Watch “Increasing Your Income 1000% Formula” on YouTube

Brian Tracy shares some useful organisational tips on becoming more productive with your day. He is coming from a financial mindset, but you can apply the principles for anything like homeschooling, your job,your business or our own personal learning.

Rachel

Dining on a Dime Book Giveaway

Living on a Dime is having a giveaway!!!

I have just received an email from Tawra from Living on a Dime about a crazy sale they are having. Here’s what she said:

We are going to be having a 50% off sale on all our books and 63% off if you buy 3 you get one free. (yes, this is just barely above our cost but it’s not worth having books sit around

Here is the link to check it out:Mothers Day Crazy Book Sale

She has given me one ebook to give away to one of my blog readers – this is the giveaway lowdown

Dining On A Dime – e-Book
Eat Better and Spend Less with Real Food for Real People!
Dining On A Dime Cookbook – Money Saving Recipes, Grandma’s Home Cooking

Save $10,000 a year on food?

Without cutting coupons! Unbelievable? Read Tawra Jean Kellam and Jill Cooper’s advice in their e-book: Dining on a Dime (formerly Not Just Beans) and find out that it really is possible.

Tawra has told her story to millions of listeners and readers on the radio, on the web and in women’s magazines (including Woman’s Day and Woman’s World) and now she’s put her best tips and tricks into a 476 page e-book. Using these tips and suggestions, Tawra shows how anyone can tighten his or her food budget.

Dining on a Dime is packed with over 1,200 money saving recipes and tips, kids tips and snack ideas, gift baskets, menus, food storage directions, Cleaning Cents and Pretty for Pennies. The recipes are easy to cook with ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. To make shopping easy and economical, Tawra has also included a pantry list and a shopping list.

This is worth $19.95 and 481 pages!!!!!!!!! – you could be the lucky reader who will get this for free!!!!

Here is how you can be in to win:

I am a speaker at New Zealand’s H.E.A.R.T retreat this year and my topic is “Avoiding Burnout” I would love to hear your ideas on how you avoid burnout as a wife, mum, homeschooling mum etc.

Just leave a comment with your avoiding burnout advice and the suggestion that appeals to me will win the “Dining on a Dime” ebook. You will have until 20th April to post your ideas.
Good Luck!

Rachel

Just Take A Step

Hi There,

I haven’t blogged for quite a while – The Ultimate Homeschool Expo just about wiped me out! There was so much amazing information and freebies to go through not to mention all the audios.

I have latched myself onto Lisa from me and my house Lisa said some really great truths that I am spending time pondering. I highly recommend her seminars and HisStory ebook. It gives me a Christian framework to teach my boys a biblically worldview.

But whenever you come across something that is really lifechanging and full of wisdom – it takes a but of time to sort through what is the next step – right? The enemy wants us to get overwhelmed with new information or truth and will try his very best to make you feel like it is all too much. Well, here is a short article that describes that exact feeling and what you are to do about it.

just-take-a-step.pdf
Keep Moving Forward!
Rachel Larkin

Do you want to learn how to make money from home?

That is a dream for a lot of stay at home mums isn’t it? To be able to start up a business from home and grow it until it becomes the main source of income and then Daddy can leave his job to join you.

Well, it doesn’t have to be “pie in the sky”. I have joined a online community called Entrepreneurs At Home – EAHLive which is committed to helping each other start a business or investments and continue to grow.

Here is a short blurb about what EAHLive is all about-

Are You Ready to Learn How to Educate Your Kids (and Yourself!) To Use Your Natural Abilities to Serve God and Others and Make All the Money You Need, All from the Comfort of Your Home?
Well, if you are, boy have we got a community for you!

To break out of the Rat Race, you need to do 3 things:

1. Get vision for what God wants you to do
2. Get specific education so you can do it
3. Take action because nothing will happen if you don’t change what you’re doing now.

Our online community focuses on giving families practical cutting-edge education and continual encouragement in areas such as real estate, ebay, and the Internet that you won’t find just anywhere. Ask your questions in our 24/7 international forum. Read tons of our success stories. Check out our Recommended Resources to cut your learning curve by years!

If you are ready to do something different, you’ve come to the right place! We can help you like we’ve already helped thousands of others realize that God wants more for you than to focus on paying that power bill every month. He has a job for you to do and we want to help you figure out what it is, then get empowered to do it!

So if you’re ready to get started, join our community now! We’re going places!

Here is the link -EAHLive
Go and see for yourself! Once you become a member there are tons of articles, instructional videos and an incredible forum which is perfect for asking questions from those who have been where you are right now. Just reading the forum questions and answers is an education in itself.

How to Create Awesome Children’s Bedrooms

Here is a free article on how to create wonderful bedrooms for your children.Bedrooms that are organised and easy to keep clean and tidy!

