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By subscription only! Welcome to another issue of:

                "THE BALANCED WOMAN".

Thanks to all of you who have encouraged your friends to subscribe!  You are important to us.  So rest assured we will NEVER sell or give away your email addresses to anyone!!

We realize that not all of the email programs available can accommodate our size.  So you can also find this issue of The Balanced Woman at: http://www.betweenfriends.vjungle.com/issue27.html

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              IN THIS ISSUE
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       => Welcome
       => Feature Article: "Seeing the Miracles"
       => Household Hint
       => Web Pick
       => Fashion Tips
       => Parenting Tip
       => Classified Ads
       => Pampering Yourself
       => A Little Laughter
       => Site Updates
       => Help Others without Spending a Dime!
       => Subscribe/Un subscribe information

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                       WELCOME

Summer has finally arrived here in Southern California!  I know it's hard to believe but May and June are full of gray, overcast weather.  So it's nice when the sun finally comes out and it "feels" like summer.  It always puts me in the mood for the beach and makes me feel 16 again!

This month's article may have gotten a little off topic but "seeing the miracles" is part of living a balanced life.  Besides, it was something that just "had to be written"!  You'll see what I mean, just keep reading!

Don't forget to check out our site updates at the end.  We've got a new recipe, a new poll and a couple of new articles!

May the readers in the U.S. have a happy and safe 4th of July.

Until next month...
jackie

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               This Month's Sponsors!

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No pressure, just information. Visit my site and fill out the information request form: http://committed.to/switchstores

         ALL EARS - All About Disney World
A free weekly newsletter that provides both the most current and reliable information available and complete planning tools for a vacation to Walt Disney World. Published in affiliation with Deb's Unofficial Walt Disney World Information Guide
        http://wdwig.com/contents.htm
              http://allearsnet.com

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Feature Article: Seeing the Miracles
By:  Jacqueline McLaughlin Hale
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Some things just write themselves…They're easy to identify.  They're the songs that sweep you away with the composer in a sea of musical notes perfectly blended together and backed with enough emotion to suspend your reality for just a moment.  They're the compositions that move you, that make you FEEL when you hear them.  They take you on a journey inward and allow you to see things more clearly, if only for an instant.  And when you hear them, you know they've moved the performer too.  She is singing or playing the notes effortlessly, to a song that had to be written.

They're not always music, these things that write themselves.  They're the artwork that draws you in to the colors and the textures and the environment created with paints, a canvas, and a lot of imagination.  When you see these paintings you cannot take your eyes off of them.  They too move you and touch you in a place kept hidden from the rest of the world.  They're pictures that had to be painted.

They're the words you read that reach out and grab you and demand your attention.  They're the truth you recognize at a level that's softer, more loving and more forgiving than the level in which you live each and every day.  They change your perspective just enough so that you never look at life in exactly the same way again.  They are words that had to be written…

Recently a subscriber wrote to me.  Among other comments, she referred to me as "uplifting".  I had to smile.  It wasn't that long ago that I was anything but "uplifting".  I was angry, bitter and frustrated.  I didn't want to live that way.  Who does?  So, I studied everything I could get my hands on that was motivational and positive.  I understood it all.  But I couldn't LIVE it.  I struggled for years to implement what I had read.  But it wasn't until I got that one email referring to me as "uplifting" that I knew I had finally succeeded!

So what worked?  Which theory, which book, which idea changed my outlook and ultimately my life, for the better?  None of them.  It was this ezine and mostly the women who read that was the catalyst that began the journey of a lifetime…

For years I had been disgusted with the mainstream media.  I was tired of the constant barrage of violence, sex and gossip.  It seemed as though you could never read or hear about anything good.  With all of this evil and negativity spewed at all of us constantly is at any wonder that I was bitter?  I boycotted it.  I refused to see, read or buy anything with dark intonations.  I found the Internet instead where I could pick and choose the news I received with just one click of the mouse.

Along the way, I decided to start a newsletter.  There were no decisions to be made.  I was going to publish something that looked at the brighter side of life.  It was my goal to bring positive messages into homes and families, to give women something good to focus on, if only once a month.

