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The Balanced Woman!

The Balanced Woman
May 2002
Issue 36
Jackie Hale, Editor

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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://angelfire.com/sd/BalancedWoman/issue36.html

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IN THIS ISSUE

=> Welcome
=> Feature Article: "Inspiration and a Life of Balance"
=> Household Hint
=> Web Pick
=> Fashion Tips
=> Money Matters
=> Classified Ads
=> Pampering Yourself
=> A Little Laughter
=> Site Updates
=> Recommended Resources
=> Recipe of the Month
=> Help Others without Spending a Dime
=> Subscribe/Un subscribe information

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This Month's Sponsors

ATTENTION FRUGAL SHOPPERS!
Shop Smart & Save! Visit TheFrugalShopper.com to find HUGE SAVINGS on hundreds of DAILY DEALS & FREEBIES, frugal living hints and tips, and much much more! Stop by today and get your FREE Subscription to The Frugal Shopper Newsletter
http://www.thefrugalshopper.com

Library Of E-Cookbooks
With over 100,000 world class recipes, the E-cookbooks Library is the leading source of cookbooks on the internet. Unlike most other recipe sites, you can download entire cookbooks with just one click!
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WELCOME

It's May already! Why is it that the older you get the faster time flies??? Life is ironic in that way. And speaking of life...

Need a little inspiration? So did I! Read about it in today's feature article. Did you know that May is national sleep month? It sure is and our web pick is sure to help you with any sleep issues you might have.

Mostly, May is about us---Mothers! So if you'd like to give yourself a FREE Mother's Day gift here is your link to FREE full version software! Get yourself a Cosmopolitan virtual makeover. Plan your next vacation. Consult with a lawyer, do some estate planning and much more! You won't want to miss out! It's for real! (You may have to copy and paste the link into your browser window)
http://www.planetlucky.com/retail/default.asp?affiliate=1883

I'm also pleased to announce that I've partnered with Expedia.com to be able to offer you some of the lowest travel deals around. Book airfares, hotels, rental cars, cruises and more at a fraction of the cost. I know! I've booked numerous hotels and airline tickets through Expedia and found such good deals, my friends and family are using them too. Summer season is quickly coming. So if you're planning a trip, visit Expedia   (click on "Expedia")

Finally, the recipes stopped flowing in fast and furiously for our recipe contest! Come on we all could use a little cooking help and what mom couldn't use 140 time saving tips. That's what you'll get if your recipe is chosen. So send them in (jackihale@yahoo.com). You'll help your fellow subscribers and you may learn to save some time in the process. Sounds like a win-win!

Until next month...
jackie

PS Don't forget, our site updates and easy recipe of the month are at the end.

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Feature Article: Inspiration and a Life of Balance
By: Jacqueline McLaughlin Hale
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One of the key ingredients to creating and maintaining a balanced life is inspiration. It reminds us of what is truly important. It grounds us. It makes us feel like an integral part of a bigger picture. It gets to the heart of who we are. It strips off the masks we wear. It is honest.

Inspiration sparks creativity, induces passion, generates love, makes us feel connected and tickles our emotions. It brings us to life!

And so I have been trying to write an “inspiring” piece for you as much as for me. It has been a while since I have done so. But I am finding that to write an inspiring piece, I must be, well----inspired and inspiration has been something lacking in my life for a few months now. I have been waiting for it for quite some time. I miss it. I want it. I need it. I am better when it fills me.

I have wondered where it went and why it left. I concluded that it got lost or forgotten when the demands of day to day life took over and interfered with its magic. No matter how balanced I want to be or how much I want to be inspired, there is still business to tend to, laundry to wash, groceries to purchase, meals to cook, kids to raise, homework to correct and a house to clean. After all of that, there just doesn’t seem to be much room left over for inspiration.

