Parenting Pointers: Act. Adapt. Achieve

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I had the chance to interview Dean Erickson, author of Act. Adapt. Achieve. to get some tips on goals and success. For more information, check out his book!  1. We hear a lot about SMART goals, and how it's a good way to frame goals. But why aren't they always the best way to make goals?The "SMART" acronym identifies adjectives, namely specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely, that can be used to describe the type of goals one might set. The acronym was originally created for business use, where metrics are important and can be used most easily, but it has spread beyond business use.As I describe in my book Act. Adapt. Achieve., many personal and life goals aren't easily quantifiable. Goals like becoming happier or developing healthier relationships can't reasonably be framed using SMART goals. Even in business, SMART goals aren't always useful. For example, one of Mark Zuckerberg's early goals for Facebook was to "create an open information flow for people." Most would say that goal was unrealistic, unattainable, not measurable, not time-based and not particularly specific, yet Facebook has connected much of the world. Had he utilized SMART goals in his thinking, he wouldn't have attempted to launch Facebook, let alone grow it into the force it is today.It's important to use the right tools and best information for every purpose, but it's critical you pursue the goals that are most important to you and that will impassion your life. The SMART acronym isn't always the smart choice when determining what you will achieve. 2. You bring up the Idea Circle. Can you briefly explain what it is and how it could be used in the workplace or at home?The Idea Circle is a diagrammatic representation of how people achieve. It illuminates a process distilled from my experiences while achieving success in athletic, academic, entertainment, and business endeavors. In every pursuit of every goal, certain things stood out: the origination of the idea/goal, envisioning the plan, taking actions toward the goal, adapting to the results of those actions, the importance of believing in the value of your goal to help you keep going through difficulty, and finally, achieving your goal. Each stage was necessary to fulfill complex, difficult goals. Simple goals are often linear, meaning, if you do this and then do that, you will achieve your goal. Larger goals typically require multiple adaptations to your plan and actions during the process of achieving. At work, individuals or teams track their actions and the results of those actions. Managers oversee everyone's tasks and help determine what needs to be done next. The Idea Circle, along with the Success Worksheets, can be useful project management tools. Only through continual analysis, which is encouraged and supported by these tools, can one choose the next best action.  The world changes too quickly to blindly follow an original plan. Many companies have started with one goal, then adapted to another in order to succeed. Static systems or money-making programs that may have worked in their infancies don't work forever. Adaptation through conscious analysis and informed actions can keep you or your company on the path to success, especially when the path has to change to meet the realities of the marketplace or personal needs.At home, I believe it's important for parents to teach their kids how to achieve. Setting goals and having a defined success process can help kids understand what it really takes to achieve and where they are on their individual paths. Whatever their goal, the Idea Circle can help illuminate what they need to do next. It focuses the process on their decisions and their actions, and emphasizes their personal control. They are in charge of their success. I think that's a valuable lesson for kids and adults alike. 3. Your book is titled "Act. Adapt. Achieve." What is the "adapt" all about - what should people be adapting to?As discussed earlier, very few meaningful achievements happen in a linear fashion. Adaptations to tactics, actions and plans happen along the way. "Adapt" in the book's title emphasizes the responsibility and control we each have in determining our own successes. One needs to have a thoughtful and active process. Hoping and believing are not sufficient. Acting, adapting to feedback, and then acting again are critical elements in the process of achieving. Adapting doesn't mean you were wrong initially, but that you are consciously becoming wiser and closer to your goal. Don't take any feedback or results personally, just use the wisdom you gain and do what is required to get where you want to go. There are no emotions attached to the book's title or to the Idea Circle. Only verbs are used for a reason. Take charge of your success by adapting to the world as it is, not the way you wish it would be.

