I have already begun the transition process in my current office, which will consist of transferring my electronic files onto the universal network at my firm so that others can access them, as well as transferring those files to an external hard drive to take with me. As additional protection in the event of damage or destruction to my computer or external hard drive during my move, I have enlisted the service of a remote storage company online.

Transferring Files and Other Electronic Documents/Media

If you are moving out of an existing office and into a home office and will be transferring files and other electronic documents or media from an office network that will not be accessible from your home office, as in my case, you will need to think about how you will transfer any such files and documents to your new office location. Depending on the volume of files and media you have to transfer, it may not be possible or practical to transfer your files to the hard disk of your computer. Doing so could deplete the performance and storage capacity of your desktop or laptop computer.

In order not to divert too much of your computer’s resources to storing large or voluminous files, you may want to obtain external storage in the form of a flash drive or external hard drive. The most obvious difference between methods of external storage devices that I can see is the amount of storage capacity you have. I have small, key-chain sized flash drives that may be anywhere from 1 to 6 GB. I use these for my personal files such as personal finances, letters, photos, etc. But the volume of personal files I have is nowhere near the volume that I will use for my office at home.

For business, I obtained a much larger device – a WD (Western Digital) external hard drive that has storage capacity of approximately 1 Terabyte. After transferring my files, I’d used only about 1 GB, but I will continue to utilize this drive as my operating network in the near future. With the capacity of this drive, I will be able to download large files from the Internet and email and not worry about depleting the storage capacity on my computer with the large volume of active and archived files that I will be working with in the near future.

If you are transitioning from an existing office with an existing network and will be transferring a large volume of electronic files, documents or other media to a computer, you may want to check into getting an appropriately sized external hard drive. It can spare the functionality and performance of your operating computer by storing large or voluminous files externally.

Protecting Electronic Files/Media from Damage to Computer or External Drive

You will also want to be sure to protect your files from equipment damage or other failure. Remote storage provides the ability to restore files in the event of loss or damage to your physical computer or storage devices.

I am using a company called Mozy for remote storage. Mozy provides an unlimited automatic back up of your computer hard drive and external drives that are connected to your computer for $4.95/mo. It is an investment that offers peace of mind for your small home business.

If you can imagine a worst-case scenario type of situation involving the destruction of your computer or external storage devices, in that situation, Mozy would allow you to recover all of the files from those devices. It is a sort of insurance.

When I started transferring the files from my designated network at my office onto my external hard drive, I wanted to protect myself from the possible misfortune of any damage occurring to my computer or external hard drives during my move. Even once I am settled into my home office, Mozy will give me peace of mind knowing that I will have a backup of all of my work every day.

If you will have a home office, be sure to implement a system for backing up your electronic media.

TECHY TUESDAYS is a forum to discuss various technologies and web applications. I am currently hosting a series of posts called “Building a Blog.” This series discusses all of the things that I am doing to build this website. I will also discuss tips and suggestions for building your blog based on my own progress, as well as feed back from others. If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive updates by email or RSS reader.

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

In the last two weeks, I have had a business trip to prepare for and was gone for four days. I have also started the move out of my office. I am in the process of transferring files to an external hard drive that I can take with me when I move. In another post, I will talk about the remote storage service I will be using called Mozy. It is a great way to secure files against damage or loss to your computer or other physical hard drives.

Finally, I also traveled to Gulfport, MS last weekend and found a place to live. Our unofficial move date is July 17. In an upcoming post, I will let you know what I encountered and how I ultimately was able to find a good deal on a lease. So, stay tuned.

Modified Theme for Mondays – “Money Mondays”

I have come to realize that there are a lot of interesting things to discuss that relate to money that don’t necessarily have to do with making money. For example, this week, I’d like to share with you some additional insights related to the rental of my property, on which I intend to make money. Next week, for those of you that may be moving to a new location, I’d also like to discuss tips on finding a good deal on property for lease in a short period of time.

While I am still mostly motivated by activities that can make me money, sometimes I would like to focus my discussion on other interesting money-related issues, such as ways to save money. After all building wealth involves simultaneously making more money while spending less money.

So, I am modifying the theme for Mondays. From now on Mondays will be “Money Mondays” instead of “Make Money Mondays.” It just seems like a better fit. Please also let me know if you have any other suggestions for money-related content.

Rental Property Conversion Series: Property Has Been Listed, Now What?

My agent listed my house as a rental on the realtor’s database about three weeks ago. Since then, we have had a decent amount of traffic inquiring about the property, but no applications have been submitted. There are likely a number of reasons, but the greatest concern cited by prospective renters has been security in the neighborhood.

I live in an area of the city that has its share of crime, much like many other urban locales. There are very few, if any, areas of DC where crime is non-existent. In fact, even most of the affluent areas are within a one or two block radius of a crime hotspot. Whether it be a drug spot, a spot for prostitution, or an area with a high incidence of robberies and burglaries. You would be hard-pressed to find an area of the city existing in a vacuum immune to crime.

When I bought my house, I recognized that it was in an investment area. My research of this area before I bought my home indicated that it had specific plans for development and it was within 3 blocks of a commercially and residentially affluent area of the city. When I bought my house, there was a $650,000 difference between the price I paid for my house and some recently renovated homes 3 blocks way. These things were catalysts for my decision to invest here. Even taking into account the differences between the houses in terms of features and space, when considering the pattern of development, it seemed pretty likely that the location of my house was slated to appreciate significantly within a short period of time. Six months after I bought my house in 2004, it appreciated $50,000.

As an investor, I expected and accepted the edginess of the neighborhood coming in. But, I must remember that I came in at a lower price so my level of tolerance was much higher. As a higher priced rental unit, however, it understandably does not lend itself well to lower tolerance levels. This is demonstrated in the reluctance I am seeing from prospective renters.

My agent listed our property on the MLS real estate database, as well as Craigslist. I even went a step farther to list our property on the military housing database. Now, three weeks later with no submitted applications, my husband and I are reconsidering whether to sell, or at least whether to put the house on the market as a sale simultaneously with our rental listing. Another factor in our consideration is that our neighbor, who listed his house at full appreciation value, saw a contract for sale on his house within a week.

One of the reasons my husband and I chose to put our house on the rental market is that market indicators showed that the appreciation value on our house had fallen as of the end of last year in the wake of the economic downturn. So, we decided that we would convert it to a rental property in the meantime and wait for prices to bounce back. Now, market indicators are showing that the value of our property may not have fallen as much as we previously thought and that property values have recovered somewhat in many areas of this city.

Now, although there are a few things that will need to be done before listing our house for sale, we have decided to do a sale listing simultaneously with our rental listing. This basically would mean that if we get a credible lease application in the near-future, we will gladly accept. But, in a few weeks time, we now plan to list our house for sale. Thus, if we get the opportunity to sell our house at an acceptable price, we will move forward instead to sell the house.

In the event that we sell, we would take a bit of a hit from the expenses that we put into preparing our house to rent, such as the refinancing costs. But, in the alternative, if we don’t sell, we could still take a hit from having a vacant property. We’d end up paying a mortgage here and rent in Gulfport. So, it may come down to a lesser-of-two evils situation. Ultimately, even if we take a hit on expenses by selling, we would still profit if we sell at or near our target price.

Who said real estate wasn’t a gamble?

MAKE MONEY MONDAYS is a forum to discuss ways in which you can create additional sources of income.  I try to focus on particular ideas and steps you can take to create alternative income and passive income sources.  I have also begun a series of posts called “Rental Property Conversion.”  This series follows my husband and I as we turn our property into a rental property.  I will also research and post other useful information in this category. If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive my content updates by email or RSS reader.  

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Nevertheless, my location is not important for purposes of the starter list.  Here are some basic items that you will need to establish a home office, at least initially, even if you don’t yet have a place to put them. 

Phone

For obvious reasons, you will need a phone in your office if you will be dealing with clients or making other business related calls.  It is wise to have a business line separate from your home line so that you will have the ability to separate work life from home life.  In addition, you will be able to establish work hours. After hours it is nice to let your business calls go to voicemail.  Establishing a balance between work and personal/family time becomes more difficult when you move work into your home.  Thus, it is important to do all you can to separate the two, starting with your phone line. 

