By learning to focus better, you'll find that you get so much more done that you thought was impossible.

My wife goes to nursing school full time right now, and I have 4 at home that I home-school, 1 boy 6 years old, 3 girls at 7, 8, and 9 years old. We also have a 10 year old daughter in a private school.

In order to get any work done, I block our time in 30 minute to hour increments, for example, one hour helping them with math, one hour reading, one hour free time for them while i work on article writing, 30 minutes to do a blog posting, 1 hour for research, 30 minutes for a family workout, etc.

It sounds complicated, but really isn't once you commit to it.

The main problem I had when I started working full time online was FOCUS, and I still sometimes waste time surfing instead of working, or reading about all the great new Internet Products I could buy when I should spend time writing content instead.

Once we started homeschooling last year, I had to really get dedicated to maintaing a proper focus and still work daily at trying to keep the right mindset to balance family and work obligations without feeling like I have neglected either.

I developed an acronym that helps me out, hopefully it can help others:

F - Find a place to work with minimal distractions
O - Organize (my desk was a mess, but now I can find stuff quickly)
C - Concentrate on only one project at a time
U - Use tools you have (Go through those folders of PDF's and software)
S - Set a goal and stay on target to reach it.

Eating a proper meal also helps immensely to maintain focus.

Gaining Weight During the Holidays

My take on it is that there is nothing wrong with that. Go ahead, stuff yourself, after all, it is called stuffing. Eat two, or three, or even four helpings of dessert, that is why desserts are made so tasty.

To heck with all these people advising you to not eat and to limit yourself. After all, they are called holidays for a reason, the reason being to celebrate. What could be more celebratory than having a great meal with some friends?

And speaking of a good meal, what could be better than extra-chocolaty treats like these:

Hidden Treasures

Makes about 48 (24 if you make them doublesized)

2/3 cup Butter Flavor or Golden Crisco3/4 cup sugar1 egg1 tablespoon milk1 teaspoon vanilla1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon baking soda48 maraschino cherries, well drained on paper towels

White dipping chocolate:
1 cup white melting chocolate, cut in small pieces
2 tablespoons Butter flavor or Golden Crisco

Dark dipping chocolate:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons Butter flavor or Golden Crisco
finely chopped pecans
slivered white chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream Crisco, sugar, egg, milk and vanilla in large bowl until wellblended. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Beat into creamed mixture at low speed. Divide into 48 equal pieces. Press dough into very thin layer around well-drained cherries. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Cool 1 minute on baking sheet. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

For dipping chocolate: place chocolate of choice and Crisco in glass measuring cup.Microwave at 50%. Stir after 1 minute. Repeat until smooth. Or, melt over double boiler.Drop one cookie at a time into chocolate. Use fork to turn over. Cover completely withchocolate. Lift cookie out of chocolate with fork. Allow excess to drip off.If the chocolate becomes too firm, reheat. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet.Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of white chocolate cookiesbefore the chocolate sets. Sprinkle white chocolate on dark chocolate cookies beforechocolate sets. Chill in refrigerator to set chocolate.

Enjoy and forget the guilt. Make them several times and share with friends.

Eleanor Robinson is a mother of five and runs Family Sized Recipes, which can be found at http://www.familysizedrecipes.com

Christmas Cookie Recipes

With the holidays fast approaching, we started a new branch of the website devoted strictly to Christmas Cookies, so for making peanut butter cookies, snowflakes, chocolate kisses, and many more just head over to the website.

We are also in the middle of changing and rearranging the main index page, so for now the Christmas Cookies is all you will find.

New recipe added to website at Family Sized Recipes.

The recipe is how to make an American Sub Sandwich. I will try to start putting a family sized recipe up at least once a week.

Tracy and Marie Robinson

http://www.familysizedrecipes.com/

As the parents of five children, we find that there are lots of times when food needs to be stretched to make sure to feed everyone. The usual recipes to feed 4 just don't cut it when you have three more mouths to feed, so with this blog we plan on sharing some of our favorite family sized recipes.

thanx,

Tracy and Marie

http://www.familysizedrecipes.com/