How to Make Time Your Friend Not Your Enemy

As working moms, wives, and so much more our biggest challenge is managing time. We constantly fear that we do not have enough time in the day to get it all done. Some may say this is an unrealistic fear when compared to others, however, working from 9 - 5 commuting to and from work for 30 minutes to an hour already puts us at a disadvantage with time. Most of us will get home anywhere between 6-7 pm which leaves us with maybe 3 hours for our family, and self and usually me time is spent sleeping. But what if time really wasn't the problem, or even the way we manage it? As I have learned everything starts with your mindset so what if the way we view our time was really the issue instead of lack of time.

You often here time is money, but do you watch your time like you watch your money? I would bet it's a no. But unlike money when we spend time we cannot get it back. We cannot work hard to make up the difference. So we should actually manage our time way better than we manage our money. If you were only given $24 for today how would you spend it? You knew a portion of it was already allocated to different aspects of your life, such as tithes, bills, and so on, and at the end of it all you really only had $5 to do whatever you want with. How would you spend that $5? Getting an additional $24 tomorrow was not guaranteed and you couldn't save any money for tomorrow. What would be the best use of this $5?

This is exactly how we should think of our time. We are only given 24 hours and a portion of it is already gone. We know this so why do we fret and dwell over the time already spent. We spend a significant portion of our day at work and may an hour or two going to work and coming home. So why do we even get upset about that? It's what we do. We should now really focus on the time left over and how we can best use that time to satisfy all that we need. Will you spend an hour of the time watching a reality show or doing puzzles with your kids? Will you spend that time fussing or drinking a nice glass of wine with your spouse? How about spending an hour in the bath or out with the girls (that will be more than an hour, hehehehe).

I want to challenge you to stop thinking about all the time we spend doing the things we will do anyway, and start thinking about the time you do have figure out how you can make that time work for you. Although tomorrow is not promised we don't have to do it all in one day. Prepare for tomorrow but spend your time wisely today.

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Cost Effective Tubal Ligation Reversal

In these tough economic times there are many people having to cut back on expenses. And, the same holds true for those who are looking to have a child after tubal ligation. When this happens, most couples are told to look into IVF. Although IVF helps many couples become parents, it is very expensive. Just one round of IVF can cost $10,000-$15,000. Unfortunately, the first round of treatment does not work for many of the couples who have invested so much time and money. Having to take out of work for the treatment visits also adds stress.

Is there a less expensive way for a couple to have a baby of their own naturally? There is, and it is known as tubal ligation reversal surgery. This is where a woman who has had a tubal ligation will undergo surgery and have her damaged fallopian tubes repaired by an expert reversal surgeon. The surgery costs about $7,000 and surgery time is about an hour.

Although tubal reversal surgery costs can vary greatly there are ways to have the surgery performed safely and without being overpriced. The first factor is the location where the surgery is to take place. Many in the medical field are still under the assumption that the surgery must be performed in a hospital. This is not true. Thousands of surgeries are performed in outpatient facilities. The leading tubal reversal center is able to keep the price low. Not having the surgery performed in the hospital eliminates the extra costs affiliated with the different hospital personnel and departments. By having everything handled at the one center keeps things affordable for those who do not have extra thousands of dollars to just spend.

Another important factor when research cost effective tubal reversal surgery is the experience of the surgeon and staff. Because something costs less does not in any way mean that the medical care should not be top-notch. This is surgery and there can be complications with any surgery no matter how large or small the procedure. This is your health and safety and should be regarded as extremely important. Any questions you have should be asked to the surgeon and staff and all questions should be thoroughly answered.

Taking the time and finding the right reversal center is the best way do about things. The more knowledge a couple has the easier their decision will be to make. By asking questions and reading the couple will know when they have found the right tubal reversal surgeon and staff to help them with their journey. Tubal reversal surgery has helped thousands of couples become parents again after tubal ligation.

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Workwear for Women: What Does It Stand for?

Wondering again what to wear to the office? Does workwear for women have to be costly, bland or (even worse!) unappealing? How to work out your collection of clothes to combine looks, practicality and corporate spirit. Do clothes make the man - or the woman?

Having a "what-work-clothes-to-pick" headache yet?

Business wear is, in fact, much more than that famous "first impression" - it's a lasting impression that follows you, like the scent of a carefully chosen perfume. Don't think that, like the said perfume, it has to be so absolutely unique to you, though. Work clothes for women are designed to hold back your exuding femininity - you may like it or you may hate it, but this is how it is.