Computer/Laptop

I will be keeping the laptop given to me by my firm. It is a Lenovo Think Pad, an IBM computer.  My laptop provides me with basic functions for word processing, spreadsheets, power point and Internet browsing. 

Obviously your choice of a home computer will depend on the nature of your work.  Some computers are better for word processing-type functions, while others are good for graphic production.  Macintosh computers, for example, have a reputation for excellent graphic quality and utility. 

I have a Macbook Pro as my personal computer, which I use for things like blogging and all of my other personal functions.  I could write a whole post on choosing the right personal computer.  But, I won’t expand this discussion here.  You should do your own research to determine which is the right computer for your home office. 

Desk

Your desk choice will also be a very personal choice.  It will depend on the size and layout of your office.  There are many different shapes, sizes and colors of desks to choose from. 

Lamp/Lighting

Consider the light sources already in the room.  There is usually a central overhead light source as well as a window, which will provide light during the day.  Add additional lighting as necessary using lamps.  Also consider computer glare and the position of your desk or working space. 

Bookshelves/Bookcases

If you will have books and other references in your office, consider installing bookshelves or having one or more bookcases in your office. If you are working in a compact office, bookshelves installed on the wall are a space saver.  If your space is larger, or if you have a large supply of books, adding a bookcase will create more storage space.  Bookshelves and bookcases allow you to organize books and other reference materials.  For me, they avoid the inevitable piles of books on the floor and on the desk. 

You can also use bookends for small reference books.  In my current office, I have a very large L-shaped desk.  I use bookends to keep small reference books such as dictionaries and writing guides.

File Cabinet

File cabinets provide additional storage for important files and other documents.  While documents might also be kept on bookshelves or in bookcases, papers don’t stack uniformly, so papers on a bookshelf or bookcase can look quite messy.  In a file cabinet, papers are out of sight and can be organized more readily.  Some desks have drawers that can keep files.  This allows you to keep your files nearby.

Printer/Scanner/Fax

A combination printer/scanner/fax machine is probably the most practical and economic solution to have in a home-office.  First, having one machine will save space for a small home office.  Depending on your production levels and use of each feature, a combination printer/scanner/fax machine should be sufficient for your office. 

As of April 2009, CNET gave 4 our of 5 stars to the HP Photosmart Premium Fax All-In-One received.  According to its review, the HP Photosmart is “designed with the casual photographer and work-at-home professional in mind.”  Although CNET boasts on its high-quality prints, it notes that this product has a higher-than-average cost for black ink cartridges.  But, overall, it has a rating of ‘excellent.’ 

I plan to have an all-in-one printer/scanner/fax, but since my office will purchase this item for me, I don’t yet know which brand I will have.  Perhaps I will recommend for the HP Photosmart. 

 Computer Monitor

 I currently use a 13” computer monitor in conjunction with my laptop.  It creates an expanded view of my laptop and allows me to have two documents in view at one time.  I can also use it to view a document in one window while having an Internet browser window open in the other view.  It makes multitasking a lot easier when it is necessary. 

 In a small home office, or on a small office desk, using a laptop computer with a flat-panel LCD computer monitor will provide an expanded computer work area while saving space.     

 Other Items

 Other items that I will have initially in my home office include an external hard drive for storing and archiving electronic files, a large white board and markers for temporary diagrams and notes, and a large cork board to post important items in full view. 

 I will also have a broadband connection, a business fax line, a business phone line and a wireless card for remote Internet connection.   

 If you are transitioning to a home office within your present place of employment, work out with your employer prior to the transition, which items will be covered by your employer.  For me, my employer will cover such items as the computer monitor, external hard drive and printer, but they will not cover items such as the furniture.  At some later time, I will be looking into the extent to which I can make a tax deduction for the purchase of items used for my home office.  But, that is a discussion for another day.

 Which items would you start with when establishing a home office?

MAKE MONEY MONDAYS is a forum to discuss ways in which you can create additional sources of income. I try to focus on particular ideas and steps you can take to create alternative income and passive income sources. I have also begun a series of posts called “Rental Property Conversion.” This series follows my husband and I as we turn our property into a rental property. I will also research and post other useful information in this category. If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive my content updates by email or RSS reader.

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

The only excuse I can provide is that my schedule has been pretty topsy turvy in the past couple of weeks and I don’t expect it to improve near term. Two weeks ago, I was in party-planning mode and this past week I was preparing to have a friend stay for the weekend. I’d like to say that I am back on track, but truthfully, I am not.

Over the next month or so, I will need to ask you to bear with me and slight changes to my schedule as I prepare to move myself and my office down to Gulfport, MS. I will do my best to provide information to my readers if my schedule changes, but sometimes it will be unforeseen. I want to assure you that if I fail to post on a day that is scheduled, I will pick up the schedule for that day on the following week. In other words, except for Tough Life Thursdays, posts for other days will not stop indefinitely. Thanks in advance for your patience.

Glimpse

Now, without further ado, here is a Glimpse from next week’s schedule:

Make Money Mondays: Home Office Series: For my transition, I have made a list of the things that I anticipate needing in my new home office. I will discuss these and other items that will be useful to supply in your home office.

Techy Tuesdays: Home Office Series: I continue the discussion about finding the right Internet service for your home office. I will discuss appropriate speeds and whether you should purchase separate Internet plans for your residence and your home office.

Wedded Bliss Wednesdays: TBD

Tough Life Thursdays: Discontinued Until Further Notice

LITE FARE FRIDAYS is anything thing that I feel like discussing on that day. I will try to keep it light just in time for the weekend! . If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive updates by email or RSS reader.

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Don't Leave Me by abhinav.s

 Being in a military marriage, I have had to learn to handle all aspects of long distance relationships.  One of the most important things to learn in love at a distance is how to handle disagreements effectively.  By ‘effectively’ I mean in a way that allows both people to communicate their grievances and frustrations while also finding common ground to resolve the conflict. 

Airing Frustrations

I have come to realize how very important it is for me to be able to say what is bothering me.  It is also important to me that my husband acknowledges my feelings.  In turn, I realize that it may be just as important for my husband to be able to tell me if there is something that he does not agree with or that displeases him.  Communicating our feelings to each other is the first step in resolving a disagreement. 

When There Are Only Words

In long distance relationships, exchanges may occur only through verbal or written communications.  This may be particularly hard during a disagreement because couples do not have the luxury of communicating an angry or emotional disposition through facial expressions and body language, leaving only words.  Words without the context of physical expressions leave a lot open for interpretation by the other person. 

For example, when a couple is together and the man says something that is upsetting to the woman, she may give him a look of anger, turn her back and walk away.  Without words, she has communicated that she is not pleased.  In such a case, he has the opportunity to express his sorrow by putting his arm around her or kissing her softly.  Conversely, he may express his anger by leaving the room and slamming the door.  This exchange of emotion might all occur without the utterance of any words.

Couples in long distance relationships may not have this luxury.  I do realize that, through video media enabled via the Internet, a couple may actually have the ability to see each other in real time.  Such media would make it much easier to exchange not only words, but also emotional gestures in facial expressions and body language.

But, what if such technology is not available?  Many times in military relationships, spouses or loved ones are deployed to remote areas without the network capability to accommodate video media.  For these couples, there may be very few options for expressing non-verbal expressions of displeasure aside from angrily hanging up the phone or uncomfortable silences on the line.  For these distant lovers, an emotional exchange might only occur through words.

If There Are Only Words, Be Sure to Use Constraint

In a long distance relationship, words should be savored.  They should be used deliberately and mindfully.  In an argument, however, they may be used pointedly, harshly, angrily, hurtfully or impulsively, steering you far away from handling the disagreement effectively. 

Using constraint means taking a lot of the emotion out of the words.  It is certainly appropriate to express feelings of sadness and anger in response to words or other actions that have caused such emotions.  But, exercising constraint, so as not to express overly emotional impulsive responses is important for resolving the conflict.