But then, out of the blue, a moment of inspiration hit. I was on my way to Office Depot to pick up a few supplies when I had to stop for a red light. There spread out before me was the most luscious, green landscaping I have seen in as long as I can remember. Brilliant and vibrant trees lined the road on both sides. The branches swayed hypnotically with the mild breeze and purple and yellow ground cover filled the soil beneath. It was absolutely breathtaking and I was lost for an instant in the beauty of it all.

Too soon the red light turned green and the cars behind me honked to make me go. All too quickly I was pulled out of my enchanted state and forced to go on with the day.

Later on that evening I thought back upon that one brief moment of inspiration and remembered something I had once read. It asserted that if the quality of your life isn’t what you want it to be, it’s because you’re asking the wrong questions.

Indeed I was. I was asking where my inspiration went and why it left me. None of that mattered. “Where” and “why” were unimportant. My inspiration was gone. That’s all that mattered.

The better questions were: How could I get it back? How could I feel it again? Where did I need to go to find it? That’s when it began to appear all around me. Inspiration doesn’t fill me every minute of every day but I have started to notice it more frequently in the trees, the flowers, the gentle breeze, the birds’ songs, the warm Spring air…the colors of life.

People appear to be nicer and more helpful. Strangers hold the doors open. Passersby smile. Store clerks come to the rescue when my arms cannot hold anymore.

As it turns out, inspiration never left me. I left it. In the busyness of my days and the “to do’s” to get done I forgot to see it, to notice it and to pay attention to it.

Recognizing inspiration doesn’t have to take long. In only an instant it can takeover your senses. It can happen in the car, at the office, in the backyard or at the grocery store.

But experiencing it and letting it fill you is as much of a life force as air or water. Without inspiration there is no passion, love, connectedness or joyous emotions.

This morning I noticed an incredible flower garden on the side of a road that I frequent every day. This afternoon I picked an absolutely perfect pink rosebud from my front yard. And best of all, I marveled at the happiness and perfection of my young son. Inspiration doesn’t get any more inspiring than that…


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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HOUSEHOLD HINT OF THE MONTH

To easily remove burnt on food from a skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan and bring to a boil on the stovetop. The skillet should be much easier to clean.

Learn 140 time savings techniques to help you put hours back into your day! Visit http://www.betweenfriends.org/maximize.htm

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WEB PICK

Did you know that May is "Better Sleep Month"? Who doesn't have trouble falling asleep from time to time? And I don't know about you, but I've noticed women seem to have a lot more problems with a good night sleep than men do.

So if you want information and help on all things sleep related take a look at:

http://www.mysleepcenter.com

No matter what's got you awake, you'll find plenty of resources here!

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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 ebook 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


5 Things That Can Kill Your Clothing Budget

Copyright (c) 2001 by Diana Pemberton-Sikes

Everybody loves new clothes. They make you feel good, they garner comments, and they can lift your spirits if you're feeling blue.

But they can also kill your clothing budget if you regularly engage in one or more of these buying habits:

1. Piece-Mealing.

Buying clothes without a plan is like taking a road trip without a map. A whimsical skirt here, a trendy blouse there, and you'll soon find yourself with lots of odds and ends that don't with anything else.

2. Clothes That Require Special Care.

Find a great tissue-weight silk blouse or a linen suit that you just couldn't resist? If it spends more time in the “needs to be hand washed” or “needs to be ironed” pile than on your back, it's no bargain.

3. A Fantastic Piece...That Doesn't Go With
Anything Else.

If you can't incorporate it into your wardrobe without buying other pieces to make it work, it's not a deal.

4. Something For Somebody Else's Life.

A beautiful sequined gown marked down from $600 to $60? Great, huh? Maybe. Maybe not. If you're life's softball, not sequins, it's a $60 mistake. Leave it on the rack.

5. A Dress You Don't Like But It's Designer and
It's 50% Off.

Don't let the designer label skew your thinking. If you don't like it now, you won't wear it later. Save your money—and your closet space—for something worthy of your attention.

