This is so cool...(at least for a nerd like me!)

Lifehackers.org  posted links to 80 excellent how-to sites -- organized by category. It's enough to make a solution-hunting mom drool! 

Here you go:

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/featured/80-how-to-sites-worth-bookmarking.html 

Today I feel the urge to write about where I've been recently what I've been going through and more importantly, the new solutions that I am using to get back in charge of my life as a busy mom. No apologies here about not posting etc.... I just want to share what I’ve been through...in case it helps someone else out there. That's what this site is all about.

As you may know, SFBMs has been kind of neglected for a while. My dear husband lost his job in June and has been in a lot of pain -- waiting for the hip replacement surgery that happened on Nov. 22.  Life has been stressful and I've been kind of a one-woman-show both at home with my two children and with the website. There was flurry of activity on the site in In October, when, despite all the challenges at home, I had become a Certified family Manager coach.    I was just so excited to learn and to introduce you to the solutions offered by this fantastic system...but then...as the surgery approached...my activity here became more and more infrequent.

I tried very hard to prepare myself for the surgery and recovery. Around the same time, knowing that I needed to lose weight for my health I  started working with Fitness Coach Holly Rigsby of FitYummyMummy.com on realistic ways to take mantain my health and take care of myself during this challenging time.

Regardless of how AWESOME Holly is and how hard I tried to prepare myself, ...I must say...I was overwhelmed and exhausted all the time.  Too tired to even do the short exercises that holly recommended  (Her system is awesome, you really don’t need to spend a ton of time on exercise)

 But right before, during and after the surgery, I was so stressed by the finances and the logistics of taking proper care of my husband, children and home that at one point, my father said to me "I'm afraid if you don't calm down you are going to go postal!" (And he really meant it!)

It really drove home what Kathy Peel teaches us in her Family Manager System.  As you may know, family management can be divided into 7 different departments -- Home & Property, Food, Finances, Time & Scheduling Special events, and Self-Management.   Kathy  always says that the final department - self-management - is the most important -- because if the Family Manager isn't managing herself properly -- she won't be able to oversee the management of the other departments very well either.

We've all gotten -- and given the speech that goes "You have to take care of yourself before you can take of everyone else" -- but we all usually shrug it off.

Well this time, it finally hit home!   During this stressful time, not only was I mess, but the other "departments" in my home were starting to fall apart too and I could NOT get back on top of it.

 Even after my husband came home and was well on the road to recovery, it didn't get better. I wanted to start doing the Fit Yummy Mummy program again and I just couldn't.   I could not get my old energy back...I haven't even had the mental and physical energy to keep up my blog or send out my monthly stress relief gifts which I LOVE to send to all of you busy moms.

But you know me; I never stop searching for solutions!  And I have to say I am very lucky that G-d sent me one.

I have a friend who is studying to become a holistic nutritionist and she offered to do a nutritional consultation for me.  As it turns out, I have hypoglycemia -- and I got it bad. Which worries me because it is a precursor to diabetes, which runs strongly in my family.

But it also explained a lot too -- like why I was foggy and exhausted all the time - too exhausted manage my home and myself properly.  

What was the solution to my hypoglycemia? Well, I got many excellent recommendations from my friend but the most important solutions was to KICK SUGAR OUT OF MY LIFE -- in all of it's forms -- and go back to eating whole foods including whole grains and natural sweeteners like brown rice syrup (tastes like caramel!) and agave nectar (it has only a small impact on blood sugar levels)

Actually, there is much more to than just that...including better self-management -- but I’ll leave that for another bog entry, if you're interested...For now, if you are interested in kicking sugar out of your life, I highly recommend Connie Bennets  terrific resources at http://www.sugarshock.com/  She has a great podcast, blog and book available. And for more information and encouragement on eating whole foods without making it complicated, check out my friend Elizabeth Yarnell at http://www.effortlesseating.com

The most important thing to know is that by kicking sugar out of my life -- my mental fog has lifted (most of the time), I am getting my energy coming back, and I am FINALLY able to truly implement two other great solutions that I have found recently.

First, I am FINALLY really putting the FIT YUMMY Mummy’s incredible fitness plan into action!  This solution was created by a busy mom -- for busy moms and I highly recommend it.  (I'll be blogging more about it later)

Second, on a personal level, now that I have more energy I am getting back into using the family manager tools   in my own home. (I always say, "I am my first client!)  and I can't wait to share them with you over the coming months.