Think about it.  When are you most likely to empathize with someone else’s feelings?  When are you most willing to listen to their side of the story?  It is probably not when that other person is yelling, screaming or saying very hurtful things to you.  In the same way, your lover will be most willing to work with you toward resolving a conflict when you are able to communicate your feelings calmly and clearly.

Think About What You Want to Say Before Saying It

It is often helpful to take some time, once you have removed yourself from an emotionally charged situation, to think about what has triggered such a reaction in you and how you would like to respond.  After taking time to reflect on your feelings, you should be able to tone down the emotion when you communicate your conflict.  But, doing so, however, does not mean denying that the emotion has emerged.

If you are angry, communicate that you are angry.  If you are sad, communicate that as well.  It is not what you say, but how you say it.  Communicate directly by stating, “I was angry when you. . .” or “when you said that to me, I was sad.”  If you think about exactly what caused your reaction and which emotion was elicited, you will be able to state this clearly and calmly to your lover during your next communication. 

It might be helpful to communicate through a writing, such as an email or letter.  In a writing, you will have the benefit of being able to ‘rehearse’ your communication.  And, if you are not pleased with what you have stated, you can erase it and write it again.  Be careful to use constraint in your writing as well. An angry writing will backfire as it does not give the person reading the opportunity to respond in a timely manner, which can leave that person feeling hostile toward you without the opportunity to defend his- or herself.

Even if you don’t want to send an email or letter, it is still very effective to write down your feelings when reflecting on the thing or things that have upset you.  Writing down your feelings helps you to organize your thoughts.  You might even have your ‘first response’ via this writing, allowing you to include all of the angry emotion and all of the hurtful words that you would have thrown at your lover had you not been using constraint.

Allow Your Partner to Respond – Listen

Once you have communicated your feelings, allow your partner the opportunity to respond in an unemotional way.  This allows both of you to get to the bottom of your disagreement and resolve the conflict, reach common ground, or agree to disagree.  It is likely that the response to your mindful words will be one with equal constraint.  This kind of communication avoids the sort of emotionally charged statements that can inflict great harm in your relationship.  Hopefully, through discussing your problem in an unemotional manner, you and your lover can understand each other and resolve the disagreement. 

Have you ever been in a long distance relationship?  How would you handle disagreements?

 WEDDED BLISS WEDNESDAYS discusses marital and relationship issues.  Although this is likely to be biased toward my own experiences in marriage and with relationships, I hope that you will join the discussion, ask questions, and suggest topics that you are interested in discussing.  If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive my content updates by email or RSS reader.  

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

I began following others online that were moving in the same direction in which I wanted to be moving.  I first began following Madison Dupaix over at My Dollar Plan.  I found her at a time soon after I was married and very interested in straightening out my own financial situation for the benefit of my husband and I.  Her path into early retirement, as well as her adoption of alternative income sources, including entrepreneurship and real estate investment, has also been an inspiration to me. 

One of my most pointed discoveries has been Pat on The Smart Passive Income Blog.  He is one of my favorites because he is so frank and personal about the things that he is doing to create alternative income sources.  His discussions are straightforward and very educational because he speaks about the things that he is doing, his successes and what he has learned along the way. 

In addition to my online resources, there are a few entrepreneurial individuals in my life offline that have given me inspiration.  Each of these individuals started their own businesses and has had relative successes in creating self-sustaining livelihoods.  In recent times, however, I have discovered that two of these individuals are considering re-entering the workforce.

One individual is a close friend of mine that I met while in law school.  After working for others a few years out of school, he and a partner started a law firm. Now, several years later, he is thinking about leaving his venture and transitioning from employer to employee.  

The second individual is the husband of a friend. Many years ago, he started a wireless retail establishment that was successful for many years.  My friend, his wife, who I met and befriended through an industry event, managed one of his stores.  A few years ago, he sold his business and now, he is thinking of returning to the workforce as an employee.    

These kinds of entrepreneurial stories have always inspired me.  While I am not ready to give up my career to start my own business, I’ve always relied on these types of stories as guidance for my own ambitions.  These individuals would provide a resource and a lot of education when and if I ever decided to take the plunge. 

Upon learning that these individuals were contemplating returning to the workforce, however, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.  I have always envisioned successful entrepreneurship as the greatest freedom. Their stories have fueled my own grandeur aspirations that, even if a little naïve, would always cause me to aim a little higher than I could actually land. 

I questioned how one could return to working for someone else after having complete autonomy in your own business.

I have spoken with both of these individuals about their decision to consider returning to the workforce.  Based on these conversations, I have learned that despite running your own business for many years, there may still be the desire to be a part of something bigger.  Besides, even if one has been successful in selling his business at a rather young age, life goes on and eventually this individual will need to make an income again. 

I’ve also learned that owning and managing your own business can fall short of the utopia that I have imagined.  Many times, when working with a partner, you discover that you have very different philosophies about how to maintain and grow your business.  If you are not seeing eye to eye with your partner, it can shatter your imagined potential, which can be a momentum killer.  At some point, when the question of where will this business be in five years does not have a promising answer, the next option may very well be to preserve your professional worth and reenter the workforce. 

I also understand now in talking with these individuals considering the return to the workforce, that having run your own business and having managed staff in that business almost certainly makes you a much better employee because now you have the perspective of the employer.  Now, you know what it takes to run a business.  Now, you know what is required of staff to sustain a business.  And now, you know how to promote the interest of the business in everything you do. 

In all honesty, I still feel a little disappointment.  Something in me needs to believe that once you venture out on your own and make your own way that you will not desire or need to return to being dependent on an employer.  Once you have been completely autonomous in the decision-making process for a business, that you would not return to having someone else make those decisions.  My aspirations depend on this view.  You may call me naïve, or even a dreamer.  But, if I have a nice high place to launch from then I can be confident of higher landing. 

MAKE MONEY MONDAYS is a forum to discuss ways in which you can create additional sources of income.  I try to focus on particular ideas and steps you can take to create alternative income and passive income sources.  I have also begun a series of posts called “Rental Property Conversion.”  This series follows my husband and I as we turn our property into a rental property.  I will also research and post other useful information in this category. If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive my content updates by email or RSS reader.   

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Make Money Monday:  From Employer to Employee.  I will look at why some are choosing to reenter the workplace after years of entrepreneurship or pursuing alternative income sources.  I encountered individuals that have done this or are thinking of doing this and it comes as kind of a blow to my own psyche.

Techy Tuesday:  Home Office Series: I will continue the discussion on finding the right Internet service for your home office.  I will discuss appropriate speeds and whether you should purchase separate Internet plans for your residence and your home office. 

Wedded Bliss Wednesday: Handling Disagreements in a Long Distance Relationship.  When your spouse is not with you, disagreements can be very delicate.  There are ways to soften the blow and still communicate your feelings. 

Tough Life Thursday: Discontinued Until Further Notice

LITE FARE FRIDAYS is anything thing that I feel like discussing on that day.  I will try to keep it light just in time for the weekend! .  If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive updates by email or RSS reader.  

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

The Woman Who Should Have Left Her Relationship Long Ago

This is the woman in a relationship that is physically or emotionally abusive or borderline abusive.  Many times, if this woman is not being physically hurt, she doesn’t even realize that she is being or has been abused. 

This relationship fails to meet up with any iota of a decent relationship.  It is a situation where, for a long time, this woman has endured a man who is noncommittal, disloyal, or generally unsupportive in the relationship.

My girlfriend calls this woman “Cookie Johnson.”  Earleatha “Cookie” Johnson is the wife of retired Los Angeles Lakers basketball star, Magic Johnson.  Throughout their tumultuous relationship, Cookie stood by Magic through his unwillingness to commit, his infidelity, and ultimately in spite of his contracting HIV as a result of unprotected sex with other women.  In a 1992 interview, Magic indicated that he had unprotected sex with so many women, he could not pinpoint who infected him. 

In the same interview, Cookie stated that after they were married and Magic revealed to her that he was infected, she could not leave because she loved him and because she did not want to deal with matters on her own.

As of that interview, Magic was resolved that he was doing God’s work to spread his message and was finally settled enough to be married to Cookie.  Cookie was resolved in supporting this man that she had been building love with for 14 years despite all of his offenses on her. 

