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Articles by Tracey Farmer

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32 articles by Tracey Farmer · showing 32

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By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Motivating Kids to Help During the Holidays

With a big birthday party coming up on Sunday, I realize I have a lot more to do tha I have time or energy for. The house needs a quick, but thorough cleaning, Christmas decorating needs to be completed, and baking and cooking tasks are piling up with each visit to Pinterest. Now, more than ever, I need both of my kids to step up and really help out. Background: Unfortunately, whenever this situation has come up in the past, they generally complain, argue with each other, don't do the job right, or forget altogether what they are even doing.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

983 views3.7/5 (3)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

12 Ideas for Holiday Fun with Friends and Family

With the constant worry about checking tasks off my very long to-do list, the holidays have become less than merry. Once I slowed down, I realized that not every goal that I set to be accomplished betwee Thanksgiving and the end of the year actually needed to be. Yes, a clean slate for the new year would have been nice, but the reality is that my family's happiness comes first. As a result, I readjusted my focus to "Holiday Fun with Family and Friends" and we came up with new ideas that are sure to bring smiles all around. Some of the ideas that we hope inspire are:

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

4,547 views3.7/5 (3)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Top Five Tips for the Holiday Office Party

Today is Day 6 of my "25 Days 'til Christmas Plan" and I'm merrily on my way to holiday bliss. With my husband's office party right around the corner, I started thinking about all of the funny things that have happened over the years at these events. Luckily, I have not been involved. Also, it says something about the people who were, if I still remember who did what, even years later. Somehow, I doubt they are still with the company. The office party, however, is a wonderful way to score points with the boss, while having a fun night out with colleagues and friends.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,713 views3.7/5 (3)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Ways to Increase PTA Membership

Inspired Minute Note: The purpose of this article is to encourage you to share these ideas. It is not intended to be a solicitation. Many times I have heard from various Parent Teacher Association (PTA) leaders that while they deeply appreciate their volunteers, they greatly need membership dues to further their goals. They also want people to understand that joining the PTA does not require a time commitment. It involves paying a very small annual due to a community-based, non-profit organization that spends every penny to improve the lives of our children.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

2,653 views2/5 (1)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Frame Your Important Reminders

Years ago I found and printed out the poem entitled, "I Wish." Since then, I have kept it with the important papers in my office that I review every Monday. Every time I read it, I get choked up all over again. Having a daughter in college, I know what it feels like to think that you just didn't get enough time. Last week I came across the poem, as usual, and read it twice.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,630 views2/5 (1)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Resolution 1: Get in Shape

Every year I make a list of things that I would like to accomplish or improve upon, but as is the case for most people, I am not always successful. This year I needed to try something different. I notice that I have much more success when I am working on teaching my children something of value. The trick here, however, is to make sure that my children learn about these positive habits and accomplishments without attributing them to potentially destructive thoughts. For example, if I want to lose weight, I would not want to talk about dieting in front of them.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,122 views3.7/5 (3)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Resolution 4: Strengthen My Relationship With My Spouse

Today I am moving into a new category of resolution: Strengthening Relationships. With an endless list of ways to strengthen the relationships that I have with my spouse, children and friends, I decided that I need to focus on only a few at a time to have a greater probability of success. I plan on working on 5 select strategies for each of my key relationships, until I have successfully accomplished each. Then, I will pick new ones to further develop and strengthen our bonds.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,114 views2/5 (2)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Homework Log for the Frustrated Family

After many, many arguments and numerous updates from my son's school about grades less than 90, I decided to intervene and help alleviate some of the frustration that Ryan, his teachers and myself were feeling about his homework grades. Ryan is an extremely intelligent child who has just entered intermediate school. For his four core courses (Math, Science, Language Arts and Social Studies), he is taking honors classes. Coupled with art and band, his homework assignments and upcoming tests are a source of anxiety and tension.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

2,226 views3.7/5 (3)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

“Milestone” Birthday Gifts for Men

Yesterday, a friend asked me to help come up with unique gift ideas for her husband's upcoming "milestone" birthday. Now, I have to say that finding the right birthday gift for the important men in my life has always been a challenge for me. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to get a head start on birthday planning for this year, by pulling together a list of unique gift suggestions that will hopefully help her, myself and anyone else who struggles with the same dilemma.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

2,972 views2/5 (1)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

5 Tips to Get the Most out of Your Work Day

In this digital age, businesses are continuously evolving as technology rapidly transforms. What this means to you is that expectations for your work productivity are rapidly increasing, too. With all the professional and personal demands placed on us, it is more important now than ever, to get work goals and tasks accomplished while at work, so that personal goals can be achieved and chores can be completed at home.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

2,566 views3.7/5 (3)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Resolution 6: Strengthen My Relationships With My Friends

As I finish up my series on strengthening relationships, I have chosen friendships as my final focus. While God and extended family clearly take precedence, I feel like friendships do not always get the proper attention that they deserve, since they fall a little further down on the list of priorities. However, if I focus strategically on each of my priorities, then my friends will be able to remain as close as family. It's important to note, however, that to me a friend is someone that is much more than a Facebook contact.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,345 views2/5 (1)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Consequences and Resolution Behavior Modification