If you like dressing in a conservative style, then you're playing on your turf, congratulations to you! If, on the other hand, your personal dress code is more casual, artistic or progressive, choosing work clothes (blouses, shirts, suits) might seem like a somewhat more taxing process - and this is exactly where feminine imagination and versatility rule! Just think of it: it is not about restricting yourself, it's about re-inventing yourself in a different role, within a different environment and set of requirements.

So, what mindset would be more company-oriented when browsing through the various ranges of work clothes for women?

Consider what you are to the different persons that approach you during the day - what they need from you and what they expect of you:

• Your boss or superiors expect swift understanding, dedication to work, high performance, responsibility. Even if they know where you live or your kid's first name, you still are "human resource", a human tool to get the job done, to help the company keep working smoothly and effectively.
• Your co-workers expect collaboration, respect, non-antagonism. There's no use trying to differentiate yourself with your attire, as this will only attract negative comments - most usually behind your back.
• Customers expect reliability and skills in properly serving them. Looking cute and trendy will be held against you, if you happen to make the slightest mistake; on the other hand, they may find it easier to overlook an omission made by an otherwise very professional-looking person.
• Antagonists seek for a vulnerable spot to slip through, but you must clearly stand as an extension of and a watchdog for the company you're working for.

Always juggling seems to be a woman's fate. Within the above setting, workwear can be your ally, your shield and your weapon.

Wearing a grave-looking white or striped shirt under your monochrome work cardigan does not erase your natural flare and humour - it lets them emerge unexpectedly and, therefore, more sharply. A neutral or pastel work blouse soothes the eye and helps you create a relaxed atmosphere around you... until you strike with your unprecedented skills.

More than being a woman, you are a working woman, and you want to be noticed and remembered as such. Wearing the appropriate work clothes for your line of business will help you take the focus off your attire, put it on your professional persona and make it shine, pure and without the need for unnecessary enwrapments.

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Solving the Stay-At-Home Blues

A new Gallup poll reports:

"Stay-at-Home Moms Report More Depression, Sadness, Anger...The degree of difficulty of being a stay-at-home parent is evident in a new Gallup analysis of more than 60,000 U.S. women interviewed in 2012."

Looks like the 'problem with no name' as coined by Betty Freidan is back, however, under very different conditions. Things have changed. Betty's women were near-forced to stay home due to societal pressure and unequal access to the workplace. Neither of those conditions exist anymore. There has been a complete reversal on the former with a new pressure to have a career, and such significant strides on the latter than today's women in the workforce call themselves 'post-feminists' and claim complete victory in work-force equality.

The choice is there. A corner office and corporate expense account is waiting for women. Or is it?

The reality is that, for many thousands of women, the choice is not there. Low to middle income mothers are stuck in the day-care catch-22 - the cost of childcare wiping out almost all of their salary. Being a one-income family in today's two-income world requires serious sacrifice and thus increased struggle. Gallup's poll backs this up stating:

"... low-income stay-at-home moms are struggling the most. Many in this group are likely staying home out of economic necessity rather than by choice, and they likely feel pressure from tight finances and the demands of motherhood. "

This, however, doesn't answer up why women who can afford to stay-at-home are also more depressed than their working counterparts. Is the old myth that full time mommies are miserable really true?

The answer currently is yes, but not for the reasons you might think.

Laundry, washing dishes, running carpool - none of these activities are inherently depressing however there are two new conditions that exist today that make full-time mommy hood a struggle even for the most privileged.

Firstly, its simply not cool to be a stay-at-home mom. Society expects you to have a career and your value to the world is measured on your pay check. While it is true that a full-time mommy in 2012 would bring home a salary of $112,000 annually (MarketWatch) if they were compensated for their work, this is ignored, dismissed and considered irrelevant in the eyes of peers and government policy.

Secondly, its lonely to be a stay-at-home mom. Today, only 5 million of the around 61 million mothers of working age are stay-at-home (8%). Compare that to the 1960′s when 80% of mother's stayed at home. The busy suburban life-style of the stay-at-home mom has been replaced with deserted streets, empty stores and playgrounds filled with nannies.

Same 'problem with no name' but different causes.

In 2012, society has made motherhood a lonely and undervalued profession... of course mommies are miserable - why are you surprised.

The answer lies in women recognizing that attempting to live up to and, therefore, validating the frankly ridiculous societal expectations placed up us will continue to hold women back and make us miserable, whether in our corner office or our kitchen.

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Famous Jewelry Designers - How Did They Get Their Start?

How jewelry designers got started in their career seems to be a very interesting subject to a lot of people. Did they hit the ground running and become an overnight success? Were they "discovered" on a beach stringing shells by some wealthy investor who financially nurtured them into the sophisticated artist they became? Or did they slog it out for 20 years and gradually grow into fame and fortune?

