Life has definitely changed since cooking coach, Cindy Klein Mann, became a new mom. Even the way she thought about food changed. It’s interesting how one little person can have such a big, wonderful impact, isn’t it?
When you’re pregnant, everyone has advice for you. “Sleep now because you won’t ever sleep again,” they warn with a smile. They have tips on strollers, feeding, clothes and sleeping. No matter who they are or what they advise, though, they all finish with the same thing: “Your life is about to change.”
Talk about change. Within the period of exactly one year, I became a wife and a mother. Literally, my baby girl, Stella Rose, was born on our first wedding anniversary, May 31. Happy anniversary, right?
Before being a mom, food was my life. I talked about it, wrote about it, cooked with it and shopped for it. As a health coach, I work with people who want to transition from the typical, American, processed food diet to a more whole-foods, seasonal approach to eating. The staff at Whole Foods knew me. You’d often find me roaming the stands at a local farmer’s market. Cooking for my picky husband was a challenge I took on and conquered nightly. I was a foodie.
Once Stella arrived, food became more necessary than ever because I was breastfeeding. In order to sustain her, I had to nourish my body with more calories than I typically ate and eating was harder than it had ever been. It was tough. A crying baby doesn’t make the best cooking companion. Some days, I’d eat Triscuits for breakfast. I loved my Moms’ group because we’d go out to lunch afterwards, and it was usually the only meal I ate all week with two hands.
I couldn’t nibble and savor like before. Oh, no! Now it was all about shoveling in as much as I could before she realized I wasn’t holding her and started crying. I’ve never eaten a sandwich so fast in my life! And forget about eating at the dinner table with candles and nice silverware like I’d often suggested to clients. My new favorite place is the corner of the couch while breastfeeding and watching episodes of Top Chef on DVR. I’m lucky if I use a fork.
To make sure that I don’t eat cookies and wine for dinner, I now shop and plan for meals in advance. We have our household favorites: tacos, chicken drumsticks, spaghetti, burgers and salmon. They’re simple but delicious. I stock the freezer with meat, and if I forget to take something out to thaw, we can always have pasta for dinner. To keep breakfast easy, I nosh on granola bars and yogurt, or I freeze ripe bananas and make smoothies with whatever fruit I have on hand. I miss my Whole Foods wanderings, but I manage to go once a week with Stella in her sling. With all of the colors and lights, she’s entertained while I roam the aisles.
Now, more than ever, dinner is a sacred time. We turn off our phones, and my husband and I take turns holding our little daughter while we eat. I try to take smaller bites. I dream about the day that Stella will start eating and I can pass on my love of food to her. Someday, I’ll have a partner in food crime. I can’t wait.
About the Author
Cindy Mann is a Health Coach and the founder and director of Boundless Wellness in Washington, DC. As a holistic health counselor and cooking coach, Cindy works with health food newbies who struggle with making the transition from processed foods to a more whole foods diet and want to discover a fun and simple way to eat healthier and take care of themselves.
Cindy has a Bachelors of Science in Journalism from Ohio University and graduated for the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN) in 2006. While at IIN, she studied with health and wellness pioneers like Dr. Andrew Weil, Deepak Chopra, Dr. Neil Barnard, Dr. Barry Sears and Dr. Mark Hyman.
Cindy leads interactive cooking classes and workshops to make the idea of cooking and eating healthy foods into a practical possibility. She’s also the mom of Stella Rose, a budding foodie.
Connect With Cindy: Web | Twitter | E-mail | 202.210.7043
Last week, I mentioned how simple and easy it is to use Google Chrome’s “pin tab” function to keep track of important web pages. Since I often struggle with reducing the number of tabs I have open simultaneously, I use this feature for information I will probably use quickly.
If I know that it’ll take me a while to read an article, I use two other options:
1. Outlook. I e-mail page links to myself and make use of Outlook’s rules to send them directly to a folder called “Articles” (once read, they are deleted). Creating a rule to automatically move these e-mails to a specific folder is a time saver, but if you’d prefer, you can manually move them. Note: If you have a hard time getting to inbox zero (welcome to the club) or get way too many e-mails, you may want to consider some other way of controlling the number of tabs you have open at one time.
2. Evernote. The ace in my back pocket is Evernote. I have several Evernote notebooks and I simply upload a snippet of the web page I’m interested in (or just the link) to one of those notebooks. This is my long-term storage option. I’ll likely refer to the info in Evernote several times over the course of time…and, if I wanted to share and collaborate on a document with someone else, this is a great tool to use.
Pinning tabs for a short period of time really seems to be the best option whenever I can use the info and then move on. The one caveat is that I have to control the urge to pin a thousand tabs. On the other hand, having to check two other locations for data can be a hassle. The good news is that it’s only two, so if it’s not in my “Articles” folder, than I know it’s in Evernote. I’d rather use this tab trifecta system than deal with a mess of web pages.
What do you do to keep your tabs under control?
