Front Row: Christie Ingram, Lexi Rodrigo, Sharon McMillan Second Row: Kelly McCausey, Leesa Barnes, Tisha Lee, Shannon O'Keeffe, Cathy Ichkhanian, Carol Bremner, Cindy Bidar, Third Row: Angela Wills, Kim Smith, Sarah Zeldman, Imie Belanger

What an awesome time we had last week in Toronto!  Kelly, Tishia, Cindy, and myself took a road trip to meet some of the long-time friends we have made online through Mom Masterminds.  Mom Masterminds is a group of women (mostly moms) who work from home (WAHM).  We represent many, many occupations and have varied skills and talents.  Personally, I think they are all brilliant!

In no particular order:

• Kelly McCausey of Mom Masterminds, WAHM Talk Radio, and a bunch of other sites–our fearless leader. 
• Tishia Lee is an awesome Virtual Assistant and a total sweetheart–it was so great to visit with her again!
• Cindy Bidar is new to the Mom Masterminds community, but has done an internship at Sparkplugging with Kelly.  I even hired her to do some copy writing for me this week!
• Christie Ingram is a brand new mom with an adorable baby girl!  I’m anxious to check out her new site:  WAHM Hacks — sounds great!  She was also an intern with Kelly and continues to help out on WAHM Talk Radio blog and podcast.
• Lexi Rodrigo is an internet marketer and copywriter, as well as the new owner of The Natural Moms Blog.  I had the pleasure of being on a live interview call with her and Kelli Claypool recently and enjoyed it very much!
• Sharon McMillan was our gracious hostess for the event.  Her planning was excellent and her hospitality was beyond compare.  Sharon is an amazing woman and I’m so glad we were able to meet face-to-face!  Sharon is a Business Communications and Public Relations Specialist.
• Leesa Barnes is poised and intelligent and speaks with authority.  She also has a beautiful speaking voice!  Which is good since she’s a podcasting and social media expert!
• Carol Bremner was new to me.  She has a GREAT calling, though–she teaches the very casual user about computers.  This takes a great amount of patience and it takes a special person to do this job!
• Angela Wills is an expert Affiliate Marketing Manager.  She is teaching online classes on how to earn money with affiliate programs.  Sounds like good stuff!  She recommended The Super Affiliate Handbook to me, which she recommends to all her students…I may just have to check it out!
• Sarah Zeldman was also a lot of fun to meet–she has a great sense of humor!  Her specialty is providing Solutions for Busy Moms…and she should know!
• Imie Belanger is all about helping Canadians (mostly moms) shop from home–in fact, her main website is all about that!  She’s very big into online marketing, too.

Many people believe that if only they could achieve certain things they would be happier. The truth is that happiness is a choice that you need to make constantly in your life. Not just one time but every day and every moment.

1- Keep your thoughts positively aligned.
Certain thoughts can bring sadness. If we allow our minds to dwell on them, we will consequently feel the sadness. The solution to this is realizing that negative thoughts have come into our minds. When we see this happening we can redirect our thoughts to a more positive perspective.

2- There are different ways to see the exact same event.
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If you want to throw a memorable baby shower for a friend or a family member, here are some great tips that will be sure to help you.

Plan ahead of time.

In order to have a really smooth shower, the best thing that you can do is plan ahead. The more time you have to get the details in order, the less stress you will have to deal with. Personally I like to plan way ahead of time because it makes it much more fun to not have the time constraints when buying all of the details for the party.
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I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. ‘We must do something about father,’ said the son. I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on t! he floor.”

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather’ s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, ‘What are you making?’ Just as sweetly, the boy responded, ‘Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.’ The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather’ s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I’ve learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: A rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as making a ‘life.’

I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back sometimes.

I’ve learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you, but, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you

I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.

I’ve learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch — holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.