It is a pdf file. Creating Awesome Bedrooms

Enjoy!

Living On A Dime St Patricks “Savin’ O’ The Green” SALE!!!

You have got to check out the Living On A Dimes St Patricks “Savin’ O’ The Green” SALE!!! It is such good value for money.
For this week only, get the “Savin’ O’ The Green” e-book Package, including 13 of the popular Living On A Dime e-books (normally valued at $87) for only $17!
That was only $17 – that’s right just $17 for the following ebooks

Money Management e-book
Grocery Savings e-book
Cleaning Cents e-book
Kids Cents e-book
Debt Free Holidays e-book
Gifts In A Jar e-book
Menus On A Dime e-book
Plan Ahead Leftovers e-book
Quick Dinners e-book
Menus That Make Cents e-book
Pretty for Pennies e-book
Moving On A Dime e-book
Valentine’s Day On A Dime e-book

That was $17 for 13 books!

tid=MDXN6ZK1″ target=”_top”>Click Here to find out what is in each ebook!

BUT THERE IS MORE! you also get-

Free Bonus Offers

“Shopping Cart of Grocery Savings Tips” e-book from Ed Hladkowicz at MyGroceryDeals.com and from Gary Foreman at TheDollarStretcher.com

“Birthday Traditions” e-book from Shiloah Baker at HomemakingCottage.com

“God’s Word on Communication” e-book from JoJo Tabares at ArtofEloquence.com

“What To Do When Your Daughter Hates Being in the Kitchen” e-book from Kathy Brodock at TeachingGoodThings.com

You get all this, including 17 money-saving e-books, a $119 value for only $17 when you purchase the “Savin’ O’ The Green” package during this special promotion!

PLUS Here are 2 additional St. Patrick’s Day e-books just for fun!

Extra St. Patrick’s Day Free Bonus

“St. Patrick’s Day: Not Just for the Irish” e-book from Nicole Dean at MenuPlanningCentral.com

“St Patrick’s Day Coloring Pages” e-book from Nicole Dean at MenuPlanningCentral.com

This is the best deal that I have come across – here is the link again to view more details and how to buy now-

tid=MDXN6ZK1″ target=”_top”>Click Here!

Remember that this is only good for this week! – ends March 21st 2008.

My Secret For Achieving The Best Year Yet!

I hope that the Christmas and New Year break has been a relaxing and a rewarding one, spending time with family. Apparently we have had the driest summer on record! The grass is proof of that – brown as.

Today, I want to stir you up to expect and dream for this coming year. We all have dreams, some of them are unspoken, some have been discarded, and some we are yet to imagine. Without a dream or vision, we are just getting through life; basically surviving. God doesn’t want us to JUST survive – He wants us to dream and move towards an aim or goal in our lives.

What are your aims this year?
What would you like to achieve?

I usually have loads of aims and things that I would like to do. BUT I never seemed to get around to doing anything or maybe life just got in the way. Every year I would sit down and review my past efforts and become very discouraged. What is the point in even writing down goals? I never seem to achieve even a portion of what I dream about.

Over the past few weeks, I have spent quite a lot of time talking to God about this. He has shown me a SECRET to achieving my dreams. I will get to the SECRET in a moment. But first I want to share with you what I was doing wrong. God revealed it to me while I was reading James 1 v 6b – 8

For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind. For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord,[For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides]. Amp

Two words literally jumped off the page. “Dubious” and “irresolute”. They aren’t words that we use freely these days are they? So I took the time to look them up-

Dubious: hesitant, uncertain, doubtful, sceptical, unsure, undecided, irresolute.

Was I sceptical about achieving my goals? Was I so full of doubt that I didn’t really believe that I had it in me to gain the victory? It started to look like sabotage – I was sabotaging my own dreams! Let’s move onto the word “irresolute” -

Irresolute: unable to make up your mind.

Well, I thought – that is strange, I thought I HAD decided to accomplish certain things. Hadn’t I wanted to lose weight? Hadn’t I wanted to write? Hadn’t I wanted a closer relationship with my husband? Wasn’t that making up your mind? But this was only half the meaning – the negative side. I then looked up the flip side –the meaning of resolute.

Resolute: unshakeable, unwavering, unswerving, determined, single-minded, firm

Ah! Now the lights were turning on! If I had made up my mind on a goal or made a decision to do something then I would have been UNSHAKEABLE – nothing could change MY course of action. I would be so determined to achieve -it would be inconceivable that I would fail. If my “mind was made up” then I wouldn’t be in “two minds” that James is talking about. Being in “two minds” is disastrous. You can not achieve anything in “two minds”.

Now here comes the secret – this is what God wanted me to know, the reason why some people achieve and others don’t. It comes down to …DETERMINATION!

