Remember the competition for ideas to use up Connor’s empty formula cans?

Well, I loved all the comments. Clearly you guys are MUCH more creative than I could ever be

There were truly some great suggestions – if you haven’t read them, go have a read and make some notes for your spare cans.

My favourite ideas were from Danel (commenter 1) who gave me not one, but four great ideas:

I use mine as follows:
- store small toys in them.
- cut an opening in the lid and let my baby put babyfood lids through the opening.
- put anything noisy in them so that baby can shake it – loves the noise
- use an empty one as a drum – i taught my baby to hit it with his hands or a spoon to make some noise!

I may have liked them so much because they’re baby uses for empty baby cans I get a kick out of things like that.

So Danel, look out for an email from me soon

I also loved the suggestions to use them for Christmas goodies so I’ve decided to also use some of the cans for my famous oatmeal drop cookies to give to some of my friends for Christmas. Everybody LOVES these – just try them.

These are the easiest things in the world to make and you absolutely can’t go wrong with them. I promise.

I did my first batch today and 1 1/2 cans are already used

Thanks, everybody, for playing along.

P.S. I still haven’t managed to fix this scheduling problem (yes, I’ve logged it on the support forums) so I’m moving to WordPress. I think I’ve been very patient the last 6 months!

P.P.S. I go back to work in 2 weeks time!

The contest is now closed. Thanks everybody for all the fabulous suggestions. I’ll pick a winner in the next day or two and post the name

Have a lovely weekend!

This is a picture of some empty formula cans.

Somehow I can’t bear to throw them away as I’m positive I can recycle them and put them to good use.

Only thing is, the babies have sapped my creativity and I’m all out of ideas.

This is where you come in – I’m looking for ways to use these cans, keeping in mind that Connor goes through one of these every 14 days. Kendra’s on the tiny yellow/ orange tins in the top left of the picture so I don’t mind throwing those away.

This is what I already do with some of them:

1. a wastepaper basket in the smallest bathroom in the world
2. catch water under the leaking tap

So here’s how it works:

• Leave a comment with your suggestions and your email address
• Competition closes this Sat 12pm EST
• I’ll pick a winner and post the person’s name.
• The person chooses 1 of 3 e-courses.

Hopefully in the not-too-distant future I’ll do a post showing you what I did with them.
Come on, put your thinking caps on!

Hi everybody

Thanks so much to all 14 of you who entered my competition – I absolutely loved reading your entries and seriously wish I could have all of you guest blog for me.

It was hard, hard work just choosing one winner so I did a little something special for the rest who didn’t win.

If you have not yet received an email from me (with your special something) and you entered, then it means I wasn’t able to find an email address for you either in your comment or on your blog (invited readers only). If this is the case, please email me and I’ll respond

Now, the winner is……Jenny from Shoe Momma.

I’m not going to say too much about Jenny at this point because I want her to introduce herself to my readers in her first post

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Here’s a bit more about the Organise your Home ecourse.

• It’s set out in 12 parts with a 13th bonus one thrown in for free
• covers every section of your home. You work through it section by section in manageable bits so you don’t get overwhelmed.
• you also get the Household Organising File and instructions on how to set yours up
• free email support for the 12 weeks
• and much more

I’ll be posting the winner in about 24 hours’ time. It’s so difficult because everybody wrote such compelling entries *sigh*

It’s been 6 months since I held this type of contest and I think it’s about time we did one again. Don’t you agree?

So who has a disorganised home?

I’m looking for someone who would like and could use my Organise your Home e-course.

If you’re chosen, I’ll give you one for free and in turn, I’ll need you to be my guest blogger and do at least 6 posts – one post before, at least 4 room posts, and 1 post after to say how you’ve changed, etc… – which I will use for the 4 weeks in August and 2 in September when the babies are born.

See? Win-win

I did the same thing at the beginnning of the year and chose Anne as my guest blogger for the Office Organising Makeover which worked out really well because then I was in the throes of extreme pregnancy fatigue!

Let me tell you a little bit about the e-course… in case you don’t feel like clicking the picture to go read about the great results others have and are getting.