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine "pinned" a fantastic idea that included a storage box of items that children had left out and the parent had to pick up. To get their items back, they had to choose a chore from an envelope and complete the task. I knew immediately that with a few changes and a bit of a different spin, this would be a great tool to help me with general behavior modification for my children. * The Idea: Using a see-through box, with a friendly note and a resolution log, I can "store" any items that have been confiscated, until amends have been made.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,385 views3.5/5 (2)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Resolution 3: Save Money

Today's focus is on my never-ending quest to save money. I have employed many methods in the past to cut-back, but because I have not had full buy-in from my family as well as side-steps taken on my part, I end up saving less tha I had planned. With this new focus of linking my New Year's resolutions to strengthening my family, I am afforded a new opportunity to reach the same goal. So this year, I am resolved to save by tying this resolution to teaching my children valuable lessons about money.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,204 views3.3/5 (3)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Leaving Town for the Holidays Checklist

When traveling over the holidays, there are many things that must be taken into account...home security, home office paperwork, transporting presents, packing clothes, house winterizing, boarding pets, and the list goes on. With many years of being on the go over the Christmas holidays under my belt, I have finally put together a fairly extensive list of to-dos that will ensure happy travels. I hope they help you as well. 1 - Home Security:

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

2,351 views3/5 (2)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Resolution 2: Eat Healthier

Today is Day 2 of using New Year's resolutions to strengthen my family, while ensuring personal success. Yesterday, I discovered many ways that I could teach my kids to stay active and get exercise, while I started down the road of achieving Resolution 1: Get in Shape. On to Resolution 2: Eat Healthier. These are ideas that I plan on using to achieve this goal. - Research and make low-sugar and low-fat desserts with my youngest who inherited my sweet tooth. - Research and make low-calorie and low-fat meals with my son who loves to cook.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,060 views3/5 (2)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Breaking (Changing) Bad Habits

As I was reading about breaking habits, the rule of thumb seemed to be that if you can avoid doing the undesired behavior anywhere from 21 to 30 days, then you will be rid of it. That didn’t make a lot of sense to me. If that were true, then alcoholics with a lengthy span of sobriety would not relapse. Weight loss success stories would not suddenly gain weight at the mercy of the same old habits. That’s when I started researching how to break habits, the scientific way. There are two very important facts that I learned:

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,568 views2/5 (1)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Love Letters to Your Life Leaders

"And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." Ë Abraham Lincoln In honor of Lincoln's birthday and in celebration of Valentine's week, I came up with a new twist on writing "love" letters. Instead of just writing love notes to my family this year, I should write letters of appreciation to the great leaders who have added "life to my years." Lincoln was a great leader. His example was one of honesty, integrity and steadfastness in his beliefs.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,458 views3/5 (2)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Ultimate Checklist to Welcome Holiday Guests

As the arrival date of holiday guests quickly approaches, there are a number of little things that can be done to ensure a very warm welcome. Surprising your guests with little goodie baskets and an inviting bedroom that makes them feel at home is key. Some of these items might even be mandatory depending on how much assistance with last minute tasks and help with the kids you plan on requesting. In a bedroom and bathroom that have been cleaned from top to bottom and ado ed with a little bit of holiday decor, considering adding a few of these ideas... Bathroom Counter:

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,736 views3/5 (2)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

14 Ways to Say "I Love You" without Words

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I wanted to give my husband a gift this year that was a little different from the usual "I love you" accompanied by a card. I decided that for the two weeks leading up to the big day, I would do special things to show him how I feel. Inspired Note: If you are looking for just one good idea for February 14th, I hope that you find something here that will let your significant other know just how much you care, too.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

2,004 views2/5 (2)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Candy Bouquets with a Surprise in the Bottom

Being a mom who loves to celebrate Valentine's Day with her children just as much as she does with her husband, I am always on the look out for something fun, different, and inexpensive that I can do for the kids. Last year, our grocery store was selling cute candy bouquets, but the price tag was a hefty $30 for a maximum of $10 worth of supplies. After taking a couple of inconspicuous pictures, I began searching through the store for the same items that they had used to make their bouquets.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,215 views2/5 (1)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Organize Your Life with Your Smart Phone Calendar

Smart phones, with their many features and capabilities, have become a staple in daily life. It's the first thing that we check in the morning and the last thing we put down before we go to sleep. Without it, I know that my life would be in complete chaos. One of the main reasons for my day-to-day organizational success is my smart phone's calendar feature. Since the calendar is on my personal device, I feel comfortable adding anything of importance without fear of it being publicized or scrutinized.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,757 views2/5 (1)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Resolution 5: Strengthen My Relationships With My Children

Continuing with my current theme of strengthening relationships, now I am focusing on my children. The second most important relationship that I will ever have is with each of my three children. Not only will our bond be a model for the bond that they one day have with their kids, but our experiences will shape the people that they become. By being an honest, open, loving, attentive mother that takes the time to teach and listen to my children, I will one day have three competent adults who will likewise be the best parents they can be.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,149 views3/5 (2)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