As you can imagine, to publish something cheery or inspirational, I have to actively seek out all of the wonderfully wise lessons and messages that really do surround us every day.  I have to be able to "see" the miracles!  Seeking and seeing all of this makes me FOCUS on the beauty, the wonder and the perfection in life.  Slowly the anger, bitterness, and frustration faded away.

In the process, I rediscovered a passion for writing and finally learned that words are anything but meaningless.  They are powerful!  They do have impact, like the songs, and the artwork that write themselves.

Sometimes when I write, for an hour or two, my reality is suspended.  I am lost in the thoughts and the feelings and the world I am creating.  Time can pass.  My family can be all around but for those moments there is no time or space or anything outside of the ideas I feel I must express.

Sometimes what I write, writes itself.  The words just have to be written.  And I can only hope that once they are they will move you, take you inward and change your perspective just enough so that you never look at life in exactly the same way again.  Perhaps, just perhaps they will inspire you too to "see" the miracles…
 

Jacqueline McLaughlin Hale is a CPA and the editor of Between Friends: Resources for Mothers (http://www.betweenfriends.org) Between Friends contains household hints, time management tips, articles on organization, parenting, money management, career, self employment, self improvement and more!  Subscribe to its FREE monthly ezine, The Balanced Woman.  Visit today!

Webmasters and publishers may use this article in their ezine or website, as long as the *entire*
article is used, and the *copyright notice* and *resource box* are left in tact, including this notice

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Dinner planning -- Homework help
Organizing tips -- Home business ideas
Pregnancy planning -- Time for me
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Celebrate the joys, battle the turmoils... it's everyday life with the real people of Homefront. Food, home, garden, career, health, & more. http://fromthehomefront.com or subscribe FREE via email mailto:headlines-on@mail-list.com

FREE SAMPLE!  Daisy Fresh Pantiliners!  The More Comfortable Pantiliner!  Go to http://www.bedaisyfresh.com for more info. Then, email Ginny@bedaisyfresh.com for FREE package of 22!

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            HOUSEHOLD HINT OF THE MONTH

Did you forget to turn off the coffeemaker?  Is there burned coffee at the bottom of the coffeepot?  If so, try this.

Fill the pot with water and vinegar and let it soak for several hours or overnight. Then use crushed ice as an abrasive to scrub the bottom of the pot. (The ice won't flavor the coffee like other cleaners might.)

Excerpted from http://www.emazing.com

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                   WEB PICK!

Finding it harder to keep that New Year's Resolution to eat healthier or lose weight?  Does having a busy family keep you from eating like you should?  Are you eating too much fast food?  If so, check out Food Finder.

All you have to do is enter in your diet perameters, click and obtain a listing of all the fast food restaurants that will help you stay "legal"!  Create a menu based on your own nutritional profile, put it in the glove-box of your car, and you can make intelligent decisions about where to eat when driving around  http://www.olen.com/food/

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Parent like you mean business!  Stop nagging and fighting with your kids!  Get your home running more smoothly than it has ever run before.  Discover a simple, effective and proven system for putting sanity back into your life with the new book THE BUSINESS OF MOM!

For a full description and to order your copy securely, visit my Web site at http://www.betweenfriends.org/1.htm

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                   FASHION TIPS

When dressing to look slimmer, wear skinny diagonal stripes. Horizontal stripes create more width and add pounds.  Diagonal stripes appear more fluid.  Skinnier diagonal stripes make you look thinner!

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            PARENTING TIP OF THE MONTH

Make your summer days go much more smoothly.  After your kids wake up in the morning, tell them what the plan is for the day!  Get detailed.  Let them know that you'll start out by going grocery shopping, then you've got to go to the Hallmark store to buy a birthday card, then to the post office to mail it, then home for lunch and then off to the pool!

Young children do not have any control over their lives.  You dictate what they do and when.  So, it helps them if they know what to expect.  How would you feel if your spouse dragged you around all day and didn't tell you what you were going to be doing?

Give your kids and yourself a break.  Share your plans for the day with them!