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- Use Outlook Rules to Create a Single, Unified Inbox [Outlook] (lifehacker.com)
Got stuff? Stuff that you’re not sure you’re ready to part with? If you’re on the fence and it’s taking you too long to make a decision to keep or not keep, pack up your stuff in a box. Then, get your Sharpie (pick your favorite color or a bright one) and write on the outside of the box:
- General contents (Boys 4T Clothing, Law School Books, Art Work)
- Date to Donate (or recycle or shred or trash)
Pick a realistic date. If the date rolls around and you still have not unpacked the box or used the contents, then it’s time to say goodbye. This is also a good system to use if certain documents expire upon a particular date. That way, you know when it’s time to free up some much needed space.
I’m not sure what’s been going on over the last two months or so, but it looks like Jet, Cosmopolitan, and Every Day with Rachel Ray all seem to have on thing in common – they love me! …so much so that they’re just showing up in my mailbox even though I didn’t order them. Nice for me, right? Well, this month, the answer is yes. While they are another set of things I need to recycle, the arrival of the September 6th issue of Jet caught my attention, specifically, the Style section. In this issue, all the way in the back, was a little story about Hauls.
Have you ever seen a Haul video? I watched one for the first time back in March. They’re not particularly interesting, at least, not to me. But to young (mostly) girls sharing – and watching – hauls, they’re pretty popular. Basically, teenagers post YouTube videos of themselves showing off things they’ve just purchased. They explain why they bought this or that and where you can go get your own this and that.
Not only do the teens think this is super cool, so do some major retailers. I discovered this in the Jet article, School Shoppers Help ‘Haul’ Clients Into Marketplace. They report (via the Associated Press) that teens who make hauls are being courted “during the all-important back-to-school season.” J.C. Penney recently gave away $1000 gift cards to well-known haulers with the expectation that they report back to their fans. According to J.C. Penney, “they are the next-generation’s bloggers.They are becoming fashion authories with huge followings.”
So if JCP is to be believed, they are furthering the career of future fashion bloggers, yes? I’m sure it has very little to 75 million views that hauls videos get . There’s no need to be concerned about over shopping (not to mention over spending, materialism, clutter, etc.), especially when you’re spending someone else’s money, right?
If you’ve never seen a haul before, check out this one that I found on NPR recently. It’s about nail polish. What do you think?
Retailers are willing to take the risk that the reviewers, so to speak — the young girls in this case — will be very honest and their audience will appreciate the honesty.
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- J.C. Penney, others turn to YouTube ‘haul’ videos for help (usatoday.com)
- Young Fashionistas Take Over YouTube (360prblog.com)
- Back to Campus Shopping Season (theretailmuse.blogspot.com)
- Major Retailers Latch on to ‘Hauler’ Viral Videos (abcnews.go.com)
“Clutter may seem almost benign when compared to other addictions, but any addiction is unhealthy when it is in control of your life, causing you to feel overwhelmed, frustrated and unhappy. Recovery is about the freedom to choose and the good news is that there is help out there for those who are willing to do what it takes. However, as long as the cause is unresolved, the addiction will flourish. It will take a brutally honest look at why, when and how it began.”
Read More:
Clutter Addiction · HuffingtonPost.com · 8.4.10
Here’s another great post for small business owners. Have you ever used a business coach? There are benefits to working with a coach and today’s guest blogger, Karyn Greenstreet, explains why.
Mary has been in business just under two years. Though she’s been getting more clients and feels some level of success, she’s also feeling overwhelmed, trying to divide her time between working with her clients and juggling the marketing and administration tasks. And to top it off, she’s not even sure which marketing techniques are working for her and which ones need to be dumped!
Sharon is a 10 year veteran of self-employment. Her systems are in place and her clients love her. Though she gets lots of repeat business and referrals, she’s feeling stagnant and is looking to launch new business ideas and spread her wings. She keeps thinking, “What’s next for me?”
Do these stories sound familiar? Of course they do! As a self-employed small business owner, you go through common phases of business growth, and with that growth come challenges, dreams and desires about your current and future business model.
A small business coach can help you revitalize your business in several ways:
1. Step back and get clarity on the Big Picture: what’s working, what’s not working, and where you want to go. This will help you make decisions quicker and with more accuracy so your business future is secured.
2. Choose marketing techniques that are right for you and your clients. Are you spinning your wheels with your marketing? Maybe you’re just using the wrong marketing techniques, or worse, using them incorrectly. Learn from someone who has mastered the art and science of marketing.
3. Stop procrastinating because you don’t know what the “right” next step is or how to do it. We all procrastinate, often because we’re unsure. By getting help figuring out what you need to move forward, you can all but eliminate procrastination from your business life and make stronger choices.
4. Handle overwhelm once and for all by designing business systems that ease the burden of running a businesses. There are a lot of tasks when you’re self-employed. But there are ways to streamline your business to make you more efficient at doing the tasks that need to get done.
5. Decide which new products and services to offer that will yield the best results. You want your business to grow, but choosing from among all your good ideas can be daunting. A coach can help you sort through them all and find the ones that will help you reach your big goals.