Wishing and wanting just doesn’t cut it. Desires and dreams just stay a “what if?”, when there is no determination behind it. Here’s a great verse which has great imagery –

“Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavour, be aglow and burning with the Spirit serving the Lord” Romans 12 v 11

That sure sound determined to me! Okay so what does “determine” mean?

Determine: to settle ultimately, to fix on, to settle or establish, and to resolve

Now there is no argument here, this meaning is pretty clear – to determine is to SETTLE FOR GOOD on what you want to have happen. That is determination! You have made up your mind to inject love into your marriage relationship and nothing is going to get in your way. That is determination! You have resolved that you will lose x amount of pounds this year and that chocolate calling your name is not going to get you. (Now for some reason, yummy fattening food like chocolate is my biggest downfall and I can get determined about most things …but losing weight and giving up chocolate is hard but with God’s help nothing, NOTHING is impossible – watch this space!)

You (and I – I so need this as well) MUST get so determined about the dreams that God has placed in your heart that you decide once and for all and then set your mind on it – you get so fixated on making it happen. God talks about this in Colossians 3 v 2 “Set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things) not on the things that are on earth”

You are not in this alone, God has promised to help you and inject determination into your hearts and strengthen your minds so they can be set upon achieving your goals.

So stir yourself up, sharpen those pencils, and write down those dreams and goals. Pick ONE DREAM, ONE GOAL and become completely determined to achieve it!

To give you a head start,YOU are INVITED to type in your one DREAM or GOAL in the comments area below. I would LOVE to hear what you all are aiming for! Let’s encourage each other towards achieving at least one dream or goal in 2008.

Here’s to the best year ever!
Rachel Larkin

Don’t Have Enough?

Do you think that you DON’T have enough? You don’t have enough money – always seem to be struggling?

Do you think that you DON’T have enough energy?

What about your parenting? – Never enough patience or wisdom to deal with those daily issues that pop up?

How about the homeschooling? – Do you feel like you are not making it? You haven’t got enough resources or knowledge of what to do next?

What about you and God? Do you feel inadequate to obey Him? Is there a lack of desire to read His word? to worship Him?

Well, have I got the verse for you today -

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that ALWAYS having ALL sufficiency in EVERYTHING, you may have an ABUNDANCE for EVERY good deed

2 Corinthians 9 v 8 NASB

That is the truth – As a child of God you have enough and even MORE to perform your daily tasks. He has promised us that in everything – homeschooling, parenting, healthy eating – EVERYTHING that HE has given us what we need. He is our source of energy, power, strength, wisdom, knowledge to get what we have on our to-do list done.

SO why are we not accessing this sufficiency in Christ?

Maybe you are trying to do everything in your own steam. Have you asked God daily to plan your day? Have you put Him first in your homeschool, in your day?

Maybe what you are trying to do isn’t what God would have you do – maybe it is the wrong task or maybe it is the wrong timing.

Let’s get back to God’s plans – because when we are fulfilling God’s daily calling on our lives then we will have everything we need to work it out. EVERYTHING – we will be lacking for nothing in fact we will have extra left over for more good works – AWESOME!

Rachel Larkin

Are You About To Blow?

Something was very wrong, very very wrong. There was steam pouring out of the back deck and a shrill whistling sound. Underneath the wooden deck was our ensuites hot water cylinder (HWC). I didn’t know much about plumbing but I knew enough that steam and whistling was not right. I tried the hot tap in the bathroom and it spluttered out extremely boiling brown water!  The plumber came and went after two or so hours. Apparently the thermostat was broken and if the pressure was not allowed to be released, the cylinder would be like a bomb and the whole room would have blown sky high!!!! Now who would block the pressure release outlet? Don’t laugh but this plumber guy has seen the destruction!!

The funny thing is that I was just like our HWC this week. We struggle and struggle with issues or just daily life and instead of releasing the “steam” (in a useful way) – we plug it up. Everyone’s plug is different. A plug is something that brings relief but only for a moment. It doesn’t deal with the underlying problem (the broken thermostat). Here is some ‘plug’ examples:

•     T.V.  -It sure feels good to watch a few mindless dramas.
•     Food and lots of it – Emotional eating has a lot to answer for!
•     Romance Novels -. A bit of escape into a fantasy world.
•     Exercise –yes this can became an addiction to some people!
•     And my plug ……………………………CHOCOLATE!

These plugs are not bad in themselves – a bit of chocolate now and then is supposed to be good for your heart, so they say. But it is when you can’t go through a day or a week without using these plugs to stop the pressure and steam. I know it from experience – the kids may be giving me a hard day and by the time it reaches 2pm my mind is telling me “you really need some chocolate – you deserve it!!”

Yep I used the chocolate plug this week! And it obviously wasn’t enough because I did blow!! What was broken? Basically I was trying to do too much by myself AND also it doesn’t help that I worried about things that I had no control over. A Big Lesson Week, for sure.

Rachel Larkin