In a speech before a joint session of Congress on February 24, 2009, President Barack Obama presented a plan to expand education opportunities in America. He called on “…every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training.” (source whitehouse.gov) He went on to say that his administration would provide the support necessary for all Americans to complete college so that “America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.”

Later in 2009, funding for PELL grants were increased. As part of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, the administration rolled out plans to expand this long standing educational grant program. So are there specific grants for moms to return to college or vocational school?

Well, they are not actually called ‘mom grants’, but yes, there are definitely more grant and scholarship opportunities available than in recent memory. The expanded PELL grant program would be the first program that you would want to explore, if you are having any financial challenges at all.

What is a PELL grant?

This is a federal assistance program designed for low-income students. The program was first established in 1965 and around 40 percent of all students in US colleges and universities receive some amount of PELL grant money. The Obama administration’s initiatives are designed to increase the reach of this program over the next several years. PELL grant recipients must be 18 years of age and must make formal application for the program.

Other Grant Programs for Women

You may be surprised to learn that your current employer offers scholarship and grant programs for qualified individuals. Be sure to check with your HR department or supervisor to see what might be available. Local organizations, such as churches and non-profits, often have grant and scholarship monies and are seeking qualified recipients.

If you are 35 years of age or older, a private organization, the Jeannette Rankin foundation, would be a good potential source for scholarship money.

By: Cathy Yeatts

About the Author:
Cathy Yeatts is a blogger and women’s health advocate. She enjoys writing on a variety of topics important to women, women entrepreneurship and women’s health. See more about grants for moms at her newest blog: WomensGrantSource.com

We all love our kids. In fact, they are the reason most of us decided to stay at home. But, for work at home moms, and dads, summer can become a very stressful time. With the kids out of school, and our jobs still demanding our time and energy, it can be a very trying time. Here are some suggestions to help you keep your sanity during the months of summer.

Make and Keep a Schedule — As a former teacher I can assure you that the only way teachers keep a bit of their sanity is by keeping and maintaining daily routines and schedules. Take their cue! While initially kids tend to recent this type of structured approach, they will appreciate it in the long run. See, kids appreciate the comfort of knowing what will happen next. If they have a set routine that gives them a sense of security and they actually miss it when it is disturbed. Keeping to a schedule might prove a bit difficult at first, but I promise you, the end result will be well worth it. Make Meals Ahead of Time — It is a lot less stressful to spend a couple of hours one day fixing meals that can be reheated or used in several ways during the week, than to have to spend time every day thinking about what to cook, and actually fixing it. Prepare a roasted chicken, then use the leftovers for pasta or omelet later on in the week. Prep a lasagna and freeze it for a later date. You get the idea. Fix things that can be easily stored and that will not consume too much of your time later. Schedule Some Outdoor Time — You know you have to set aside quality time to spend with your kids. So, one of the easiest ways to ensure that you will be given time to complete your work is to begin the day with fun, TIRING activities that your kids will really enjoy. Take them to the park first thing in the morning. Plant some new trees or a new garden in your backyard. Go bike-riding on a trail. Do these activities early, before the sun becomes too fierce. Then, when you get home, the little ones will be ready for a nap, and the older ones will be ready for some sitting down and being quiet time. Now, you can get some work done! Enlist the Help of Friends and Family — Your kids are not the only ones on vacation, are they? So make arrangements with your neighbor or your sister. Offer to take their kids with you on your outing to the park on Thursday, if they will in turn take yours on their trip to the beach on Friday. That will guarantee both of you at least one day of total freedom. Also, don’t hesitate to as the retired grandparents to take the kids for an afternoon. Maybe Aunt Mary took some vacation time. Ask her if she’d like to take the kids to the amusement park. You get the idea. It is not a crime to ask others to help you, and you are not the only one who ever felt they needed a time out from their kids! Keep Things in Perspective — Keep two very important things in mind: your kids will grow, and summer will not last forever. If you think back to when your kids were born, and how quickly they’ve grown, you’ll understand the importance of cherishing every moment. Soon, they will be off living their own lives. So, enjoy their childhood moments. And, summer is only a few months. What if the business side gets a bit sloppy? It will still be here tomorrow. Your kids, however, will only be this age once. Thank God for the overwhelming feeling of having young kids. Enjoy the blessing of being home with them. Most importantly, trust, that with a bit or organization and planning you will survive this summer, and be closer to your children at the end of it.

