Momville.com

  Ok, I had a seriously “aha” moment today and I have one lady to thank for that – the lady running the Her Big Idea website. You have changed my world!

   I checked out one of her podcasts today over on her website and at the end of that podcast she quickly described how to subscribe to a podcast on ITunes. I’ve had an Ipod for awhile and have even seen a few podcasts that I would have liked to subscribed to but I just haven’t had the time to look it all up and figure out how to get it to work.

   I wanted to share this info with you ladies just in case any of you have been wondering how to do this yourself. First, let’s answer some questions that I’m sure some of you might have.

What is a podcast?

It is like a radio show, except that it is internet based.

Do I need an Ipod to subscribe to a podcast?

Nope. You can subscribe in ITunes (or other podcast subscription software) and just download it to your computer and listen to it there.

Do I have to subscribe to a podcast in order to listen to it?

No. You can usually download a single podcast. Just find a podcast you are interested in (search through Google or look in the ITunes store under podcasts), read the show description, and download just the show you want.

Why would I download a podcast to my Ipod?

To save time. That way you can listen to a show while you are walking, doing laundry, going to the gym (well, at least we can list it. Even if you don’t actually get there!), relaxing while you watch the kids nap (you do that don’t you ? , packing lunches, scrubbing the bathroom, or any number of other things that you may be doing during your day.

To keep from bogging your computer down. If your computer doesn’t have enough power to listen to a podcast and surf the net at the same time, then download a couple of shows, throw on your headphones, and listen while you surf!

To keep your kids from forcing you to lose your mind. This idea is for your worst of days. Stop yelling at your kids and just plug in your ipod instead and listen to a pre-downloaded show instead. It’s difficult to be so frustrated when you are really listening to someone else talk! This idea really does work! I’ve done it myself during a few of the early days with my last baby. I would hold, comfort, and love on her when she would cry while I had my Ipod plugged into my ears to help mute all of the crying. It really helped me to stay calm.

How To Find A Podcast In ITunes

1. Open your ITunes program on your computer

2. Look on the top menu bar for the word “STORE” and click on it.

3. Click on “SEARCH” from the drop down menu.

4. In your main window (that should now be showing the search features), change the POWER SEARCH drop down from “ALL RESULTS” to “PODCASTS”.

5. Now you can either put in the exact title or you can put in a word of the title that you are looking for. You can also do this with the description box.

6. Click on the podcast you want to know more about.

7. I highly recommend downloading at least 2 shows and listening to them before subscribing! Sometimes the content is not what you thought it would be (the quality is just not there) or perhaps their sound quality is so bad that it just makes listening to their podcasts unbearable.

How To Subscribe To A Podcast

1. Once you find a show that you like using the instructions above, just click on subscribe! (Everything that I subscribed to was free.)

2. Now, all you have to do is plug in your Ipod and sync it up with your ITunes. This will download the latest show to your IPod. –OR — You can also just go to the Podcast category in your ITunes, and drag the podcast that you want down to your IPod.

Be on the lookout for an upcoming blog post here at Momville.com full of great podcasts just for moms!

Additional Links Of Interest:

HerBigIdea podcast page – Great interviews with other mom business owners. http://herbigidea.com/category/podcast/

Comments? Additional thoughts? Notice something that’s missing? Share with the other moms by leaving a comment. We look forward to seeing what you have to say.

   As it turns out, there are lots of yummy add-ins for waffles and pancakes. Somehow that never even occurred to me until about a year ago. And to think, all this time I’ve just been eating plain old waffles! Not any more. Please add your own ideas as a comment to this blog post.

Directions:

These turn out equally well with either homemade batter, box mix, or multi-grain pancake mix.

1. Make your pancake or waffle batter as you normally would.

2. Mash up and add any wet ingredients that you are going to use as an add-in (such as bananas)

3. Let your kids stir that in.

4. Stir in half of your dry add-in (such as nuts).

5. Put your batter in the pan or waffle iron, as desired.

6. Quickly sprinkle in a little more of your dry add-in ingredient in the places that are missing some.

7. Cook until done and enjoy!

NOTE: These freeze extremely well so save yourself some time in the future by making a double batch. Let them cool and them place them in a zipping freezer bag. Write on the bag what kind of pancakes / waffles you put in there. For morning breakfasts during the week, just pull out what you want to eat, place on a paper plate and pop in the microwave to heat. It usually takes less than 45 seconds to heat them for 1 person’s plate. Breakfast isn’t going to get any faster than that!

Add-in Ideas:

These are all really great waffle and pancake additions. Sometimes I will split the batter and make 2 different kinds on the same morning. Enjoy and don’t forget to post your own ideas as a comment!

Banana & Walnut Pancakes – Mash 1 banana with fork. Put in batter. Sprinkle in some walnuts. Sprinkle in more after you have the better in the pan.

Pecan Pancakes – Sprinkle in large pieces of pecans.