Shopping Savings: PriceBlink

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Online holiday shopping is expected to increase 17% from $46.63 billion in 2011 to $54.47 billion in 2012, according to research done by eMarketer. There are lots of tools and sites out there designed to help you save money, and I thought I'd alert you to one of them.
PriceBlink is a free tool that saves you money by doing all the searching for you for coupons, free shipping andmore. It offers 3 functions:1. Price Comparison: If you can purchase that very same product on another site for less, PriceBlink lets you know2. Coupon alerts: If the site you’re on offers any coupon codes, free shipping, or any other deals, PriceBlink will let you know3. User Reviews: If the site you’re on doesn’t have any user ratings/reviews for the product you’re looking for, but the same product is reviewed on other sites, PriceBlink will let you knowMany similar sites offer one or two of these functions, but none of them do all three for you. PriceBlink is free to download, and on average, users save 15-20% every time they shop online once they’ve downloaded the add-on.The add-on process is extremely easy. I also tested it out, looking for a couple of gadgets, and it seemed to work fine - it didn't make my browser really laggy or anything. And the nice thing with free add-ons is if you don't like them, they're easy to remove and it didn't cost you a penny!This material comes from Motherhood Moment. Thanks for reading!

Consumer Critique: PlanToys

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Plan Toys is a manufacturer of adorable, safe toys for babies through preschoolers. Their toys are designed to be appropriate for the developmental milestones of young kids, and also meet their own strict safety standards. You won't find them in the big-box stores, but you can find them at smaller boutique shops and online.

They have a new line of toys, PlanWood, made from therubberwood sawdust created by the manufacturing of other items by Plan Toys. Toys in this line include a pull-along snail, a fishing game, and a sorting board (which I was able to sample).

I'm very happy with the quality of this product. It seems durable - like it'll stick up to whatever babies and toddlers throw at it (or throw it at). It also looks nice, and would be suitable if you have a room in your house where you need to have some toys but don't want it to look like a playroom (for example, if you have a dining room or a living room separate from the family room).

I'll definitely be checking out PlanToys for gifts for my niece, nephew, and god-daughter!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary PlanToys sorting board to facilitate this review.

Consumer Critique: Gentle Naturals

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I recently had a chance to review Gentle Naturals' Cradle Cap Treatment and Eczema Cream and Wash, recipients of the Parent Tested Parent Approved Winner’s Seal. These dermatologist-tested products are completely free of parabens, dyes and fragrances. The Cradle Cap Treatment is specially formulated to remove crusty scales and moisturize baby’s scalp with natural ingredients: calendula, and vitamins D and E. The Cradle Cap Treatment includes a gentle scalp massaging brush at no additional cost and, unlike mineral oil, is light and non–greasy. The Eczema Cream intensely moisturizes to soothe and relieve itching and helps prevent the recurrence of extra dry skin. The Eczema Wash cleans and moisturizes with ingredients like aloe and vitamins D and E.

I liked that these products don't have any odd smells - they just smell clean. The cradle cap treatment is really easy to use, and much easier to deal with than baby oil, which just makes everything slippery and is harder to wash off my hands.

Right now, you can get a $1 off coupon at the website. You can also follow @gentlenaturals1 or Like Gentle Naturals Baby Therapeutics for more information and parenting tips.

Disclosure: I received complimentary samples of Gentle Naturals products to facilitate this post.

Parenting Pointers: Clearing House for a Sale

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Sellingyourhouseisabigundertakingwhichmaytakemonths.Ifyouwanttohavebetterchancesatit,everyrealestateagentwilltellyouthatyouneedtopreparethehouseforasale.Animportantthingtounderstandisthatwhileyourpropertyisbeingadvertisedforselling,manypeoplewillcontactyouforviewingthehouse.Therefore,youneedtomakesurethatyourhouselooksitsbestbecauseyoumayliterallyneedtoprovideaccesseveryotherday.Adirty,messyandclutteredhomewon’tattractpotentialbuyers. 