Here, there is the ever-present question of whether Magic would have continued to sleep around had he not been infected.  It is quite possible that if Magic has become a faithful man, Cookie had no control or direct influence over that decision.  He essentially doesn’t have much of a choice now.

If you asked me, I would say that it is a relationship that Cookie should have left a long time ago.

The Woman Who Left Only to Pursue the Same Man Over and Over Again

Some women may eventually be wise enough or fortunate enough to leave a relationship with a man that treats her poorly only to find and date the same kind of guy, over and over again.  Thus, even though she has technically left one particular relationship, she effectively repeats that same relationship.

But, she is different from Cookie Johnson.  Although she is fighting the same battle, it is with different men.  It is hard to say who is in the better situation.  Cookie Johnson got her man in the end, but paid such a high price that it could never be worth it.  She paid with her life, her self-esteem, and her emotional freedom. 

At the same time, the woman who dates repeat offenders may not get the man in the end.  To the extent that she continues the same pattern of dating, she is likely to end up embittered and alone.  She has the potential for emotional freedom, but she has to find it.  She can to grow from her mistakes but must first recognize her relationship patterns as mistakes.

The Woman Who Left, Learned from Her Mistakes, and Moved On to a Better Man

Then there is the woman who may have had tumultuous relationships in the past.  But, she has recognized the poor nature of previous relationships, and has chosen to learn from her own relationship choices and pursue a better man and a better relationship. 

This woman recognizes that she only has a finite period on this earth.  She realizes that she can be treated well by a man.  She recognizes that there are men out there that will never make her question her values or her worth.  She knows that she must look inside of herself to determine her own worth and the values she possesses.

It may take most of her life to get to this place, but she is here now.  She is happy and content because before she found any man that was good to her, she found herself.  And since she can be clear about who she is, her new choices in men will undoubtedly be clear. 

Most importantly, if she makes another mistake about the man she has chosen (his timing, his infidelity, his failure to be supportive in the relationship), she is not afraid to make a quick exit to stay on course to finding a better man, and ultimately the right man.

Have you encountered any of these women in your life?  Are you one of these women?

WEDDED BLISS WEDNESDAYS discusses marital and relationship issues.  Although this is likely to be biased toward my own experiences in marriage and with relationships, I hope that you will join the discussion, ask questions, and suggest topics that you are interested in discussing.  If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive my content updates by email or RSS reader.  

  :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Over the next few weeks, I am preparing to transition from an office to a home office.  As part of my preparation, I have been thinking more and more about what I will have in my home office that will allow me to function with the same ease and efficiency that I have in my regular office now. 

One of the most important things for me to do is to find the right Internet service.  A typical day in my office now involves heavy use of the telephone, email, and Internet.  Once I transition to a home-office, my emails will most likely only be retrievable remotely via the Internet, as opposed to an internal network, the way I currently use email.  Therefore, it is imperative that I obtain the right Internet service for my home office.

An initial search of Internet service providers in the Gulfport/Biloxi, Mississippi area shows AT&T, Cable One, HughesNet (satellite Internet), and Wild Blue (satellite Internet).  Although Comcast offers service in Mississippi, it does not serve the Gulfport/Biloxi market. 

AT&T offers residential high-speed Internet with speeds up to 3.0 Mbps downstream and 384 Kbps upstream.

Cable One offers residential speeds of up to 3 Mbps downstream and 300 Kbps upstream. For business, Cable One offers a Small Office/Home Office package with much faster speeds of up to 8 Mbps downstream and up to 1 Mbps upstream. 

HughesNet offers home & office plans at speeds between 1 Mbps-3 Mbps downstream and between 128 Kbps-300 Kbps upstream. 

WildBlue has much slower speeds than HughesNet.  They offer speeds of between 512 Kbps-1.5 Mbps downstream and 138 Kbps-256 Kbps.

At first glance, it appears that Cable One will be the most promising provider as far as speed and packages appropriate for a home office.  They did not offer pricing online, however, so I will need to contact their offices to determine whether their service will be within budget for home office Internet service.

I will need to determine what is an appropriate speed for my home office.  I will use Internet for email, general online research, web-accessed seminars, and uploading large documents to our FTP site.  It may be that 1-3 Mbps downstream and 384 Kbps upstream will be sufficient.  

At any rate, once the appropriate Internet speed is determined for your home office, there may be other factors that make the Internet connection patchy or unreliable that can not be identified until the home office is in use.  Some of these issues may need to be dealt with on a per-occurrence basis are not always based on the particular Internet service.   

TECHY TUESDAYS is a forum to discuss various technologies and web applications.  I am currently hosting a series of posts called “Building a Blog.”  This series discusses all of the things that I am doing to build this website.  I will also discuss tips and suggestions for building your blog based on my own progress, as well as feed back from others.  If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive updates by email or RSS reader.   

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

In case you are not already familiar with eHow, it is an article directory on which you publish ‘how to’ articles.  You may also have an opportunity to be paid for your work under certain conditions.  You must be a legal resident of the United States.  Your article must be viewed and favored among readers.  Your compensation, according to eHow depends on many different things, including popularity, usefulness and the topic of your article.  But eHow is pretty vague on how articles are rated in these categories. 

Writing an Article

Writing an eHow article is pretty easy because it is basically a bullet-point list of the steps you would take to accomplish a certain task. 

After you have set up your account and when you are ready to begin writing, find the prompt on the home page entitled “Write an Article.”  From there eHow will prompt you to enter the title of your article. Since the title of the article will always begin with ‘how to,’ which is already there, your title should complete that sentence. 

Once you have entered the title, you may upload an image that will provide visual stimulus for your audience.  For example, if you are writing an article called “How to Make Apple Pie,” you might want to upload a picture of an apple pie, or of someone preparing the ingredients for an apple pie.  Providing such an image gives your article immediate context once someone arrives on the page.  Readers will recognize your topic before they have read the title.  Be sure that you have the authority to publish the photo and always provide due credit.  eHow provides fields for you to fill in a caption and provide a photo credit.

At the end of the first page, eHow asks you to rank the difficulty of accomplishing the task in your article, to provide an introduction and a list of items that someone would need to complete the task.  Once you have finished with this page, click the “save & continue” button to proceed to the next page.  This is where you will publish your article. 

You will write your article directly on the eHow website as opposed to uploading content from a file.  There are fields for each step in your process.  The eHow page gives you about 4 or 5 steps and after that, you click on the “add a step” button to continue.  I am not sure there is a limit to the number of steps.  My article had 8 steps.

Once you are finished writing in the content, eHow asks you to list any helpful tips or cautionary points to anyone following the instructions in your article.  So, for example, if you are writing about how to do a particular exercise, you might state a warning that anyone with a back injury should be cautious.

Lastly, eHow will prompt you to add tags to your article and choose a category for filing the article.  Article tags help to optimize your article for search engines.  Choose tags that are directly relevant to your subject-matter.  For example, if you are writing about how to groom a Yorkshire Terrier, your tags might be: dog grooming, pets, pet grooming, and Yorkshire Terrier. There are many other keywords that you can use as well. 

In categorizing your article, eHow lets you choose up to 5 categories.  It is a good idea to list your article in as many relevant categories as possible.  People searching for your topic might arrive at the subject in a number of different ways. 

After these final steps toward publishing your article, eHow lets you go one step further to publish your article to Facebook.  I liked this feature because it added another level of marketing the article I published. 

MAKE MONEY MONDAYS is a forum to discuss ways in which you can create additional sources of income.  I try to focus on particular ideas and steps you can take to create alternative income and passive income sources.  I have also begun a series of posts called “Rental Property Conversion.”  This series follows my husband and I as we turn our property into a rental property.  I will also research and post other useful information in this category. If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive my content updates by email or RSS reader.  

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

I will miss them both very much when I leave. We’ve been a close-knit bunch for a good part of my life. 

As a child growing up, my mom reared me as a single parent until I was in high school.  For the first part of my life, she was both mommy and daddy.  She taught me how to be an independent woman. Although a little later in my life, she has also shown me some cherishable things about married life. 