Cinnamon & Pecan – Sprinkle in ground cinnamon and pecan pieces.

Apple & Cinnamon – Grate up some granny smith (or other sour apple) with your box grater. Sprinkle just a bit of sugar over them and toss.  Then put about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of this into your batter depending on how much of an apple taste you would like. Sprinkle in cinnamon to taste.

Blueberry Waffles – This is really great with fresh blueberries as the taste comes out a little stronger. Frozen blueberries still turn out pretty well though. (I don’t defrost them first.) Pour in about 1/4 cup of blueberries into batter. Sprinkle in a few more immediately after putting in waffle iron or pan if you have any large empty spots.

Chocolate Chip Waffles – Pour your batter and then sprinkle in semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Strawberry Pancakes – Mash up some strawberries and put in batter. Cook as usual. After they are done, slice extra strawberries and place on top. Either top with a little whipped cream, pure maple syrup or nothing!

  “I worked for a menial’s hire, Only to learn, dismayed,

 That any wage I had asked of Life, Life would have gladly paid.”

Jessie Rittenhouse (1869-1948)

   How many times have you caught yourself saying, “oh, my customers will never pay that!” or “I can’t raise my rates / prices or I’ll lose accounts!” Life, the universe, and your customers will pay you what you what you internally feel like you deserve. Believe it or not, you have already setup your business to pay you exactly what you really feel you’re worth!

   Remember all of those business to-dos that you know would help your bottom line but you just can’t seem to get to?  It’s called self-sabotage!

   Maybe we can change that.

   What if, by chance, you absolutely had the best services and business in town (or on the internet)?

 Imagine this…

What if all phone calls and emails were answered promptly? People don’t have to wait on customer service.

What if the person who answers the phone for your business always answered sounded like they were having a really great day? (I’ve actually heard business owners complain to employees that they sounded “too happy” when they answered the phone. Unbelievable! )

What if customers felt better after dealing with your company (even if it was only for an oil change!)

The bathrooms at your place were sparkling clean and smelled nice. (”Wow, they even notice the details enough around here, right down to the bathroom!”)

What if all of your marketing materials, brochures, business cards, ads, and signs looked neat, clean, professional, and consistent?

What if your customers never felt as though they were a nuisance to you or anyone that worked for you? (Whichever employee is in your head as doing the opposite of that all of the time should get fired tomorrow! They are really costing you business and $$$. If that person is you, you are officially in the throes of something known as “burnout”. (See the links at the bottom of this article for more info.)

What if there was a candy bowl of peppermints and chocolates available to the waiting customers, for free.

If it’s a one-on-one business, perhaps they send you a wonderful birthday card every year with a great coupon that really makes you feel appreciated and valued as their customer. They know your name and they ask about your kids every time you do business with them. You really “feel” like a regular.

Maybe there is a rewards / loyalty card program. (Buy 6, get 1 free)

In other words, this business that we are imagining really seems to pay attention to their customers and actually like them. Someone has really put some thought and effort into making their customers feel at home. They are treated so well that they don’t want to go somewhere else, even if the prices go up!

Now, let me ask you another question. Why isn’t that business that we are talking about your business?

Just a thought.

Comments? Additional thoughts to add to this list? I’d love to hear them. Add your comments to this article and let it be known!

Additional Links Of Interest:  The Four Stages Of Burnout (outside link)

Open Faced Meatball Sandwiches

   Ok ladies, you might as well print this one out to keep stashed somewhere in case you ever need it. It was a spur of the moment creation that turned out fantastic!

   I made meatballs for the first time and had way too many leftover. The kids weren’t interested in a spaghetti re-run so I came up with this instead. We called them “Captain’s Sandwiches” after perhaps the captains on a ship carrying Sponge Bob. In any case, my 6 and 3 year old kids had clean plates within 5 minutes. “Two thumbs up“, my son said with a big smile. ‘Nuff said!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes (max)

Ingredients:

Leftover meatballs and some leftover spaghetti sauce, if meatballs are dry

Slices of heavy bread (I used 12 grain bread)

Grated cheddar cheese (you could also use sliced american cheese, if that’s all you have)

Optional Ingredients:

I mixed in a little bit of leftover Rice-A-Roni to finish it up (which was tasty)

Next time, I’d like to try smothering the whole thing in mushrooms, peppers, and onions that have been sauteed. (Then, put the cheese on top of that.) Lots of added veggies would help to up your intake for the day.

Directions:

Turn your oven on the broiler setting, so it’s starts to heat up. Get out your meatballs and cut them down into small bitesize pieces. Place slices of bread onto a cookie sheet. (An adult female will probably eat two of these, so number your slices according to that.) Place meatball pieces on bread. You’ll need to top with a little bit of leftover spaghetti sauce if your meatballs don’t have any left and are a little dry. Layer on veggies or rice, if using. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Place in oven under broiler and watch carefully. Mine were done in less than 5 minutes!

Enjoy!