Diana Pemberton-Sikes is a wardrobe and image consultant and editor of "Fashion Savvy", a monthly online newsletter dedicated to helping women achieve more success through dress. You can visit her online at http://www.fashionforrealwomen.com

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MONEY MATTERS

What is a mutual fund? This month's definition comes right from the Securities and Exchange Commission. No one should be able to explain it better than they can!

"A mutual fund is a company that brings together money from many people and invests it in stocks, bonds or other assets. The combined holdings of stocks, bonds or other assets the fund owns are known as its portfolio. Each investor in the fund owns shares, which represent a part of these holdings.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission does not guarantee the appropriateness, fitness, or suitablility of any mutual fund and makes no investment recommendations of any kind."

http://www.sec.gov

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Classified Ads

A BETTER LIFE:ITS YOUR FUTURE!
Enjoy Humor, Inspiration, Romance, Fitness, Nutrition & Personal Finance- all aimed at helping YOU to take control of YOUR future! Subscribe FREE at: http://webmarketingezine.com

WEB MARKETING EZINE
Let us help YOU succeed on the Web with Tips, Tools, News & Views on Web Marketing and E-Commerce, from a street-smart Marketer. Subscribe FREE at: http://webmarketingezine.com.
THE HUMAN FACE OF WEB MARKETING

This ezine is listed at http://www.ezinelocater.com/topics/women/wmn104.shtml

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Pampering Yourself

The BEST way to pamper yourself is to TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH!

Stop hating your body.
Stop trying to make your body into something it
is not.
Feed yourself nourishing food.
Drink lots of water.
Exercise.
If you're over 35, get a mammogram.
Schedule your annual exam.

Discover 100 no to low cost ways to pamper yourself and make it a daily habit! Visit http://www.betweenfriends.org/100ways.htm

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A Little Laughter

One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm a mother was tucking her small boy into bed. She was about to turn off the light when he asked with a tremor in his voice, ''Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?''

His mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug. ''I can't dear,'' she said. ''I have to sleep in daddy's room.''

A long silence was broken at last by his little voice. ''The big sissy.

joke courtesy of: http://www.mysleepcenter.com

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

Take a look at our newest articles on the web:

"Speed Cleaning"
https://www.angelfire.com/sd/BalancedWoman/speedcleaning.htm

"6 Easy Time Tips"
https://www.angelfire.com/sd/BalancedWoman/6easytimetips.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!)

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THE WHAT'S FOR DINNER COOKBOOK
More than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. Free chocolate and Sunday breakfast recipes with every order. Click here to order. http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?jahale/recipeclub

1001 BEAUTY AND WEIGHT LOSS TIPS
1001 Beauty and Weight Loss Tips, Homemade Skin Care and Hair Care Recipes and More! http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?jahale/penny

DIVORCE WELL
"Divorce Strategy for Men and Women" reveals the secrets of men, women, lawyers, financial tax experts and private investigators! This book a must have for those going through divorce. http://www.divorcewell.com

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9 FREE health and beauty related ebooks! http://1001beautytips.com/freeebooks.html

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RECIPE OF THE MONTH:

Thanks to Theresa Neumayer of FL, this month's winner in the monthly recipe contest! For her entry, she will receive a complimentary copy of "Maximize Your Moments: A Busy Mom's Guide to Time Management"!


Easy Beef Burgundy

chucks of beef stew meat
2 cans french onion soup
1 cup (or more!) red wine or red cooking wine
bag of noodles, 16 oz.

This recipe is easy, but taste like you're a chef!

Brown meat in a little oil, you can flour the meat beforehand if you wish.

Pour in the wine, soup, and 1 cup of water.

Let simmer covered, about 2 hours (if it must be less time, that's ok)--your house will smell DELICIOUS!

Add the noodles, add more water or wine if necessary to cover noodles.

Cook uncovered until noodles are done.
Serve!

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HELP OTHERS WITHOUT SPENDING A DIME

The Hunger Site is back! Click here and you will feed a hungry person. It doesn't cost you anything! 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, 2002 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: mailto:jackihale@yahoo.com

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