It says in the Talmud (ancient book of Jewish wisdom) that "Before G-d sends the disease, he sends the cure"  I feel that is true in my case. I have known for a long time that I needed to lose weight for my health, but life kept getting in the way.  However, over the past year I did take one step in getting ready to lose the weight and live healthier -- I got my MIND ready. I listened to great podcasts about fitness, health  & wellness.  I am a big fan of Motivation to Move, The Reasonable Diet Podcasts and Connie's Stop Sugar Shock Podcast.   Even when I wasn't taking any visible action, I was planting the seeds of my motivation.

Therefore, when the nutritionist said to me "You have to stop eating sugar" and when I heard on Connie's Podcast "You have to stop thinking of sugar as a food, and start thinking of it as a DRUG" -- it clicked! And I was ready to take consistent action.

By getting my hypoglycemia under control, I have more energy and therefore I am able to manage my home better, get back to providing YOU with great new content  &  solutions,  be less irritable with my children (embarrassing to admit -- but true), and finally do the FIT YUMMY MUMMY program.


I guess that's all for now. I just wanted to share my experience with you. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

And keep coming back for more solutions! Coming soon! 

When we were new moms, we all heard it said at least once, "Babies don't come with instruction manuals, you know"

But that didn't stop us!  We STILL bought every baby book, hoping for a magic manual, or combination of manuals, to help us get motherhood right, and demystify the learning process of that first year.

As our kids grew, we never stopped reading those parenting books, searching for solutions...

And if you are 'domestically challenged' like me,  you probably also kept reading books and magazines, trying to figure out how to keep your home neat, clean and clutter free.  

If you grew up with household help, like I did, you may have also  assumed, that one person should handle pretty much everything related to housekeeping -- and never got your husband to help or taught your kids to pick up after themselves.

And if you're anything like me, you ended up hating the housework and, yes, a little bit resentful of your family (Even though it wasn't their fault -- they were behaving the way YOU trained them to.)

If you're anything like me, you kept searching and searching for "solutions" that "magic bullet" to make managing it all (almost) effortless! You kept looking for the "Missing Mom Manual"  You watched videos, joined flylady, read books on housekeeping and organizing -- and not much changed. You were seeking something that would make homekeeping so simple that it would just "CLICK" into your life (and maybe you could even get your kids and hubby on board)...

And nothing ever "Clicked"

Until now...

Ladies, I started to tell you about this the last time I posted...

And I am still doing a bit of work on it...

But I am so excited that I just wanted to tell you...

Relax Mom. The search is over. I think that I have FOUND "The Missing Mom Manual"   That ONE book, that ONE system, that we should ALL be handed the day our chilldren are born.

You all know how I love to find and share solutions -- and  I don't take that job lightly either.   When I say I have found something this good...I really mean it!

This is  NOT another baby book.  Rather it will help us manage our home and familes, much more easily  THROUGHOUT OUR ENTIRE LIVES.

And I am PROUD to bring it to you...

In my next post!

I'd like to think that I can bring you every solution you'll ever need...but I know that sometimes, you do need to search elsewhere.

If you're a new mom, next time you're looking for a solution, in addition to looking here, you can try LightIris.com 

Light Iris provides information and tools specific to new moms' needs. It's is built on the backbone of Google and provides only the best of Google for new moms.

Surprisingly, this new site was actually created by a man! But not just any man -- this guy actually wore a pregnancy suit for 30 days to understand the female experience.  Kevin - ever think about running for President? You'd get my vote :)

Anyway, go check out Light Iris.  I enjoy their weekly mailings too!   http://www.LightIris.com

Ever wondered about the lady behind this website? Yes, I am a real mom and I was recently interviewed by Maria Bailey on her radio show Mom Talk Radio.  We talked about Life Coaching, how to teach positive thinking to children, the secret to not "losing yourself" as a mom, my future plans for SolutionsForBusyMoms.com and more!

You can listen to the interview right now by clicking the "Play" button below (the triangle):

Or Click here to download…  

If you've got an mp3 player, I highly recommend that you subscribe to the podcast. I truly am a big fan. As soon as new shows are live I listen to them because I always learn SO much from Maria and her guests!