When selecting a small business coach, here are three things to consider:
1. Figure out if you want: A coach, a consultant, or both. A coach helps you with your internal world, helping you reach your peak potential by dealing with topics such as procrastination, overwhelm, time management, clarity, and accountability. A consultant gives you advice and brainstorms with you about the practical matters in your business: selecting and implementing marketing techniques, business strategy, hiring help, and action planning. Sometimes you can find a coach who is also a consultant, the best of both worlds.
2. Choose a coach who runs a business you admire, so you can learn from their success. If you want a flourishing business, select a coach who can teach you how she did it: what is the step-by-step process, what mistakes to avoid, and what paths to take.
3. Find a coach who is always learning. Business and marketing change all the time. A coach who is constantly reading the latest books and attending the latest classes can synthesize everything she’s learning, cutting through the noise and giving you what is important and relevant.
Are you ready to take your business to the next level and create the business of your dreams? Let a small business coach teach you how to take a solid, smart look at your business.
About The Author
Karyn Greenstreet, Small Business Coach
Karyn Greenstreet is a Small Business Coach, self-employment expert and President of Passion For Business, LLC. She has 29 years of experience in starting and running self-employed businesses. She shares techniques, skills and strategies with self-employed people to increase profits, create clear goals, and design cohesive plans that work. Get her free ebook and audio, “The Art of Networking and Referrals” at www.PassionForBusiness.com.
Connect with Karyn: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
I have to admit that I’m guilty of tab abuse. Recently, I counted how many I had open at the same time: over 25. I’m trying to tame my habit of leaving them open, though I’m always fearful that I’ll forget the info on those web pages if I close them…because, I do. But, I don’t like seeing all those tabs open…just looks so cluttered and it takes forever to sift through all those tabs.
Now that I’m using Google Chrome as my primary browser, I’ve gotten in the habit of using the “pin tab” function in conjunction with Outlook and Evernote (more on that later).
I pin tabs for information that I intend to use relatively quickly, usually within 3 days. The nice thing is that that the tabs reload after I shut down and reboot. Even nicer – it’s simple and easy to use this feature:
Open tab | Right click on tab | Select Pin tab
*Repeat these steps to remove pin
Once you pin the tab, it will shrink down to a smaller (favicon) size to allow more room for your other tabs.
Of course, I need to control the urge to pin every single page I’m interested in. Do you have a simple way of keeping your tabs under control?
All you men out there. Who wear suits. Beware. Men’s Wearhouse really wants the suit off your back. Don’t believe me? Angie Goff of OhMyGoff.tv has the picture to prove it…
Men’s Wearhouse will be accepting your gently used suits* through September 30th and donating them several non-profits across the country (clothing will go to low or no income men). Your suit may have cost you $500 but it can be worth $30,000 to someone else who needs to look the part for that big interview. Consider it your way of paying it forward by helping someone help themselves and be in a better position to help their families.
The added bonus, of course, is that you’ll free up some space in your closet and use the the 25% that Men’s Wearhouse will give you towards your next power suit. Your organizer will also love that you’re practicing the “one in, one out” principle.
So, go do something nice for someone and take off your suit.
*Other items you can donate include:
- Sport coats
- Dress slacks
- Dress shirts
- Dress shoes
- Sportswear (linen shirts, sweaters, casual pants, vests)
- Outerwear (jackets, long coats, raincoats)
- Ties and other accessories
Today’s a holiday for those of us in the United States. Normally, we re-post a favorite article or share a round up, but, instead, we want to tell you about an important – and helpful – event that’s coming up soon.
A new free community shred event has been scheduled for September 2010. There’s no better way to rid yourself of excess paper weight…unless you plan to spend valuable minutes shredding all those documents you have by yourself. Still need convincing? It’s FREE! So, of you live in the DC metro area or know someone who does, take advantage of this event.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
NBC4 Safe & Secure Community Shred · Shred-It · PNC Bank
Time: 8 am – 11 am *Cars must be in line by 11 am
Where: Montgomery College @ Rockville Campus · Parking Lot 13 · 850 Mannakee Drive, Rockville, MD (301.279.5000) [Google Map | See below for Parking Lot Map]
BRING
- Up to 5 boxes of personal (non-business) papers
*DO NOT BRING *
- CD’s, DVD’s, Tapes
- Credit Cards
- Binders
- Hanging File Folders
- Batteries
- Flammables
- Combustibles
- Electronic Equipment
“Balance is a dynamic thing, constantly changing moment to moment within the ever-present finality of the zero-sum game of life. Balance requires a dynamic response to losing balance, to regaining balance, to trying again. Keeping one’s balance…requires effortful practice before it becomes a seemingly effortless art form. This effort is also the cost of balance. Perhaps that is why many of us end up so unbalanced in our approach to life. It just takes too much effort (and compromise) to do otherwise.”
Read More:
Thoughts on a balanced life · PsychologyToday.com · 2.23.10
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