Bottom line: Summer is a time for building memories! Create memorable moments and enjoy every second of them! Love on your babies, and don’t forget they ARE the reason you became part of the work at home moms crew!

By: Marcy Amaro

About the Author:
Marcy Amaro is a successful online entrepreneur. A wife and mother of two, Marcy has found a way to work with millionaires and earn a living from home, while staying with her kids. As a former teacher, her Passion is helping others who have a burning desire for success achieve their dreams. You too can succeed. Here is the program that has made all the difference for her, http://www.strategicmarketingmaven.com

Baby rabbit care

Thanks for looking at my article. I want to help you with some care tips for your baby rabbit. Baby rabbit care can be very easy there are just a few things that you need to watch out for. First thing being that baby rabbits do not make good pets for young kids. Baby rabbits can be scared when they are young and be so scared that they go into shock and can die if they get to scared.

Keep in mind that rabbits like to be out and moving with the you the ones they love. Many rabbit owners like to let there rabbits run free in the house this is a great idea just as long as when they are young you keep a good eye on them and make sure they are not getting into thing they should not be doing. The great thing about rabbits as you can train them to use a litter box just like a cat is not very hard to do this at all.

As you know in your baby rabbit care your rabbit must be able to get fresh water all the time and they love to drink water. Rabbits can drink water out of a bowl or a water bottle on the side of there cage. What do rabbits eat well its not as easy as you might think don’t rush out and buy a head of lettuce as it has very little nutritional value. The best thing to get is go to your pet store and get some rabbit care pellets. Also one more thing that good for baby rabbit care is hay yes like the hay a horse eats its very good for them.

By: Eric Angelos

About the Author:
I hope you have learned some about baby rabbit care I have a blog with tons more tips so come and take a look at it http://www.squidoo.com/babyrabbitcare thanks again so much and have a blessed day.

Pregnancy is a beautiful, magical, and life altering experience, and our children are our most precious gifts, but trying to lose the post-pregnancy belly is often frustrating and heartbreaking. Losing weight after having a baby can be a daunting task. Sure, it would be nice to be able to get into that pre-pregnancy size 4 dress right away but for most of us this is not reality. Women struggling with weight loss after pregnancy will often try dieting (usually fad diets), they exercise often – they do whatever they can think of to try to lose weight without any success. People will try to tell you that this is just a part of life that you have to deal with. Despite what others have told you, you actually can get back to wearing regular jeans, even sizes smaller than before pregnancy.

Diet

“Going on a diet” is not necessarily the right way you should go when you want to lose weight and it’s time everyone realized that. How many times have you heard of someone going on a diet to lose weight, only to find that as soon as they return to their normal eating habits, they not only put the weight back on, but sometimes they end up weighing more than when they started. The average woman spends a decade of her life on a diet. You need to make sure that you eat a balanced diet. Eating healthy foods when you’ve got a history of eating crap is a huge hurdle to get over if you want to lose weight. You need to avoid crash, fad, restrictive “celebrity” diets that will only leave you tired, exhausted, hungry, and cranky. Try to eat sensible meals and snacks at regular times throughout the day.

Exercise

Of course, everyone knows that exercise is an important part of trying to lose weight. Once you’ve got the go-ahead to begin an exercise program, finding the time to carry it out may not be so easy. We have to tackle exercise the same way we are tackling our bad eating habits. Here are some tips on how to work your exercise into baby’s schedule:

- Use a stroller or baby sling so that you can go walking with your baby.
- Get some exercise videos that you can pop in at home and use any time the opportunity presents itself.
- Skip one TV show a night. One less show, means less time on the couch, which could give you 30 minutes to an hour of exercise time

A few years ago some studies were done to compare the effects of steady state cardio and intervals and the results were astounding! It seems that those who performed the intervals lost more weight than those who did the steady state cardio. Many people who want to lose weight think that doing cardio for hours and hours is the only way they will reach their goal weight. The point is you don’t need long periods of time to fit in time to exercise, as long as you use one of the tips mentioned above or just do a quick search of the internet to find more suggestions.