Evenifyouareonlysellinganemptyhousewithoutanyfurniture,itstillneedstolookpresentableenoughandwelcomingforviewings.Moreover,youneverknowwhenyoucouldhaveasigneddealsoyouneedtobeaspreparedforleavingtheplaceaspossible.Thisincludesdoingafullhouseclearance.Makesureyoudealwiththistaskbeforeyouadvertisethehouse.Thiswayyouwillbeabletotakebeautifulphotosoftheinsideandoutsideofthehousewithoutfearingthatalltheclutterisvisible.Afullhouseclearanceisnotsomethingwedooften.Wetendtobuyandstoreitemsforagesandkeepbelongingsthatwehaveinheritedorold,unwanteditems.Thistendencyispresentinperhaps90%ofhousesandflats.Ifyouwanttosellyourhousequicklyyouneedtogetridoftheclutterandtherubbish.Firstofall,decidewhetheryoucanmanageonyourownoryouneedtohireahouseclearanceservice.Thewaytodothatisbygoingthroughyourbelongingsandtakinganinventoryofthethingsyouneedtogetridof.Someofthemwillbesmallitemswhicharenotthatheavyorhardtothrowaway.Others,however,willneedspecialcare– electronicappliances,furniture,etc. 
Ifyouneedprofessionalservicefortheclearance,lookforacompanyonlineorinlocallistings.Readrecommendationsandchecktheforumsasthisisthequickestwaytofindareputablecompanyandbewareofroguecompanies.Afteryoufindthecompany,askthemtopayyouavisitanddeterminefirmquotefortheclearance.Setadateforitanddecidehowmuchyoucandoyourself.Sortoutthebelongingsyouneedtogetridofanddecidewhethersomeofthemcanbegiventocharityorsold.Thereisnothingwrongwithmakingsomeextramoneyfromyourolditems.Ifyouhaveitemsofwhichvalueyouarenotsure,getthemvaluedbeforeyouthrowthemaway.Keepinmindthatthecompanyyouarehiringshouldhavetherequiredlicensesforcarryingwasteandrecycling.Theyshouldalsoofferyouinsurance.Don’tpaythecompanybeforethefullhouseclearancejobhasbeendone. 
Onceyougetridofalltheclutter,paintthewallsandtidyup.Getaphotographertotakequalitypicturesofyourhometoputintheadforthesale.Inthisbusinessfirstimpressioniseverything– unlessyouadvertisethehousewell,howwouldyouexpectpeopletocomeforaviewing.Thekeystageofpreparingthehouseisthefullclearancesonomatterhowmuchtimeandmoneyyouneedforthat,itneedstobedone.Theinvestmentwillbeworthit.
Nicole is a passionate writer, decorator and housewife. You can enjoy her house clearance and improvement ideas. Stay tuned for more .

Giveaway: Funky Monkey Snacks

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Funky Monkey Snacks are freeze-dried fruit - healthy snacks that are all-natural, and are also independently verified to be free of GMOs. They're hosting a Twitter chat Tuesday October 16^th at 2 pm EST. The chat is going to be about Gluten Free Month and they will also have nutritionists co-hosting to give their expert opinions.  The hashtag for the twitter chat is #funkychat.
I have a chance to giveaway these tasty, healthy treats. To enter, leave a comment with what you think your favorite Funky Monkey flavor would be. Deadline is October 16th.

Giveaway: Recti-Care

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Did you know that August has the most births of any month? The most common birthday falls in September (on the 16th) which is another high month for birthdays. New babies are exciting and wonderful, but sometimes they come with pain. Hemorrhoids may develop from all the pushing that is required in labor and childbirth.
Women with hemorrhoids often suffer from burning, itching and pain. A topical local anesthetic such as RectiCare Cream ($29.95; available in drugstores nationwide) helps to quickly soothe discomfort with lidocaine (5%). Plus, RectiCare comes with finger cots to promote hygienic application (which is really nice considering where it needs to be put).

I've used lidocaine creme before, after giving birth to large babies with big heads, and it is very helpful!
I have the chance to give away one tube. To enter, leave a comment with what your best pain relief technique for post-baby pain was. Deadline is October 19th.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary tube as a thank-you for this post.