My stepdad entered my life when I was a teenager.  At that time, I wasn’t used to having a man around, but he soon became a fixture.  He married my mom and we became a family.  In hindsight I am thankful to have him and his extended family as part of our family.  But, I was a reluctant teen and slow to fully accept his presence in our lives.

Theirs would be the first marriage that I would live within.  Although my grandma is still alive, my grandpa died long before I was born.  So although I’d often hear my grandma speak about life when he was around, I would never experience my grandparents’ love or marriage in real time.

Once my mom got married I would witness for the first time what it meant to live inside of marriage.  It would be my first lesson in marital support and compromise.  It would be the first time I saw marital love. 

Through all of my teenage awkwardness and growth and maturity as a young woman, I now know that there are qualities about their relationship, in addition to love, that are rich and abundant and should be cherished. 

They have humor.

My mom has always had the gift of delivery and timing in humor.  Her sarcasm and dry humor are never dull and will always keep you on your toes.  She certainly keeps my stepdad on his toes.  Sometimes he is sharp enough to match wit and return fire.  Sometimes. 

They have support. 

Their support is mutual, complementary, and cherishable.

He contributes to maintaining my grandmother’s quality of life. He’ll bring fruit or get her trash or move her television.  He’ll also perform countless other tasks whenever requested by my mother.  His support for my grandmother is certainly support for my mother. 

She provides for his children and grandchildren as her own.  She’ll throw a party or babysit the grands or make personal gifts incorporating photos of our whole family.  She will also do countless other tasks whenever requested by my stepdad.  Her support for his family is certainly support for him.

He provides for me, her daughter.  He will secure a grill and chairs for a party at a moment’s notice.  He will provide extra tickets to a basketball or baseball game.  He will arrange complimentary rounds of golf for my husband and I.  He will also provide countless other things for me, at the request of my mom.  His support for me is certainly support for my mom.

She supports his business.  She will provide administrative assistance, such as typing a letter or sending an email or making a call.  She will also give her time to welcome participants in his charity golf tournament.  Her support for his organization is certainly support for him.

They are kind to each other.  He gives her flowers, sometimes just because.  She makes him coffee in the morning, to start his day.            

They have companionship.

While they each live very full individual lives, they always take the time to come together for family and for themselves.  They watch movies together, play golf together, and attend sporting events. Together.

Today, they will attend a Nationals game for my mom’s birthday and they have invited me to come along.  It will be a gorgeous night and I am looking forward to spending the evening with them. 

WEDDED BLISS WEDNESDAYS discusses marital and relationship issues.  Although this is likely to be biased toward my own experiences in marriage and with relationships, I hope that you will join the discussion, ask questions, and suggest topics that you are interested in discussing.  If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive my content updates by email or RSS reader.  

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Today, I ask how moving my blog to a paid host might improve the business of my site, what I would have to do to move to a paid host, and whether now is the time to make the switch.

What will it mean to switch over to paid hosting?

A switch to paid hosting means instant autonomy.  One of the downsides to free-hosted web applications such as WordPress.com and Blogger is that the creator of the website – you – is not the owner of the website.  When you create a website with a free host such as WordPress.com or Blogger, you are subject to the terms and conditions of those providers. 

In addition, you do not own your domain. Owning a dedicated domain name for your site promotes credibility especially in business.  A domain name from subdomain providers such as WordPress.com and Blogger free-hosted sites look something like this: www.yourblogname.wordpress.com or www.yourblgname.blogspot.com, where your blog name is inextricably intertwined with the subdomain host’s name.  If you own a business, it is a lot more credible have a dedicated domain containing only the name of your business or related keywords.   

Subdomain accounts also dictate how much bandwidth your site can support.  Thus, if your site is attracting increasing amounts of traffic, the subdomain provider could choose to shut down the site once your bandwidth maximum is reached. 

Moving your website from a subsdomain to a paid host gives you autonomy, the ability to have a dedicated domain, and increased bandwidth capacity that you choose. 

What will I have to do to make the switch?

1. Choose a Host and Publishing Platform

iNetPublication lists its editor’s picks for the top three web hosting services as (1) midPhase; (2) Easy CGI; and (3) Start Logic.  Each of these services offer hosting for under $8.00 a month for 2-3 GB of storage space.  I haven’t yet gone as far as researching paid hosting services, but when I do, I will be sure to check up on these sites.  They seem to provide valuable services for the price. 

I think that I will stay with the WordPress’ blog publishing platform.  I am accustomed to WordPress’ platform through their free-hosted service.  In addition, WordPress’ platform is reputed to be very user-friendly and simple to use. 

2. Purchase a Domain Name

When you move a blog to a paid host, you will want to have a domain name, which will be the address for your site. 

A few months ago, I purchased the domain ‘aspiretograce.com.’  So, once I switch over to a paid host, I will be able to point my blog to my chosen host’s server at the address www.aspiretograce.com.  As of now, I am forwarding www.aspiretograce.com to my subdomain such that when you type that domain into your browser, it directs you to www.aspiretograce.wordpress.com.  Once I move to a paid host, I will need to redirect my aspiretograce.com to the paid host’s server. 

One of the downsides to pointing my domain name to the subdomain now is my inability to track referrals.  If someone follows a link directly to my subdomain, WordPress will tell me who referred the link.  So, in other words, I will be able to tell from which site the visitor is coming, whether it is from Twitter, Facebook, or another blog or website.  But, if the link is www.aspiretograce.com, the referral information will originate only from www.aspiretograce.com.  Thus, I am not able to tell where a visitor is coming from if they have clicked on the aspiretograce.com link.  Having accurate referral information is important because if you can tell where your traffic is coming from, it will help you target your marketing.

3.  Find a Good Step-by-Step Guide to Moving to a Paid Host

Gemma Baltazar of The Lady Programmer (on JaypeeOnline) provides pretty comprehensive step-by-step instructions on moving a blog from Blogger to a new host using the WordPress.org blog publishing platform.

Some of her suggestions include:

• Backing up your existing blog
• Choosing a publishing platform and upgrading to the latest version
• Purchasing domain name 
• Choosing a theme
•  Announcing the move to your readers 

What Have I decided to do?

As you may already know, I will be moving in about two months.  If you’ve been keeping up with other post topics on Aspire to Grace, then you know that I am in the process of converting our primary residence to a rental property, preparing for the transition to telecommuting, and looking for a place in Mississippi.  So, I will be pretty busy for at least the next month.

Do I have time to move Aspire to Grace to a paid host now?   The short answer is ‘no.’

One of the reasons for writing this post was so that I could go through the motions of determining what value and effort would go into moving over to a paid host.  I have learned a lot about this topic and have answered many of my own questions.  

As excited as I am about making the move, however, I have decided to wait.  Since purchasing a paid hosting service would mean a sharp increase in responsibility for maintaining my site, I think it wise to wait until I have more time to take full advantage the service.  Once I make the move, it will be time to take Aspire to Grace to the next level in terms of design and functionality.  I simply do not have the time right now to jump all the way in to get my money’s worth. 

Once I have moved to Mississippi, I will reopen this topic for consideration.  I anticipate being ready at that time since I will have a lot more time on my hands during the month before my husband returns from Kuwait.

What are your thoughts? Have you tried paid hosting?

TECHY TUESDAYS is a forum to discuss various technologies and web applications.  I am currently hosting a series of posts called “Building a Blog.”  This series discusses all of the things that I am doing to build this website.  I will also discuss tips and suggestions for building your blog based on my own progress, as well as feed back from others.  If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive updates by email or RSS reader.  

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

So, instead, I only managed to set up my eHow account.  Here are the things I observed while setting up my profile.

Setting Up a Profile

I had created an eHow account a while ago but had never set up my profile.  I completed the setup this past Saturday. 

I started with the avatar for my profile.  An avatar is the image that you will use to identify yourself.  I am using this animated avatar, which I got from my account with Yahoo! Answers. 

I did a brief search online for an interesting avatar, but soon grew bored.  I didn’t want to use an actual photo, so I cheated and took the avatar that I made for my Yahoo account and pulled it over to eHow.  I simply saved the avatar as a file in my iPhoto library on my Mac and uploaded it to eHow.  Fast and simple. 