Pregnancy may be one of the happiest moments in a woman’s life. The joy of having a baby and being a new mom can be quickly overshadowed by, amongst other things, losing the pregnancy weight. You can choose to start living for today by getting on with losing the pregnancy weight or you can remain stagnant and always living for tomorrow. Your fitness journey begins by choosing and doing the exercises that work for you. The great thing about living a healthy lifestyle is that it can be passed on to your baby and family and improve your quality of life.

By: Maxine Green

About the Author:
My name is Maxine Green. After my first pregnancy, I struggled to lose the weight that I had gained with my son. While doing the Atkins diet, “I hate to admit now that I did that diet”, I discovered a program online that helped me more than anything else and I did eventually get back into that size 4 dress that I mentioned above. To find out how I did it go to my website at [http://www.fixmyown.com]

Natural Remedies Can Aid Pregnancy, Birth, Breastfeeding, and
Baby Care

Since their ancient origins, natural and organic remedies are
making new strides every day to help improve the various aspects
of the journey for mother and baby from conception to the
nursery.

The First Trimester:

You have checked it out, and now you are sure you are an
expectant mom. You may be able to avoid some of the digestive
disturbances that may show up during pregnancy, like nausea and
vomiting (morning sickness) with a safe alternative to the over
the counter and prescription medications that many people fear
might have side-effects as well as adverse effects on the
development of your unborn child.

The Second Trimester:

For many woman worries about things like stretch marks and the
effects of pregnancy on the body enter the picture. Now natural
oils and other natural and organic products can help soften the
skin and underlying tissue and prevent or reduce the formation
stretch marks.

The Third Trimester:

The last month before your due date is approaching, you are both
looking forward to holding your baby, and at the same time you
are feeling nervous about labor and birth.

You may find help for these feelings in the natural herbal
remedies passed down through the generations, by mothers and
midwives that cared for women during pregnancy and giving birth.

Recovery from childbirth:

The “postpartum period” is the term given to the 6
weeks following delivery. With a vaginal delivery you may be up
after a few days, but it will take several weeks to complete the
healing process. With a Caesarean birth it will take longer to
heal due to the surgery. Pregnancy and childbirth have put a
strain on you mentally and physically, and here again there are
natural remedies to help return you to your pre-pregnancy state.

Your Baby:

Your newborn can also profit from natural remedies for cradle
cap, teething, diaper rash, and many other items such as organic
bedding and a natural all around nursery.

Natural and organic remedies have been gaining a new respect
lately, as practitioners of traditional medicine begin to
recognize the ability of hundreds of thousands of herbs and other
natural products that have the capabilities to enhance comfort,
health, Mental Attitude, Appearance, and Performance.

By: Joe Rote

About the Author:
About the Author: Joe Rote has spent 18 years in the health field, and is the webmaster ofhttp://www.aa1info.com/momandbaby.htm that will point you to high quality information, and natural herbal remedies that are produced under pharmaceutical conditions to ensure the highest degree of potency and consistency.
Copyright 2007 Joe Rote
This article may be freely distributed if the resource box stays attached and no part of the article changed without permission

“If your baby isn’t sleeping, here is a remedy that can be used on alternate nights until he or she has learned to sleep through the night. There is no need to use the remedy every night, yet slowly the baby’s sleeping pattern will change – for the better all around.” – Valerie Ann Worwood, The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy

1) After putting your baby down in the crib, place a bowl of boiling water underneath the bed. Put a drop each of roman chamomile and geranium in the bowl. You do not have to do this every night.

Even alternating nights will help to normalize your baby’s sleep.

2) If your baby is also out of sorts or fretful, dilute a drop or two each of the essential oils mentioned above by adding several tablespoons of almond oil and massage your baby’s feet…

Place your thumbs in the middle of your baby’s feet and rub rhythmically from there toward the toes.

3) If your baby is teething, too, mix several drops of lavender into 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and use it to massage the area around your baby’s jaw and upper neck area.