• It’s set out in 12 parts with a 13th bonus one thrown in for free
• covers every section of your home. You work through it section by section in manageable bits so you don’t get overwhelmed.
• you also get the Household Organising File and instructions on how to set yours up
• free email support for the 12 weeks
• and much more

This is how you enter

Send an email to marcia AT takechargesolutions.org or leave a comment telling me

• a little bit about yourself – married/not, children, what you do (SAHM/ WAHM/ works full-time), etc. (just because I’m nosy )
• which areas of your house need the most help
• if you have your own blog (this is not a requirement)
• why you want to do this

Entries close at midnight EST on Saturday 4th July.

Let the games begin!

Giveaway for one of my blog readers.

You can win one month’s free membership in the Gold VIP Inner Circle by doing one or more of the following things:

1. Leave a comment telling me what your biggest business organising or time challenge is at present.
2. If you want an extra entry, Tweet about this contest and link to this post
3. If you want an extra TWO entries, then blog about this contest and link back to this post.

The competition closes on Friday 4pm EST/ 10pm South African time/ 8pm UK time

Let the games begin!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Attention: Female small business owners and solo-preneurs with service businesses

If you want to grow your business in these tough economic times or step up to the next level of success, you’re going to have to:

• set big, juicy goals
• have very clear deadlines
• make yourself accountable
• focus your efforts
• get support
• have good systems in place and
• get your business and life organised

Don’t worry if that list looks daunting. I’m here to help you every step of the way!

When you join the Gold VIP Inner Circle, you’re going to get specific, how-to information, tons of resources, accountability and much, much more.

“I used to spend my days always working on email and never getting anything done. Thanks to Marcia’s suggestions, I now can’t believe everything I get done in one day!

It’s allowed me to have a very successful business while working only 15-20 hours per week. I love that her techniques have given me the freedom to spend time with my son and husband.

Thanks to her business organizing strategies I have doubled my productivity which has in turn doubled my business income.

Thanks Marcia for all that you do!” Jennifer Haubein

www.BestBizWebsiteSolutions.com

Why the Gold VIP Inner Circle?

I’m glad you asked.

You see, my own business grew by nearly 200% in 2007 and again in 2008 because of 3 key components, and I’d like to help you do the same.

Download the MP3 audio of the preview call here (7.17MB)

So what are these 3 components?

1. I hired a coach for accountability

I’d been working with an accountability partner for some time so I knew the power in having someone to support you.

However, when I started paying for additional coaching, I saw even greater results. You see, we always value more what we pay for, and knowing that I was forking over my hard-earned cash every month made me do all my work.

Also, hiring a coach for me helped me get specific how-to information and cut out a lot of time wasting because she’d been there and done that, so I didn’t have to.

When I said “I want to do x”, I didn’t have to start researching from scratch; instead, she said, “this is what you do, in this order”.

Priceless!

“In just 3 weeks of working with you, I increased my rates by 25%.

Alyssa Avant

Writer

This could be you.

2. I set juicy goals with deadlines

We’ve all heard it said that unless your goals have deadlines, they’re just wishes. That’s true.

I’ve been a goal setter (and, more importantly, a goal getter) since 1998 so I know the power of goal-setting from personal experience.

When I started setting really juicy goals with firm deadlines, I started getting really juicy results. It actually makes sense; doesn’t it?

So who better to teach you how to do the same?

“After my sessions with you, the overwhelm is gone and I am motivated and focussed.”

Angelique Roos

Image Consultant

Imagine what you could accomplish if you could get more focussed?

3. I surrounded myself with like-minded individuals

I’m a very social person so I like chatting to people. But what happened when those people are exactly like you – who also want to succeed and achieve?

Well, a powerful thing happens – you start spurring one another on to even greater things.

When I joined some inner circle memberships, I started creating strategic relationships with colleagues. So suddenly when I said I want to grow my mailing list by x number of subscribers, I wasn’t surrounded by naysayers. I got emails and messages saying this could help you, let’s do this together, etc.

And so the Gold VIP Inner Circle membership club was born.