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                    Classified Ads

         A BETTER LIFE:ITS YOUR FUTURE!
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                Pampering Yourself

Take a picnic to the beach or to a park.  Find a spot where people are sparse.  Take a book or a magazine.  Write that letter you've wanted to write or just sit and think.  Watch people.  Enjoy the outdoors.

Completely fill your nose and lungs with the natural scents of the flowers and trees around you, with the air you're breathing.  Watch with wonder and awe as the birds fly about you.  Listen to their songs.  Be in the moment!

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                     A Little Laughter

                  TECH SUPPORT
Dear Tech Support:
Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a slow down in the performance of flower
and jewelry applications that had operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0

In addition, Husband 1.0 un-installed many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.9, but installed
undesirable programs such as NFL 5.0 and NBA 3.0. Conversation 8.0 no longer runs and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system.

I've tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.  What can I do?
Desperate

Dear Desperate,
First keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an entertainment package,while Husband 1.0 is an operating system. Try to enter the command: C:/I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME and install Tears 6.2. Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications: Guilty 3.0 and Flowers 7.0.
 
But remember, overuse can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0, or Beer 6.1.
Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will create SnoringLoudly.WAV files.

DO NOT install Mother-In-Law 1.0 or reinstall another Boyfriend program.  These are not supported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have a limited  Memory and cannot learn new applications quickly.  You might consider buying additional software to improve performance.  I personally recommend Hot Food 3.0 and Lingerie 6.9.
Good Luck,
Tech Support

Tech Support Joke used with permission from, the unconventional Psychologist, Dr. Dorree Lynn.  Dr. Lynn has been improving upon conventional methods and creating innovative approaches to better the mental health of her clients for over 30 years. Visit her website at http://www.sanecrazy.com and be sure to check out her book, "Getting Sane Without Going Crazy" http://www.sanecrazy.com/dcomm/bookform.html

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Site Updates...http://www.betweenfriends.org

Please stop by and cast your vote at our completely anonymous site poll, if you haven't yet.  This month's poll asks:

What is your biggest summer challenge?  While there, you'll also find the results of the previous poll at http://www.betweenfriends.org/poll.html

This month's recipe is Easy Mexican Lasagna!  Submitted by Debbie Bishop, a Balanced Woman subscriber it is of course, quick, delicious and easy!  You can find the link for it at http://www.betweenfriends.org/househol.htm

If you have an easy, family recipe you'd like to share please send it to me at jahale95@yahoo.com and we'll feature it in an upcoming newsletter

   Take a look at our newest articles on the web:

"Make Staying Home With Your Kids a Reality: A Six Month Plan" http://betweenfriends.vjungle.com/stayinghome.htm

"10 Tips to Organize and Simplify Bill Paying" http://betweenfriends.vjungle.com/billpaying.htm

(If you have liked what you've read, please forward this newsletter to friends or family members who you think might enjoy it!  It might encourage them to subscribe.  Thanks!)

Finally, please jump on into our message boards.  I've had a few people email me with laundry problems, cleaning problems, etc.  I posted them on the message boards hoping you could help.  You can find the link on our home page at http://www.betweenfriends.org  Your fellow subscribers thank you!
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        HELP OTHERS WITHOUT SPENDING A DIME!

JUST CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW!  YOUR CLICKS HELP FUND THESE WONDERFUL ORGANIZATIONS!

Meals On Wheels http://www.GiveMeals.com

The Hunger Site  http://www.thehungersite.com

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                    Disclaimer

The appearance of advertising in The Balanced Woman should not be interpreted as an endorsement by the editors of the service, product, business, or program being advertised.  We take no responsibility for claims or representations made in any ads.  The Balanced Woman is for informational and entertainment purposes only.  The ideas and information expressed in it have not been approved or authorized by anyone either explicitly or implicitly.  In no event shall Jacqueline McLaughlin Hale be liable for any damages whatsoever resulting from any action arising in connection with the use of this information or its publication, including any action for infringement of copyright or defamation.  The opinions expressed by our columnists are not necessarily the position of The Balanced Woman.

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Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001 JA Hale
Editor's Comments: If any of you have any ideas, comments and suggestions on how we can improve this e-zine please let me know.  Just send an email to: jahale95@yahoo.com

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