There's just something compelling and so attractive about jewelry designers. I don't think a lot of other peoples' occupations stir up the same kind of interest and excitement. "Oooo, you're an insurance lawyer! Wow, how exciting! What made you want to practice insurance law?" Nope. It just doesn't happen.

How have some of the most famous, or popular, jewelry designers got their start? David Yurman, for one, was not an overnight success. He and his wife never expected the company to be the worldwide phenomena that it is today. They just wanted to make enough money to pay the bills!

At 16, he was already exhibiting talent, producing little angel sculptures that he was selling at his high school. He studied for a year at NYU, left for California to hang out for a year in an artist's commune, came back east to Greenwich Village and started studying with such famous sculptors as Jaques Lipshitz and Theodore Rozack. He was apprenticing as a sculptor with Hans Van de Bovenkamp when he met his future wife, Sybil Kleinrock.

Like so many other designers' stories, things started to happen when Sybil started wearing David's pieces. An art gallery owner wanted to purchase one of David's creations that Sybil was wearing at an art opening in 1970, and that, along with other important sales, prompted them in the early 1970's to open Putnam Art Works in the country.

During that decade, they spent their time doing art fairs, developing their craft, exhibited their artwork and jewelry, and learned the marketplace for fine jewelry. In 1980, the company David Yurman was born, and by the mid-80's had already established a national reputation and was showcased in Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman-Marcus, Bloomingdales and other high-end retailers. He rocketed to super-stardom when he created the Yurman signature cable bracelet, an oxidized twisted sterling cuff accented with gold, precious and semi-precious gems.

I've studied the early careers of many famous jewelry designers, and they are all so different! Some have studied extensively, others are self-taught. Some had the advantage of capital backing from investors, others slowly built a reputation and following, one piece of jewelry at a time.

But almost all jewelry artists had one thing in common: persistence! It took David Yurman 15 to 20 years to achieve the beginnings of the success his company now possesses internationally. David and his wife trudged through the entire decade of the 1970's doing art shows, slowly building his clientele and reputation as he developed and improved upon his technique and style.

David and Sybil may not have understood or formulated their goals early on, but I'd be willing to bet my firstborn child that as time on went their goals became razor sharp. There is one thing I can guarantee, however, being a jewelry designer myself. They LOVED what they did, and do. Nobody spends that much time on a path unless they are passionate and single-minded about it. Nothing gets in the way. Failure will not deter them. Hardship and despair are obstacles to overcome. A person doesn't just work as a jewelry designer; a person IS a jewelry designer. It's more than love; it is who we are.

I'm sure David Yurman and is asked incessantly how he became a jewelry designer. I'm asked that question frequently. Sometimes I give the flippant simple answer. "I made a necklace, and I sold it. Voila! AndreaGems was born." And it's true, in the most surface of ways.

But in reality I was at a crossroads in my life. As a successful real estate agent in downtown Chicago for 20 years, I was living the good life. But I was so tired of what I was doing, and I'd been tired for a long time. I felt like the life was being slowly sucked out of me. I couldn't imagine doing this for much longer, let alone for the rest of my life. But my husband and I was a two-income couple. Our lifestyle (and mortgage) was based on two high incomes. I was a prisoner of my job.

I come from a family of artists. I knew that I could no longer turn my back on my creative side. But how could I make money and be creative at the same time? This was a very difficult period. A caterpillar crawling out of his cocoon turns into a butterfly. What was this caterpillar going to turn into?

So what did I do to help me think through that period? I cleaned my house! I cleaned out closets, the garage, drawers, and in one drawer there were a bunch of necklaces that I hadn't worn in years. I got a little angry because they weren't cheap and I didn't especially like them.

I got a brilliant idea! I'd remake them into something I'd wear! What a concept! I decided to take a 2 hour stringing class, and I was shocked to see what beautiful things I created from those ugly necklaces.

That weekend, I went on a business trip to Miami with my husband, and wore one. One of his clients tried to buy the necklace off of my neck. I said no. He kept upping the price. It got ridiculous. I didn't sell it because I thought he was an idiot.

The next evening we went out to dinner, I wore another necklace. Another client of my husbands' wanted to buy that necklace off my neck for his girlfriend. He was a sweetie pie, so I sold it to him.

By the end of next week, I had sold all of the remade jewelry, and I thought that something fundamentally important had happened. It was as if the skies had parted and God had pointed his finger at me and said, "You have found your calling. Now go be fruitful and multiply... your jewelry".

And that's what I did. I jumped into jewelry design feet first, real estate be damned. I knew nothing about the business, but that didn't matter to me. I had discovered my calling.

It's now 7 years later. And that's another story...