There was a time where I didn’t place much stock in animated avatars, but they have grown on me.  I think it is important to have an image that identifies you and provides a consistent visual reference for your audience.  I’m not sure at this stage whether a photo is better for building creditability on a site such as eHow.  I wouldn’t have a problem with using a real photo, I just don’t have one suitable for this forum at this time.  I may change my avatar later. 

I also enabled Twitter in my profile.  eHow will notify Twitter whenever I publish or comment on an article.  I will set this up initially.  Once I publish a few articles and/or comment on other articles, I will be able to gauge what, if any, value there is in having Twitter enabled on eHow.  If it looks too spammy then I will disable the Twitter notifier.  Although I am very interested in marketing my works eHow and on here, I am very sensitive to things that might be perceived as spam.  So, I will play this by ear. 

Lastly, I completed the remaining fields in the profile builder, which include inputting Interests, Expertise, Education, and Favorites.

Earning Compensation for Writing

In order to earn compensation for writing articles on eHow, you must enroll in the Writer Compensation Program.  Only legal residents of the United States are permitted to enroll or the opportunity to earn money for articles.  When setting up a payment account with eHow, the site asks for your taxpayer name and ID.  So, if you are like me and write under a pen name, you will be required to enter your real name and social security number or employer ID number under which you pay your taxes.  eHow indicates that all such information is kept confidential.   

The Supplemental Terms of Use applicable to your Writer Compensation Program include the considerations used to determine whether and how much the author will be paid for an article.  The criterion is rather subjective and is in the sole discretion of eHow.  They are:

• Popularity of the article;
• Number and quality of inbound links to the article;
• Topicality and newsworthiness of the article content;
• Usefulness and applicability of the article content;
• User response to your articles, such as positive reviews and comments;
• Degree of specialization of the article content; and
• Quality of the writing.

I would imagine that things like ‘quality of inbound links’ and ‘usefulness and applicability’ could be pretty nebulous as applied to your work.  In addition, eHow also does not disclose the percentage of your earnings that they are taking, which is a negative in my opinion.  That being said, there is some earning potential here.  Since eHow articles tend to be basic how-to references on subjects in which the author may be an expert or at least very knowledgeable, there may not need to be a lot of research and other preparatory work that goes into writing articles for eHow.  In that case, the somewhat small effort that may go into writing an eHow article may offset the negatives of nebulous criterion and vague percentage breakdowns. 

Arbitrary Termination Provisions

Although this may not be a deal-breaker, every author publishing an article on eHow should be aware of the biting arbitrariness of eHow’s discretion to terminate your account “for any reason or no reason.” 

So, technically, eHow could just decide one day, for example, that it does not like that you spell your username, Marianne, with an ‘i’ and not a ‘y’ and terminate your account while blocking your access to the site.  Once your account is closed, eHow may continue to publish the article(s) that you have written, subject to its own terms for the removal or modification of content by you. 

It is not clear from the terms whether eHow will continue to compensate you for content you have published on the site once your account is terminated or whether you are able to get a distribution of monies already accumulated to your eHow account. 

It is important to have at least a marginal understanding of eHow’s terms and conditions before using the site to avoid surprises later on and to better leverage your awareness of the existing terms against your participation on the site. 

I may write a follow up post once I publish an article to eHow if I make any additional interesting observations.  Have you published any articles on eHow?  What have you observed about using the site?

MAKE MONEY MONDAYS is a forum to discuss ways in which you can create additional sources of income.  I try to focus on particular ideas and steps you can take to create alternative income and passive income sources.  I have also begun a series of posts called “Rental Property Conversion.”  This series follows my husband and I as we turn our property into a rental property.  I will also research and post other useful information in this category. If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive my content updates by email or RSS reader.  

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Make Money Monday:  TBD

Techy Tuesday: Building a Blog Series: Is it Time for Paid Hosting, pt. 2: I will continue my discussion of whether now is the time for me to switch over to paid hosting. 

Wedded Bliss Wednesday: TBD

Tough Life Thursday: Discontinued Until Further Notice

MODIFIED SCHEDULE FOR ASPIRE TO GRACE

You may already know that I will be moving to Mississippi in July.  I can feel the crunch on time and have many things to do to get ready for the move. Those things include preparing our house for the rental market and finding a home in Mississippi.  In the meantime, I will continue working full time and am party- planning for at least one and maybe two parties at my house.  I am also continuing to provide updates to Aspire to Grace.  I am going stir crazy right now as you can imagine. 

In the interest of sparing additional time to accommodate my schedule, I have decided to discontinue Tough Life Thursdays until further notice.  This will give me an extra day to concentrate on my other obligations.  After looking at my stats and considering the subject matter for Thursdays, which is pretty random at the moment, I realized that removing this day will have the least impact on Aspire to Grace. 

So, until further notice, you will still find my regular updates for Make Money Mondays, Techy Tuesdays, Wedded Bliss Wednesdays and Lite Fare Fridays. But, on Thursdays, you will not see an update.  On Thursdays, you will continue to see the post from Wednesday.  On Friday, you will get the usual Glimpse and Roundups.

Please bear with me for these next couple of months.  When I emerge from this schedule, hopefully sometime in July, I plan to rethink the entire schedule and may make additional modifications.  But, at any rate, I hope, at that time, to get back to posting everyday. 

LITE FARE FRIDAYS is anything thing that I feel like discussing on that day.  I will try to keep it light just in time for the weekend! .  If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive updates by email or RSS reader.  

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Most prenatal vitamins will contain these and other essentials for preconception periods.  The following are recommended vitamins and supplements for healthy, well-nurished women.  Always see your doctor first about the proper regiment for you. 

Folic Acid (Vitamin B)

Folic Acid is a vitamin B supplement.  It is known to reduce the risks of such fetal and birth defects as spina bifida, and anencephaly, which is incomplete brain development.  Folic acid supplements should begin at least one month prior to conception to ensure effectiveness.  Women are recommended to take 400 mcg (micrograms) daily for preconception.

Other Vitamin B Supplements

Vitamin B₁ plays a role in converting carbohydrates into energy and is necessary for proper function of the nervous system.  Women are recommended to take 1.1 mg daily during preconception.

Vitamin B₂ assists the body in its use of energy from different food sources.  Women are recommended to take 1.1 mg daily during preconception. 

Vitamin B₆ promotes amino acid and protein metabolism and a healthier nervous system, immune system, red blood cells and cardiovascular system. Women are recommended to take approx. 100% of the daily value for Vitamin B₆ during preconception, while never exceeding 100 mg_.

Vitamin B₁₂ is necessary for normal red blood cell formation.  It also needed to help maintain the nervous system and cardiovascular health.  B₁₂ is especially important for vegetarians.  Women are recommended to take approx. 2.4 mcg daily during preconception. 

Niacin (Vitamin B) assists the body in its use of energy from different food sources and is essential to maintaining a healthy nervous system, skin and digestive tract.  Women are recommended to take 14 mcg daily during preconception.

Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B) is necessary for the metabolism of fats, protein, and carbohydrates.  Women’s recommended daily dosage during preconception is 5 mg.

Biotin (Vitamin B) is also necessary for the metabolism of fats, protein and carbohydrates.  30 mcg is considered an adequate dosage of daily intake during preconception.  A recommended dosage has not been established.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A assists with the maintenance of healthy bones, skin, and gastrointestinal and urinary tracts.  It also plays an essential role in maintaining vision. Women are recommended to take 2300 IU (international unites) or 700 mcg RAE (Retinal Activity Equivalents) daily during preconception.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D strengthens bones and teeth by assisting the utility function of calcium and phosphorus in the body.  Women are recommended to take 200 IU daily during preconception.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E has antioxidant properties.  It works with Vitamin C to protect cell membranes from damage.  It is not well-established that Vitamin E can reduce the risk of miscarriage or age-related decreases in fertility.  Women are recommended to take 15 mg (milligrams) daily during preconception. 

Vitamin K

 Vitamin K plays an important role in normal blood clotting.  It also assists with placing calcium into the bones.  Women are recommended to take 90 mcg daily during preconception.  