4) For a general massage oil, Valerie Ann Worwood suggests 1 drop each of roman chamomile, lavender and geranium blended with 2 tablespoons of sweet almond oil. This blend can be used on a regular basis to help your baby relax enough to sleep.

5) If your baby is colicky, gently massage this oil blend onto the baby’s tummy.

Other Ways to Help Them Sleep Better

1) Choose the same time each night for putting your baby to sleep and the same wake-up time each morning.

2) Establish a relaxing bath time routine before putting your baby to bed. Adding a drop each of lavender and chamomile essential oils to the bath oil may help.

3) Make sure the room is dark enough. And if there is a rocking chair in the room, you might start the night there and transition to the crib once your baby has begun to get quiet.

Realistic Expectations

They always tell mothers to sleep when the baby sleeps. It is good advice because babies may sleep as many as 19 hours a day, but that will not happen all at once.

Do try to create a structure that works for you but be prepared for those times when what actually happens is far from the ideal you had in mind.

By: Jeanine Byers Hoag

About the Author:
“For effective therapeutic use it is crucial that only pure essential oils be used. It is quite pointless buying any other product, no matter how charming the aroma may be because reconstituted products or chemical copies of natural essences simply do not work for medicinal purposes.” –Valerie Ann Worwood, The Complete Book of Essential Oils & AromatherapyFor a free healing meditation and energy healing techniques you can use with your baby, go to Spiritual Aromatherapy and complete the form. Jeanine Byers Hoag is a certified holistic healing practitioner and certified spiritual aromatherapist. Her website is http://www.spiritualaromatherapy.com

Moms working at home face the stress of taking care of their family as well as having to worry about bringing in a second income. Moms working at home generally work on a contractual or freelance basis. Moms working at home are a new kind of business women that do in fact have it all. Moms Working from home is not just for women. There are many men who are working from home as well. (WAHM) is an acronym that stands for Work At Home Mom.

Moms working at home work hard in order to bring the much-needed income in a home environment where they are able to take care of the home and ensure that they miss very little of their children’s growing up years.

Moms are the new wave that will make the change that our society needs. They no longer have to struggle to get a job or be rejected because they have children.

Moms can spend more time with their families, they can earn money while pregnant or if they have young children in the home, they save money on day care and they don’t have to worry about spending money. Moms and dads who stay at home with their children can take advantage of the many work at home opportunities.

Internet marketers, virtual offices and the evolution of direct marketing and digital business have allowed hundreds of thousands of people, including moms, make not just some money on the side – but a realistic monthly income that puts almost anything else the real world can offer to shame.

Internet is a buzzword of today and there are several ways to make money on the Internet. Internet phone services and instant messaging have made it so much easier to stay connected if you work at home. There are numerous women just like you and I that are making an income while caring for their children.

Moms working at home can find out how to work from home and start making money doing something fun. Moms working from home did not used to be a large part of society. Moms here is an online home business opportunity you can try for free: Moms helping other moms who want to be able to spend more time at home with their family while still earning extra income.

Business Ownership, which also includes Franchises and Party Plans require dedication to your business and a willingness to succeed; more extroverted personalities will find this field a perfect fit for their social and ambitious skills. While business writing jobs for freelancers will always be available online.

Online Benefits for Craft Businesses (Sat Apr 1st, 2006, by Narelle Davison) The internet has an endless number of benefits for craftspeople, not just as a medium for selling the end product but for each step that leads to sales.

Types Of Work At Home Jobs:

– Accounting
– Resume preparation
– Surveys
– Mystery shopping
– Affiliate programs
– Penpals
– Forum posting
– Telecommuting
– Customer service
– Telemarketing

There are several ways a mom, dad, student, retired person, or anyone can make an income at home. Try doing a little research on something that is of interest to you and you can be on your way to becoming a Work At Home Mom!

By: Annette Hampton

About the Author:
Annette Hampton is the author of this Article and has an extensive 20 year background in Sales and Marketing. If you are interested in becoming a Work At Home Mom but have not found the perfect business opportunity pick up your Free Work At Moms Home MastersCourse (WAHM-It) that will show you how to get started today!

Juggling being Mum and running a Home Business can be very rewarding. And while there are many advantages, there are also challenges to be overcome. Here are some tips to help make things run a little smoother.