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The Best Hair Styles For Fine - Haired Women

Some of the most popular styles designed for success are the bobs. There are several varieties of the bob and all of them look great.

• The Low Stacked Bob can be worn short, medium, or long. It is called a Low Stack when the top layer falls no more than two inches above the bottom perimeter of the hair. It is blended from the top layer to the bottom layer.


• The High Stacked Bob is worn on those who want shorter hair styles. It is called a High Stack when the top layer of hair falls three to four inches above the bottom perimeter of the hair. The hair is blended from the top layer to the bottom layer.


• The One Length Bob hair style is glamorous but can make coarse hair look like a pyramid and too thick on the bottom. The One Length Bob can fall anywhere from the neckline to the top of the shoulders. The perimeter should be parallel with the floor if the hair is too thin on the sides. If the hair is not too thin on the sides, then it may be angled up to any point from the jaw line to the chin.

Very short hair designs such as the pixie should be texturized a little and point cut with the scissors.

A length worn below the shoulders should be cut blunt on the perimeter with the scissors. Never layer the hair on the bottom of the design line. Layering will make it look too thin on the ends.

An under cut is another one of the most flattering styles. It makes the top layer of hair flip under and look thick on the bottom perimeter. An under cut is a style in which the hair on the bottom at the neck is a tiny bit shorter than the next layer of hair. Each consecutive layer thereafter is cut a little longer than the preceding layer.

Body perms will do wonders to give a lot of volume. Having a perm will not only make it look fuller but will make it easier to style and manage.

Rolling will create more volume. No matter if the style is short or long, it will look fuller and thicker when rolled.

Use products that are formulated especially for the type of hair. This includes shampoo, conditioners, styling aids, and hair spray. Products created especially for the individual will make the style look better and last longer.

Avoid styling aids with oils or silicone. They will make some styles look thin.

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How to Make Planning Your Wedding Less Stressful

As any bride could tell you, planning a wedding is no easy feat. In the period of time before your selected date you have the burden of choosing your dress, venue, flowers, cake, food, entertainment, bridesmaid dresses, and many more things that will determine the success of your wedding as an event. Before you have an anxiety attack, here are a few tips to make planning your wedding a little easier.

Expect a Few Hiccups

There is a saying that says that no one is perfect, well, the same thing can be said for events. To try and predict every possible curveball in your special night is impossible, and will take you away from enjoying your wedding. The best thing you can do is focus on the things that you can control, and leave the rest to fate and your wedding planner. You have the rest of your life to stress, on days that don't cost upwards of $10,000. Enjoy and appreciate your wedding for what it is, don't hate it for what it wasn't. Sit back, have a glass of wine with your new partner, and let the night unfold in front of you.

Shop Around Before Signing on the Dotted Line

Any women that could be described as a bargain hunter should hang on to this precious gift when it comes to planning her wedding. If you are working with a wedding planner, a little common sense can go a long way with saving you money. As redundant as this may sound, the wedding planner most likely does a lot of weddings, and therefore has most likely developed some sort of relationship with the very people you need to hire. While most wedding planners are on the up and up, some may refer you only to the individuals they know while there could be a better deal elsewhere. It is up to you to smell out any sticky situations, and to shop around. You could end up saving yourself a pretty penny in the long run, but make sure not to belittle your wedding planner. Perhaps ask her to get you a list of pricing from different businesses offering the service you are looking for, that way the planner can still be involved without pushing you towards a business for personal reasons. Chances are your wedding planner will respect and admire the fact that you want to be involved in the planning of your wedding.

Know What Your Planner Can Handle

A wedding planner should make the brides big day significantly easier to plan and enjoy, because they are experienced with planning weddings. They should have the crisis avoiding skills of an FBI negotiator, along with a very long fuse. They should be able to calmly handle the hiccups along the planning road while making the bride more comfortable about their planning skills. You should know exactly how much of your wedding you have paid the planner to take care of, and expect nothing less than what they promised. Your planner should be experienced, and ready for anything. For example, a bride was having her wedding at a conservative chapel so she could not show her shoulders during the service. The bride was devastated because she had chosen and already purchased a strapless dress. The bride's wedding planner had faced this before, and was prepared with the solution: a bridal capelet! This is a perfect example of how the planners experience helped the bride avoid wearing a frumpy jacket or cardigan, and the lace capelet actually enhanced features on her lace accented dress.

By using common sense and keeping calm when you otherwise would not be, you can make the time up until your wedding a lot less stressful. Your wedding planner should be used to a little bit of a cranky bride, but remember to maintain respect for your planner and the people around you. The last thing you want is to earn the badge of a "bridezilla," so use your manners. A little "please" or "thank you" never hurt anyone.

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