Iron, Zinc, Calcium, Selenium, Other Minerals

Iron helps our immune system and assists the oxygen-carrying compounds hemoglobin in red blood cells.  Women are recommended to take 18 mg daily for preconception. 

Zinc promotes metabolic processes, growth, immune system function, tissue health and a healthy appetite.  Women are recommended to take 8 mg daily during preconception. 

Calcium maintains bone and teeth strength.  It also helps to maintain muscle-contraction, blood pressure regulation, and immunity.  The safe and adequate intake of calcium is 1000 mg daily during preconception.  A recommended dosage has not been established.  

Selenium is an antioxidant working in conjunction with Vitamin E for the protection of cells.  Women are recommended to take 55 mcg daily during preconception. 

Other minerals and their recommended daily doses for preconception include:

Phosphorus: 700 mg.

Magnesium: 310-320 mg

Iodine: 150 mcg

Copper: 900 mcg

Manganese: 1.8 mg

Fluoride: 3 mg

Chromium: 25 mcg

Sodium: minimum of 500 mg daily, no recommended dosage established.

Chloride: minimum of 750 mg daily, no recommended dosage established.

Potassium: minimum of 2000 mg daily, no recommended dosage established.

TOUGH LIFE THURSDAYS is a self-development forum.  It takes from my own experiences and desired self-improvement, and I hope it will evolve through input by you and others.  If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive updates by email or RSS reader.  

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

I started thinking about what goes into making a baby.  I mean aside from the obvious actions.  During the period before conception, which I will call pre-conception, what is the emotional cycle experienced by both the man and the woman?

For the woman…

There was a short period of time before my husband left for deployment during which we had made the decision to try and conceive.  I stopped taking contraceptives and started paying closer attention to the timing of my cycle. 

I soon realized that, for a woman, trying to conceive is bound to cause some anxiety and disappointment.  Even though I knew that I was unlikely to conceive in the first month or so after discontinuing contraceptive use, I still felt the disappointment.  The things I’ve read say not to fret if it doesn’t happen right away.  It can take anywhere from 3 months to a whole year to conceive. 

I was also dealing with hormonal changes that go along with the discontinuance of birth control.  Women who are going off of the pill should be aware that you may notice emotional and hormonal changes in your body as the hormone levels in your body rebalance.   I experienced a mix of depression and emotional instability.  It didn’t last for too long and it was a relief to understand that it was very likely due to the change in the hormone levels in my body.  

Mostly, I felt excited.  I was excited about finally planning to get pregnant.  I was excited at the thought of having children with my husband.  I was very excited about the prospect of being a mommy. 

For the man…

What is a man feeling while his woman is trying to conceive?  I have been trying to gain some insight into this question.  If I were to try and answer for my husband, I’d say that he can feel nervous.  He can be impacted by the emotions of the woman. He doesn’t want to see her disappointed.  He wants to be ready.  He wants to feel spontaneous, not lobbed into strict routine involving the taking of temperatures and ovulation testing. He wants to feel wanted for his prowess not just for his sperm. 

I would say that often man’s state of mind is lost on his woman’s emotional state.  His disposition is downplayed.  But, I’d also say that a man can be just as excited and just as disappointed as his woman.

I can only guess what my husband is feeling and thinking in this time of pre-conception.  I know that at times, he just wants to tell me to relax and have faith that things will fall into place. 

Additional insight…

Here are some resources providing additional information for couples trying to conceive:

Check out Mason Brown’s hilarious rendition in Trying to Get Pregnant.  Trust me, it is the funny that is missing from this post.  I cried laughing.   

The ThinkBaby website also provides great information on conceiving, giving birth, babies and parenting.  

Tomorrow I will be discussing things that a woman could and should be doing now with her body and her lifestyle during pre-conception. 

WEDDED BLISS WEDNESDAYS discusses marital and relationship issues.  Although this is likely to be biased toward my own experiences in marriage and with relationships, I hope that you will join the discussion, ask questions, and suggest topics that you are interested in discussing.  If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive my content updates by email or RSS reader.  

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

I still have a ways to go building and marketing this website and receiving enough traffic to enable me to earn an income.  As part of this process, I have been thinking more and more about moving over to a hosting service for which I would pay.  I had always intended to do this down the line and even possibly before traffic levels get high enough to warrant such a move. 

My question today is whether now is the time. 

When I sat down to write this post, I realized that I had quite a bit more to say about this topic than I thought at first glance.  I also realized that I am short on time to get this post published.  So, I will break this post into two parts and post the second part next week.  But, you will have to wait until next week to find out whether I have decided to move over to paid hosting at this time. 

When is it time to switch from free to paid hosting?

In a previous post, I discuss some of the benefits of owning a domain name, especially for a business.  Owning your own domain name and coupling it with a paid hosting account, gives you complete control and discretion when it comes to the content and applications on your site. 

Sometimes free hosted, subdomain sites such as WordPress.com and Blogger have restrictions.  For example, some free services won’t allow you to post ads on your page.  Therefore the alternative income side to blogging is severely limited.

The benefits of paid hosting include web support to help you when you are having a problem with your site and the ability to increase bandwidth to accommodate a growing website. 

Great bursts of traffic can take down a subdomain site.  With a paid host site, you have a lot more control over the function of your site.  With the right design, paid hosted sites can look and feel like a higher quality site, which will be good for your business. 

Am I there yet?

I have not yet reached the traffic levels that would compel me to move to a paid host service.  However, traffic levels would not be my only reason for making the switch. 

With a paid host service, I will be forced to learn a lot more and a lot faster.  I will also be able to improve the look and design of this website.  Part of the process of building this website and increasing traffic will include improving the look and feel of Aspire to Grace.

I notice the better quality of sites like The Smart Passive Income Blog and Trish Jones.  These sites include graphics that are a bit more enhancing and compelling.  The visual quality of the sites, in my opinion, is more appealing. 

On this site, I am currently hosted by WordPress.com’s free host service.  I have limited capabilities to manipulate the appearance and functionality on this site as far as improving visual quality and efficiency.  I realize that I may not have tapped into the full potential of WordPress.com’s applications, but I am aware that there are limitations to these types of sites even though I may not be equipped to specify all such limitations here.  That’s why I will need to do a little more pecking at the surface to really figure out whether this is the right move at this time.  Who knows, with a little more research, I may discover additional improvements to make to this site before making the switch to paid hosting.

If I consider the benefits of paid hosting, which include the ability to improve the quality of this site and have full discretion to design and implement alternative income functions, I could be ready to move to a paid host.  But, there are still some other considerations that I will take into account. 

Next week, I will discuss what it would mean to move over to a paid host and what I would have to do to make the switch.  I will also look at whether it is worth the move at this time, considering some of the other things that I need to get done before my move to Mississippi in July. 

Stay tuned for the rest of this discussion. 

In the meantime, do you have any stories to share about moving over to paid hosting?  I’d love them. 

TECHY TUESDAYS is a forum to discuss various technologies and web applications.  I am currently hosting a series of posts called “Building a Blog.”  This series discusses all of the things that I am doing to build this website.  I will also discuss tips and suggestions for building your blog based on my own progress, as well as feed back from others.  If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive updates by email or RSS reader.  

 
:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

The professional work that goes into transitioning from commuting to telecommuting is ongoing and includes relationship-building and strengthening, establishment and clarification of objectives and goals, and the demonstration of value and enhanced performance. 

I will discuss some of the logistical work that goes into transitioning to a home office at the time that I am setting up my home office.  I think the discussion on logistics should be captured at the time that I am implementing them.

The Professional Work  

During a recent summit at my firm, the subject of billable hours was raised and a discussion ensued about ways to attract more business, including upselling services existing clients. For me, this discussion is timely. Once I move to a home office, away from the main office, it will be more important than ever to maintain a continuous workload, while being less reliant on the home office resources.  

At the same time, there is still other work that I will do to preserve the existing relationship with my employer. If you will be transitioning to a home office at sometime in the future, I would recommend considering the following.   

