So, I have decided to start my own daycare business (on top of everything else). It is exciting and I got some information from a good friend on how to go about doing it! I realize that I am burning the candle at both ends now… but life is too exciting to slow down sometimes!

Now, I just need to contact our car insurance place and make sure that I can add renter’s insurance on to our policy with a daycare rider!

Has anyone done this before? Any insight I can gain would be awesome!

So, I have been diligently working on a friend’s photography website and I must say, i’m pretty darn proud of myself!  I have been learning flash and advanced html coding!  It is a lot to learn but sooo exciting at the same time!

As soon as I am done with the site, I will have to show everyone!  I am really excited about the type of photography work she does as it is incredibly artful, creative, and life out loud! It is so exciting and she does such good work that I am constantly advertising her to everyone I know!

I’m two steps away from buying some promotional pens with her name on them! LOL!

Things have been going well over here on the compound.  Dare I say…?  I feel at peace with the universe right now.  I have felt inspired to start taking better care of myself and inturn it has made me happier.  There is a semi-famous quote miling around out there and i’m sure that 99% of you have heard it…. “if momma aint happy, no one is.”  This statement is extremely true!

We women are the backbone in our relationships at home.  Since we wield the emotional sword, the household reflects off of our moods.  I have always felt that walls in a home soak up the energy being put forth.  When we moved here, I vowed that the walls would soak up only positive energy.  What you put in is what you get back out, right?

I almost hate saying that I feel totally at peace.  The cynic in me is just waiting for the proverbial “other shoe” to drop or bad things to come in threes.  Sometimes it feels like the moment I say… “Hey world!  I am HAPPY!”, something happens to test that and otherwise throw me in a tailspin of unbalance.

I know… I know… think positive.  It is hard sometimes to keep up such a cheery demeanor.  I feel like so many people in my life soak up my energy that I must keep it positive.  When I am in a bad mood it’s like a dark rain cloud descends upon everyone.  They reflect off of the energy I give out.  Especially the kids.

Still, it’s nice to feel positive and happy.  For sure no one enjoys being depressed but some people like to dwell on things.  I myself am a dweller!  I think too much and drive myself batty.  This is probably the reason for the disorganization or as I like to call it… organized mess.

Right now I have a few monetary ventures that I am trying to cultivate.  One is a small business opportunity that entails web development. The other is to do an internship for the company my husband works for to gain more experience. I am excited about both opportunities and really hope they work out well!

If it is one thing I have learned, the universe has a strong way of telling me (telling us) where life is meant to be.

The great State of Michigan is trying to do their part by extending unemployment benefits an additional 13 weeks to those who lost their jobs and through no fault of their own are still unemployed.

According to Blogging for Michigan “unemployed workers who lost their jobs, exhausted their unemployment benefits from November 2006 to March of 2009 will be eligible to receive the emergency extension.”

Thankfully, in addition to the 162 billion dollars that was approved budget for the war, congress decided to sign an emergency relief fund for the nation’s unemployed. That’s great considering that Michigan’s unemployment rate is actually above the national rate. Still, the problem isn’t only in Michigan… it is all across the United States.

While I happen to think that this is a temporary step in the right direction, it is only that… temporary. I wonder when the geniuses in charge who run our state and federal governments will start to get their act together and come up with a more solid plan to boost the economy. Big economic stimulus packages and extended unemployment (while certainly welcome at this point as people struggle to make ends meet with the rising price of gas and food), only serve as a bandaid that covers up the bigger issue.

In the grand scheme of things, people need jobs. Jobs that pay out more money than minimum wage. Because let’s face it, minimum wage is barely enough to make it on for one person, let alone a family.

This brings me back to the bigger issue of needing jobs. Our jobs are currently being outsourced by large companies whose corporate fat-cats are still rolling in large bonuses around $100,000+. All the while, Joe and Jane average American worker have to go home and explain to their families that they lost their job to a place where the workers are paid astronomically less and not offered benefits.

Meanwhile, mom and pop businesses (the same kind this country was founded on) are struggling just to keep their head above water because they are taxed to death by the state and federal government.

Then comes the issue of the global economy. We have the ability to grow more than enough food to feed the world in the United States. Even if we cannot feed the world, we should be able to at least feed our own, right? Wrong. The government pays farmers not to produce. In addition, we cannot export much of our farm produce because we might step on the exporting toes of another country.

This brings me to my final thoughts:

What is it going to take to keep companies to stay on the homeland? Why are our government officials voting in more tax breaks to larger companies while literally squashing smaller companies with high taxes that are almost impossible to pay? How will the United States fare in this global economy, since that we export next to nothing and import everything. We can only be a consumerist nation for so long. I worry for our future.

In a past business class, I read up on the power of franchise. It seems that a franchise is easy to set up and run so long as the rules are followed. For instance, if someone owned a Little Cesar’s franchise store, they couldn’t sell hot dogs. Nor could they offer any deals other than what the main owner of the chain dictates. However, the advertising, food, and everything else is decided for the owner of a certain store. Not to mention franchises are normally profitable (depending on location) because everyone is familiar with the brand.

The downside is that there is no opportunity to really put your own creative ideas to work. At least not where advertising and food are concerned. Also, it is rather expensive to own a franchise. So it is something that can be entered into with a partner.

How many of you have received term life insurance quotes or have a term life insurance policy?  What was your reasoning for obtaining such a policy?  Lately, the thought of life and death has been on my mind.  If (for whatever reason) I suffer an untimely death, I would want to know that my family would be taken care of monetarily.  I could not imagine leaving my children and my husband alone to struggle through life.  I have considered obtaining a policy but am not sure how much I want to have the policy drawn up for.

I’m young and in fairly good health, so the price at this point would be cheap.  If anyone knows anything about this stuff, leave me a comment!

Previously, I worked for two companies that utilized timesheet management software.  The software that was used in both instances seemed a bit archaic.  I always felt the timesheets could have been done better, easier and more efficient.  Then, I came across a company called Journyx, Inc. They are full of Timesheet success stories! The company produces a timesheet that keeps track of all expenses with ease and in many cases with just one click of the button! The great thing about this software is that it allows for client access and easy client approval! No more sending invoices back and forth between clients! Now, they can have access to the system and approve everything right then and there! For companies striving to go as paperless as possible or for companies that want an easy and efficient timesheet system this is a great solution!