You see, I have people email me who say they’d love to coach with me but they don’t have the budget for my typical one-on-one coaching fees. This way, you can get resources AND coaching at a price that’s affordable for any pocket!

“You helped me see myself as the person I want to be. My dreams are now possibilities.”

Danel Bester

Photographer

So what do you get when you become a member?

1. A helpful, step-by-step product teaching you a specific organising, time management or business topic every month so you can learn how to organise various areas of your office and business. (worth between $37 and $47)

2. A weekly victory journal to record all your successes from week to week (worth $37)

3. All the forms and templates you could possibly need to use in your home and business on a private, password-controlled site (worth $47)

4. A special members-only discussion forum to post questions and network with other members. I am personally active on this forum too (worth $47)

5. A special 20% members-only discount on ANY of my products (worth up to $200)

6. My million dollar rolodex full of all the resources I use so that you can save hours and hours of time, not having to do all the investigation and research yourself (worth at least $197)

7. Special free gifts from time to time, over the course of 12 months (worth $197)

8. My unwavering love, support and care (priceless)

And if you choose the Supreme Version, you also get 15 minutes of laser coaching every month.You’ll be amazed at just how much we get through when you come to our calls prepared with all your questions.

So what will all of this cost?

Only $37 per month for the basic option, which is just a drop in the bucket when you consider the total value per month of everything you get (over $397)

And only * $74 per month for the Supreme Version, which is the standard Gold VIP plus a 20-minute laser coaching session every month. If you’d prefer to coach with me one-on-one in a more traditional format, then have a read here and if you like what you see, let’s discuss the best option for you and get you started!

Sign up now if you want your business to be transformed

Standard Version

Save

Buy upfront for the whole year and get 2 months for free ($370)

OR

Buy 6 months and get 1 month for free ($185)

Monthly products for the Gold VIP Inner Circle

1. Big, Juicy goals
2. Conquer your email
3. Organise your business
4. Find your ideal client
5. Help! I need more time
6. Dream Life Success Kit
7. 7 easy steps to organise your business
8. Confidence in business – why you need it and how to get it
9. Break out of overwhelm
10. Everything you ever wanted to know about organising your computer
11. Blogging for business
12. Women’s health and wellness manual, incl. Discover your passion
13. Delegating is not a four-letter word
14. Work once and use it again and again (how to leverage your time)
15. 7 ways to grow your service business
16. Write your first ebook
17. Develop and market your signature talk to attract more clients
18. How to set up and hole a successful and profitable teleseminar
19. Dealing with difficult client situations (non-payers, demanding clients, etc.)

If you already own a specific product, you can either use that month’s membership for laser coaching OR we fast forward you to the next month’s product

Well, are you in for a treat!

My friend, Kim Reddington, has just launched a new e-course and she’s kindly offered a free copy to one of my blog readers.

This e-course is perfect for you if you’re a WAHM or a blogger who makes money from their blog, or really, any sort of mom with a business leaning.

Work-life balance is hard enough but when it’s your own business, it can get even harder as you juggle multiple balls in the air.

And this is where this e-course comes in.

Kim’s written a 7-part e-course, Finding Balance as an Entrepreneur Mom, specifically to help you get that balance back in your life.

The rules

1. Please make sure we can find you so either leave your email in your comment or make sure your email comes through on the comment.
2. All you have to do to get an entry into the contest is comment on this post and answer this question:
   

   What is your biggest challenge in trying to find a balance among your business, your family, and your own needs?

3. The contest runs from Mon – Fri this week and closes on 20th at 3pm EST.
4. Kim will pick the winner and I’ll post the winner’s name on Monday 23rd. If the winner doesn’t respond to my email within 48 hours, we’ll pick another winner.
5. You get an extra entry if you blog about the contest on your own blog and link back here. Make sure you leave an extra comment and tell us where you blogged it, okay?

Let the games begin!

The August Declutter Challenge has been just FABULOUS!

If you take just 15 minutes and surf a couple of the declutter challengers’ blogs, you’ll see what a difference this has made in their lives. And I’m honoured to have been part of that – really I am!