12 Ways to Get Extra Help during the Holidays

As the days inch closer to December 25th, people start getting more and more frantic, trying to figure out ways to get everything done. Shopping, baking, decorating, sending out cards, cooking, upcoming parties, cleaning, guests arriving, wrapping, kids out of school, traveling...the list is endless. While all of these tasks seem daunting, if you take the time to do careful preparations, they will mark themselves right off the to do list! Here are a few ideas that I came up with to get extra help during the holidays. 1 - Friends Looking for Extra Cash -r

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

2,424 views3/5 (2)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Wielding My Wednesdays – Weekday Organization

With half of my house cleaning tasks completed on Tuesdays, the downstairs remains for Wednesday's. At the end of the day, the heavy lifting for the week will, for the most part, be done. Opportunities to take on time-consuming projects during the remaining 4 days exist, but can be undertaken at my discretion. Unlike Monday and Tuesday, my blocks of time for today need to change since I have completed the laundry, with the exception of bath towels.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,259 views1/5 (1)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Motivating Younger Kids to Help During the Holidays

Yesterday, I revealed how I was finally able to get my eldest to help around the house in a thorough, but quick way. However, one reason for his success was my 7-year-old paving the way for him in each room. Background: I usually get quite a bit of push back and crying when I ask my youngest to try her hand at a new task. If she doesn't already know how to do it, then she doesn't have the patience to learn. At first I asked her to be Mommy's Helper for the next two days and told her that she'd earn some money, too.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

971 views3.7/5 (3)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Science Bee Awards for Students

Last year, our wonderfully innovative fifth grade teachers came up with the idea of holding a Science Bee, with the winning student receiving creative awards made from basic science supplies. The winner's award pack included: laboratory goggles, a composition notebook, a magnifying glass and a pencil. Since the items were just standard materials, I was given the task of transforming them into fun, flashy tools that the kids could get excited about.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,461 views3.7/5 (3)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

10 Ways to Love Yourself First

As parents, spouses, children and friends, we are always so conce ed with those around us, but often lose sight of taking care of the person that matters most. We usually don't even consider ourselves to be one of our own top 5 priorities. However, as we have heard repeatedly... "You first have to love yourself before you can truly love someone else." While we are not perfect, we are more than worthy of love and need to understand and embrace that on a daily basis.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,469 views

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Taming My Tuesdays – Weekday Organization

With family finances addressed and closets restocked, Monday's new schedule jump-started the week perfectly. Now, I have the task of getting the house cleaned within the next two days, while keeping up with all of my other priorities, too. Using the same basic time blocks as yesterday, I am only modifying the chores that I complete within each. Here is how I plan on Taming My Tuesdays: TUESDAY FOCUS: Clean Upstairs & Laundry 5:00 - 5:55 Treadmill & work from home w/ voice recording software 55 m 5:55 - 6:00 Laundry - my mattress cover in & spray Lysol 5 m

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,137 views2/5 (1)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

10 Ideas to Get Children Involved in Charitable Activities

As I was running from store to store picking up presents for my family yesterday, I started noticing collection boxes and signs for charities who are in need of donations and volunteers at this special time of year. That got me to thinking...this might be the first year that all of my children are old enough to really understand the importance of giving. With that in mind, my youngest two and I talked through charitable ideas that we could do as a family to help others.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

2,181 views3.7/5 (3)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

12 End-Of-Year Personal Finance Must Do's

With the end of the year looming, there are many tasks that must be completed before this impending deadline. There are even a few perks that might help to ease the transition into the new year. While I am by no means an accountant, financial planner or lawyer, I have come up with a list of items that our family is sure to address before midnight on December 31st. I would recommend getting in touch with a professional for a complete listing of to-dos and their financial implications. 1. Make Donations to Non-Profit Organizations -r

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,682 views3/5 (2)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Stashing Necessities for Quick and Easy Access

"Mom, where are the scissors?" "Kids, did you wash your hands before putting up your clean clothes?" "Honey, where's the fire extinguisher?!?" The last one is my personal favorite. After a long day of cooking Thanksgiving dinner, the grease from the turkey that dripped on the bottom of the oven caught fire. That is exactly why I decided to stash various necessities throughout the house for quick and easy access. It's important to note that I "stash" items, because I prefer to keep our home as de-cluttered and organized, as possible.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,674 views1/5 (1)

By Tracey FarmerRecently published1 topic

Mandatory Mondays – Weekday Organization

Getting organized is definitely a daunting task. However, I have decided that if I list out the tasks that need to be completed each week, then divide them up into days, I might have a fighting chance. Since I do not have a cleaning crew, nanny, or someone to take care of my business, it’s up to me to figure out how it all gets done. Luckily, I am not much of a TV watcher (until I am in bed) and I can limit my shopping and eating out (to one day each week). With my cell phone in hand and multiple alarm clocks on it set, onward I go.

Primary topic: General Self Help

General Self Help

1,256 views2/5 (1)

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