Meals
Dishes like casseroles, curries, soups and spaghetti sauce can be prepared before you start work and cook while you’re working. If you cook them on a low heat they don’t need tending too often and when they do it’s a great opportunity for a stretch. These dishes are also easy to make larger batches and freeze well for the times when you just don’t have the time (or energy) to cook.

Office
Having a good work area where you can set up a laptop or computer in a central part of the house makes it easier to supervise children, cook meals etc. I have a desk next to my kitchen, files are all kept in the linen cupboard. My biggest challenge is keeping my desk from being a dumping ground!

Improving Concentration
If you work at a desk use a fit ball as a chair (your local physiotherapist or the better sport stores should be able to advise the right size for your height and sell you a good quality one). They’re great for your posture, the constant movement while you work helps concentration (I even found I lost weight when I started using one!) and are a handy place to bounce upset young children to sooth them and make them laugh.

Motivation and Training
There are lots of sites on the internet with MP3 downloads available for training or motivation. With an MP3 Player you can listen while you do household chores, exercise or drive and still hear what’s going on around you.

Remembering All Those Great Ideas
Do you ever find that although you have tonnes of great ideas during the day they seem to fly out the window the minute you go to jot them down? Instead you sit there staring at a blank page, wondering what happened to all those great ideas? Carry a Digital Recorder (your MP3 player or iPhone may also have a built in digital recorder). At the end of the day sit down and write or type up any ideas you had into a journal and add any memory jogs into your diary or calendar.

Keeping Track
Have a good diary or online calendar to keep track of family appointments and plan daily business goals. Use your digital recorder to note things to remember as they pop up.

By: Rowena Coshan

About the Author:
Empowering Mum’s to Become Successful Mompreneurs http://mumsonline.biz/

Before I had a successful website I had started a number of home based businesses, I have tried a couple of things from Mary Kay to PPL, a few websites you name it. My objective was to free my time so I can spend more time with my little ones. One thing that I learn from my experience is that whatever you doing or trying to do, if you treat it as a hobby then it will give you the revenue of a hobby. If you treat it as a business it will render the benefit of a business. What do I mean by that?

Focus Focus Focus
Working moms are great multitasker, why wouldn’t we be? we’re super mom! we’ve learn to talk on the phone while feeding the baby, and changing a diapers, bark orders to who needs it and the list grown on. When it come to manage a successful business multitasking can do harm. Do one task at a time until it’s done. Then proceed to the next bullet on the list. Focus on that until it’s done. Then the next.This is the most important rule of them all. If you focus precisely, you will always get what you put your mind to. However… You don’t want a failed business, lack of customers, or an unsatisfying job; so do not focus on these things.;-)

Prepare for Challenges and Obstacles in advance
Being a mom is a full time job on its own, adding a regular job to it that does it already and a side business or a blog? It is amazing that we able to do all that and stay sane! That is why I proclaim myself SuperMom. See what I’m talking about? FOCUS! what was I saying? challenges right! If you are not expecting challenges you will fail before you started. You need to be able to accept and deal with frustration. The key is to take each challenge and obstacle presented to you, and use them as a stepping-stone to growth and success.
Even when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Keep on keeping on, only quitters fail

Passion
If you are passionate about what you doing then you’ll never have to work another day in your life.

Become a regular student

Don’t get me wrong I don’t mean to go back to school forever. What I mean is to keep up with the technology, read up on what your are trying to do. Study the people that are successful. Google IT! trust me whatever you trying to do, someone somewhere already done it. Nothing new under the sun, try not to reinvent the wheel just jump on it.

I had to learn this one the hard way, when I wanted to start my blog I wasted countless amount of time trying to build a blog platform I was so frustrated when I couldn’t get it done fast enough until my husband (love him) told me: “honey just because you are a software developer doesn’t mean you have to develop every software you use” Hello! I knew that. I was trying to build a blog platform when blogger, wordpress and so on had already did the work for all I had to do is blog!

Eh well I just feel like being wise today. much success to all my working mom and mompreneurs!

By: Roodlyne Mason

About the Author:
Roodlyne Mason
Working mom managing career and family