One challenger could NOT declutter magazines when we first started but soon learnt that baby steps made it oh-so-easy and by week 3 was a magazine decluttering PRO!

If I had to highlight all the posts that have really impacted me this month, this post would be a mile long.

So, without any further ado, the winner of the Organise your Home ecourse is Patricia from Gifts that say WOW, and the winner of the $25 Stacks and Stacks gift voucher is Marcia from HD Mac’s Crafty Blog.

Amazingly enough, when I clicked over to their blogs to get the permalinks and so forth, I noticed that they both wrote BEE-YOO-TI-FUL posts on what they learnt. That’s not why they won (random.org picked 10 and 2) but now that I’ve read their posts, I am glad they won, because they both get “it”!

Read Patricia’s post here and Marcia’s post here. Those posts (and the comments) are WELL worth your while. I also want to publicly thank Marcia for being such a great ENCOURAGER for all the other ladies. I’d often click over to the blogs and see her lovely comments for the others.

Well done to both of you, and to all the wonderful women who decluttered step-by-step, along with Beth and me.

Remember you all get a $10 gift certificate if you use the word declutter in my store (yes, even the lurkers!) only valid until Sat 6th September.

We’ll be back again on Friday for the weekly challenge! If anyone’s clever with buttons, I need a button designed for the weekly one. Please contact me! Thanks

I know I’ve been quiet but I’ve been working on THIS and I’m so glad I can finally share with all of you.

Beth and I will be hosting the August Declutter Challenge for the month of August.

We are each committed to decluttering at least one thing every day and will each be writing a post showing what we’ve decluttered.

The idea came to me after I wrote these posts on taking pictures to honour the sentimental in you but still decluttering.

So are you in on the challenge?

Here are the “rules”

1. The idea is to declutter at least one item a day for the entire month. If you can’t commit to an entire month, then commit to at least 7 days of decluttering.
2. Then every Friday starting 8th August everyone who’s participated for the previous 7 days writes a post on their own blog with their pictures and links that post to the Mr Linky on my blog to get their entry in. You don’t have to write a post a day although you can if you want to. Just trying to make it easy for you guys.
3. Beth is donating a Simplicity ecourse every week and I’m giving away a Household Organising File and a Christmas Planner every week. So there are 3 chances to win something clutter-free to reward you for decluttering your home.
4. You may only link up if you’ve done 7 days of decluttering and written a post with the 7 items. So the more you declutter, the more chances you have to win. It’s win-win-win (less clutter) whether you win a prize or not.
5. And then, at the end of the month, I’ll put up another Mr Linky and one person who has done 31 days of decluttering will win one of my bestselling Organise your Home ecourses. Besides of course, being crowned the Decluttering Queen Another declutterer will also win a $25 gift certificate from Stacks and Stacks – woohoo!

I hope I’ve covered everything. But please ask me questions in the comments and I’ll answer them there too.

Otherwise, ARE YOU IN?

Get those cameras ready and start snapping away!

P.S. You’re very welcome to grab the button and put it on your own blogs too so we can have lots of people participating!

Do you know what we haven’t had since Friday morning?

That’s right – a power failure!!!! Yay.

However, my menu is still based on the “schedule”. In our area, we should be out from 4 – 6:30pm Mon, Wed and Friday, so I’ve planned quick meals and the longer meals I’ll do on Tuesday and Thursday.

Monday
Pasta salad

Tuesday
Chicken a la King with rice and carrots

Wednesday
Pizza potatoes with fish

Thursday
Stir-fried chicken and veggies with rice

Friday
Out!

And the winner of the electronic decluttering challenge is… Tiffany

Well done, Tiffany, I’m so proud of you.

Please send me an email so I can send you the link to your prize!!!

click picture to read more

And the winner is………………………………..ANDREA.

I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone else for also blogging about it. This e-course is already helping a lot of you and I know that it will help every other overwhelmed person out there!

Andrea, thanks for helping me spread the word! I will email your Stacks and Stacks gift card voucher number to you

Happy shopping!

Have you taken up the decluttering challenge yet? If someone feels kind, it would be great to have a button so that we can spread the decluttering news throughout the blogosphere…