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May is Get Caught Reading Month!
Filed Under Books R Me, Melodee's Musings
Reading is one of my absolute favorite things to do. Always has been. I tied for first place (darn you Gary Olson!) in a 4th grade contest by reading 101 books during the school year. I especially liked the Little House on the Prairie books that year. It’s great that there’s a month that promotes the idea that you should Get Caught Reading! As you can see from the photo, my nephew and niece (Erik & Elise Staff) “got caught reading” in their PJs 
These days I read all sorts of things – books, e-books, magazines, e-zines, blog posts, cereal boxes (although they’re not nearly as interesting as they used to be) and whatever else I can find. I just read a fantastic series of books – the Weather Warden Series, by Rachel Caine. The first book of the series, Ill Wind, grabbed me right away. Of course, reading about a female character that can control the weather and see auras, who drives Mustangs (very fast), loves the color purple, and hooks up with a seriously hot djinn – well, what’s not to like? I whipped through the seven books in the series and am waiting impatiently for the next book to come out in August.
For May, I’m going to finish listening to The Joy Diet by Martha Beck on CD (very inspirational), and then listen to The Power of Less by Leo Babauta which is going to help me streamline my life and free me from clutter! I also have a library book called Out of Our Heads: Why You Are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness by Alva Noë. Then I’m hoping I’ll have time to read a book given to me be a good friend who understands my fascination with molecular biology – Abraham Lincoln’s DNA and other Adventures in Genetics by Philip R. Reilly. (I do love my science!)
And, of course, there will be lots of blog posts and cereal boxes mixed in during the month.
I’m always on the lookout for good stuff to read, so tell me – how are you going to celebrate Get Caught Reading month?
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Meet Mrs. Malapert – the “How To” Lady
Filed Under Home Office Basics, Mrs. Malapert, Virtual Assistance
When I need to learn how to do something on my computer and I don’t have time to find an answer myself, I ask Mrs. Malapert (see photo). She’s the “How To” computer expert for my business.
She really knows her stuff. [Aside: She's also a bit of a know-it-all. She reminds me of my high school English teacher who had a real knack for making me feel like an idiot. Ever know anyone like that?]
As I said, she knows her stuff, so I’ve asked her to Guest Post for me occasionally. She’ll be giving us tips on how to care for, and efficiently use our computers.
Thank you for being part of my VA blog, Mrs. Malapert.
Thank you, Ms. Patterson. I’m sure my expertise will be a welcome change from your usual posts.
Yes…well. What topics will you be including in your posts?
I’ll be providing your readers with some fascinating “how-to”s which I’m sure will be very helpful to them in their Virtual Assistance businesses.
Could you give us some examples?
No need to rush me, dearie! I was just about to enumerate them.
Some upcoming topics include:
- How to create and use an avatar
- How to find informative business blogs
- How to remotely connect to your client’s computer
- How to get website statistics with Google Analytics
- How to send large files to your clients
- How to organize your incoming emails in Outlook
- How to use Google Alerts effectively
- How to create a PDF file
- How to clean your computer
- How to back up a hard drive
Those all sound very interesting, Mrs. Malapert!
Of course they do, dearie. I’m sure you understand that those are just a sampling of the posts that I have planned. I want you to read all of the posts carefully, Ms. Patterson. I’m sorry to say, your knowledge of some of those topics is sorely lacking.
Ummm, yes, I’ll do that. Thank you, Mrs. Malapert. I’m sure everyone is looking forward to your insightful postings!
If you have any “how to”s that you would like Mrs. Malapert to discuss, just leave a comment or email me. I’m sure she’ll be happy to oblige
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Butt Wiggle Diet Went on Vacation
Filed Under Melodee's Musings, Weight Loss
As I posted earlier, I’ve lost 15 pounds on the Butt Wiggle Diet. (Woo hoo!) If you’re new to my blog, the Butt Wiggle Diet is a specialized routine I have created for Virtual Assistants – and anyone else who sits on their duff all day long. It consists of rock music, a chair, and lots of butt wigglin’ to the beat! OK – so you also need to track your calories in and out (very easy to do with fitday.com) but the butt wigglin’ is the most important part.
Unfortunately, I went on vacation for two weeks and kinda forgot to practice my butt wigglin’ so I gained back a few pounds. Hey! I “deserved” to eat whatever I wanted – I was on vacation!
Fortunately, I lost them again once I got home and back into my chair. (Double Woo hoo!)
Why is it soooo difficult to lose a pound and soooo easy to gain it?? What was Mother Nature thinking anyway??
If you’re looking for more exercises to do at your desk, Sahar of Fat Fight TV provided Problogger with some great tips here.
If you’re on the Butt Wiggle Diet, I hope it’s working for you. Just don’t forget to get your wigglin’ in every day, even if you’re on vacation
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5 Reasons Why Baby Boomers Make Great Virtual Assistants
Filed Under Baby Boomers, Virtual Assistance
The perception of Virtual Assistants is that they’re young mothers who want to work at home to be with their small children. Some are, of course. But there are plenty of Baby Boomers (including myself) who have become VAs. Here’s why we’re successful:
- Experience. Besides having administrative, creative or technical experience, Boomers have a number of years of life experience. We’ve learned to take care of ourselves, our partner, our children, and anyone else who enters our life circle. Our clients get the advantage of our experience and our confidence in our skills.
- Lots of Networks. We’ve been networking, personally and/or in business for years so we have a built-in support network as well as a prospect list to help us market our business.
- Empathy. We’ve lived through good times and rough times. We’re able to understand what our clients are going through – we’ve been there ourselves!
- Fearlessness. We no longer sweat the small stuff. We’ve learned that we can do more than we ever felt possible, if we only give it a try.
- Sense of Humor. If you’ve lived as long as we have, you know that it’s important to laugh and enjoy what you’re doing. After all, that’s the whole point of life, isn’t it?
What other reasons can you think of for Baby Boomers success as VAs or in other businesses?
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