Building and Strengthening Relationships

Prior to transitioning to a home office, it should be a priority to build and strengthen professional relationships, as well as relationships with clients.  You may already be doing this, but this will become even more important when you are no longer in the office. 

Consider the colleagues that you are currently working with on a routine basis.  Inform them of your impending transition and provide a plan of action.  How do you intend to communicate with them?  How often?  How will you utilize them and their areas of expertise to support yourself in business from your remote location? 

Will you need additional administrative support to assist with tasks that you will no longer be able to achieve because you are not in the office.  These tasks might include large print jobs, or research utilizing resources only available at your office.

 Inform support staff that you will rely on them for such items.  It is better to let them know before you leave.  Sometimes in large offices, we take for granted the support we receive from administrative staff.  It will be important to establish a rapport with such staff in person prior leaving since, after relocating, you are likely to only be dealing with them by email or phone.

If you will manage client accounts, it is important to strengthen your existing relationships with clients.  Let your clients know of your impending transition.  You may want to reassure your clients that your relationship will not change. 

If you be able to offer additional value to your clients because of your transition, let them know this as well.  Perhaps you will be in a better position to do client visits or will be able to be more flexible with time, be sure to communicate these things beforehand. 

Establishment and Clarification of Objectives and Goals

What are the objectives and goals set out for you in your position now?  Get clarification on objectives that are not clear or that have not been articulated.  It is easier to have a clear understanding of your employer’s expectation.  This should be used as your minimum basis for accomplishment. 

What are your personal business goals?  On top of your existing objectives, what other things do you intend to accomplish above the minimum? 

I would suggest writing down all objectives and goals.  Sometimes having such items in list form in a visible location will help you to implement and achieve the items on the list. 

Your goals should also incorporate an agenda to promote the building and strengthening of relationships and the demonstration of value to your employer.

Demonstrating Value: Maintain Your Presence/Flaunt Your Relevance

Once you transition to a remote office, you must aim to avoid an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ mentality setting in as far as you are concerned.  To maintain your presence with your employer, you may have to flaunt your relevance in a number of areas.

How will you stay fresh in the minds of those that matter in your office?  You must demonstrate the value to your employer in keeping you around as an employee, even remotely. 

Think about the things that you are already bringing to the table.  You may be a prominent rainmaker, able to attract new business or provide valuable contacts, or you may be a team leader or have specialized skills making you an important asset to your employer.  Whatever it is that you are bringing to the table, it will be very important to maintain the value in these things while offering additional things on top of these such that you are offering increasing value over a period of time.

If you were making a transition from commuting to telecommuting, what kind of preparations would you make?

MAKE MONEY MONDAYS is a forum to discuss ways in which you can create additional sources of income.  I try to focus on particular ideas and steps you can take to create alternative income and passive income sources.  I have also begun a series of posts called “Rental Property Conversion.”  This series follows my husband and I as we turn our property into a rental property.  I will also research and post other useful information in this category. If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive my content updates by email or RSS reader. 

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Make Money Monday:  From Auto Commuting to Telecommuting – As I prepare to make the transition from reporting to an office everyday to telecommuting from a home office everyday, I will discuss some of the changes that I will need to make in the way I do my job.  When telecommuting, it is important to maintain a strong and permeating presence with employers and with your clients. 

Techy Tuesday: Building A Blog Series: Is it time for me to start paying for a hosting service?  I want to look at this question a little closer and decide whether now’s the time to go at it alone. I will examine the question of when is the right time to leave the safety of free host services and host your own website.

Wedded Bliss Wednesday: TBD

Tough Life Thursday: TBD

ROUND UP

• The perfect rendition of the Working Woman’s Schedule.  I feel so understood!

• Every once in a while, it is good to have a reminder to Stop Reading, Start Doing.  Here, Kevin Muldoon from Time to Tweet reminds us not to spend all of our time reading other people’s blogs at the expense of updating our own.  Scheduling is key and although reading others’ blogs may help us with our own writing, he suggests not spending more than 25% of your allotted blogging time reading other blogs. 

• After writing a great post about Vacation Proofing Blogs and Social Networks a couple of weeks ago before being married and honeymooning, Kristi over at Kikolani is back with renewed vigor and writes about her Post Vacation Productivity.  I have been learning a lot from Kristi about social networking from reading her blog. 

LITE FARE FRIDAYS is anything thing that I feel like discussing on that day.  I will try to keep it light just in time for the weekend! .  If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive updates by email or RSS reader.  

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Even though I hadn’t officially started my house search before yesterday, my husband had started sending me listings from Craigslist a couple of weeks ago.  The houses were gorgeous, but I decided to wait a while before seriously pursuing property.  At that time, although a few of the listings excited me, I was powerless to take any action.  It was too far out for me to make a commitment and I was not prepared to travel to Mississippi at that time to see any of the properties.  So, my excitement was futile.  I decided to just wait until the beginning of May to begin my search. 

I will also plan to travel to Gulfport at the end of May or the beginning of June to look at properties.  By the first part of June, I might be ready to make a commitment.  I might even decide to move a little earlier if the right place comes along. 

If you are planning to find housing in an place where you’ve never lived, here are some things you can do to stay on track.  This may be especially useful for my fellow military families who are moving to the next duty station in an unfamiliar area. 

Visit Before You Start Considering Property

If it is at all possible, I would definitely recommend visiting the place to which you intend to move before you start looking for a place to live. You will get a much better feel for how it will be living there, if you’ve seen it for yourself. You can also plan to visit different communities in search of one suited to your interests and budget.

I have only been to Mississippi one time in my life and that was back in February of this year when I went to visit my husband right before he deployed to Kuwait.  It was supposed to just be a visit to spend some time and say our goodbyes. 

Luckily, with limited things to do in Mississippi, we kind of planned on the fly to drive around in search of desirable communities for living.  At the time, we thought we might want to try and buy a house (well, really it was me that wanted to consider it) so we were actually looking at new houses for sale.  But, we ended up finding a couple of really nice communities and these became our target communities.  I will look at these and other comparable communities when trying to find a home. 

While in Mississippi, my husband and I were also fortunate to have had a waitress in a restaurant that lived in the same area and was able to tell us which areas to stay away from.  She had bought her house right before Katrina hit and was able to offer us some great insight into living in that area.

Property Listing Websites: Craigslist, Military by Owner

If you intend to find your own housing, as opposed to going with a real estate agent, websites offering real estate listings are a great and convenient tool.

Yesterday, I started with Craigslist (Craigslist.com) and Military by Owner (Militarybyowner.com).  On both of these websites, you can specify a state and an area for finding property, as well as other criteria such as the number of bedrooms and rental price range. 

Once I found a property I liked, I sent an email inquiring about whether the property was still available and whether it would be shown.  In some cases, I requested additional information, such as a street address or community designation and more photos. 

Since it is important to my husband to be only a short distance from the base, I also used Google Maps to determine the location of a particular house and its proximity to the base. Google Maps has a great satellite feature that allows you to view the street where a house is located.

Plan to Go and See Properties After You Have Made Some Selections

If it is possible, plan a second trip right before it is time for you to move to go and see the properties you have selected.  You will definitely want to do a walk-thru of the property to look for defects and things that were not represented or were not represented accurately in the property listing.  These things will be red flags that you will need to use to weight and rank your selections. 

In case you are not able to see the property yourself, maybe you can make other arrangements if you have family or friends in the area.  Recently a work colleague of mine moved to Washington state.  Since he wasn’t able to travel out there to see properties for himself, he got a friend to go and look at the properties instead.  It is always a good idea to have someone’s eyes on the property, someone that you trust, before you make any commitment.

I will continue to search for properties over the next couple of weeks and will then plan a trip to Gulfport to see these properties for myself.  Even though my husband will not be home to visit with me, he will participate in the selection through the internet and by email.  He will be able to see the properties online and we can discuss our options on the phone. 

Have you ever had to move to a place where you have never lived or even visited?  How did you find a place?

TOUGH LIFE THURSDAYS is a self-development forum.  It takes from my own experiences and desired self-improvement, and I hope it will evolve through input by you and others.  If you like what you see here, please use the orange icon at the top right to receive updates by email or RSS reader.

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::