different levels to choose from and they will help keep your family and your entire life organized every day of the year.

Have a great weekend and we’ll see you next week with our special guest blogger, LaTara Ham-Ying of Integrated Women Ministries. Good stuff ladies…I can’t wait to share what she’s got for you.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your week!