Reduce Financial Stress with a Personal Budget

If you’re reading this article, you’re most likely going through slight financial stress and searching for a way to gain control of your finances. The best way to do this is to develop a monthly budget and committing to it. Having a sound budget is essential for managing money, one that has allowed me to get on with my day to day life even on limited funds. Managing my monthly budget is one of the most critical things I do every month, this has allowed me to consistently meet all expenditures, grow my savings, and control debt.

I usually map out my budget for the upcoming month towards the end of the month. This will prepare me of what’s down the road. It’s not a good idea to produce a budget after getting paid because, too often, that flush feeling of getting a paycheck results to unessential and impulsive spending before the paycheck ever reaches the bank.

Managing my personal budget involves listing all the things that must be paid that month like mortgage/rent, utilities, and other essentials like insurance, car loan repayment, transportation costs, and phone. These are the crucial things that I must pay to keep a comfortable roof over my head. I like to pad these requirements to produce “money back” after paying the bills and, if costs increase out of the blue, I’m always covered.

Next, my budget is subjected to a list of discretionary things I need to cover but could live without if absolutely needed. For example, donations, credit card repayments and monthly sving deposits. Don’t get me wrong, some of these things are also necessary, but in case of emergency they can be omitted. By paying credit card companies the maximum instead of the minimum, I keep my credit score high and my debt low.

My budget will not include the cost of living such as food and entertainment. These items get covered by what’s left over and that’s that. Some months involve lots of beans and rice, slow-cooker meals, free or cheap entertainment, and only one inexpensive piece of clothing . This strategy of managing my monthly budget has worked out very well over the long term as long as I observe it scrupulously.

Managing Monthly Budgeting

It can be very troublesome at times with handling my household budget, but not managing it can put me in to financial debt before I realise it. The benefits from looking after my budget correctly helps me save money and relieve some stress I have concerning my debt.

There are many things that I have in my life that influence me financially, but nothing impacts my finances more than my household budget. There are not too many individuals these days who have learned how to budget and this can lead to many financial issues, including debt. One main reason why so many of us do not create a budget is because we think it is just too complicated. But in essence, producing a budget does not have to be challenging at all; it is as easy as writing down what we spend and keeping up with it each month. By practising this habit, we do not spend more than we have.

It is essential for me to keep in mind that my budget is simply my program for my monthly expenditure. Just like any plan, my budget does necessitate me to manage it to keep it working correctly. Organising information was the first step in creating my budget. I monitor my expenses like car payments, utilities, car insurance, living expenses, etc. If I do not organise my budget, I can easy find myself in debt. It is essential for me to know exactly what I need on expenditures each month.

I see two benefits with keeping up with my finances through my budget. Firstly, it eliminates superfluous spending. Secondly, I can keep myself from going into unnecessary debt. When I spend my money wisely, I buy only things that are unavoidable and I free up money that I can use on something that I want or can save it. With the spare money I am able to save, I have the option of putting it aside and investing.

Do You Have Anxiety Affliction

We exist in a universe inundated with tension and deadlines. It seems that the more we develop technology and ways to evolve things more speedily, the more panic attacks increase. We should examine this further. You might take for granted that progress in technology would contribute to alleviating the strain. Yet, anxiety and depressive disorder seem more commonplace now than when compared to the past. I guess it’s possible that in the past, folk did not talk about such unpleasantries. Well they certainly make an issue of it these days. Fact is, as you flip through TV channels, it is almost certain that you have come across an ad for a medicinal drug, which provides panic attacks treatment (http://anxiety-panic–attacks.com).

An increasing number of us are facing these troubles. It might be simply public place aversion or a problem sleeping, scientists are always coming up with innovative ways to fix it. Panic attacks and depression are certainly at the top of this long list. When I ponder the notion of depression, I think of a person who has of late lost a loved one or an individual who is afflicted in such a way that prevents them from carrying on normally. This is not necessarily true. Many people are weighed down by the burden of panic attacks and depression for other reasons. Some of which are not even identified. Sometimes it could be as simple as the food we eat. For some reason or another, people seem to have troubles with remaining content.

We need to some degree to pay attention to teenagers’ plight. Panic attacks and depressive disorder seems to be striking them more than adults these days. Acknowledged, being a teen is tough in some areas, and incredibly simple in others. While some teenagers may contend that it’s horrible. I was a teenager myself not long ago. We all know what it’s like. However, natural depression was not part of my teenager experience. Who knows what has happened in the last ten years. Panic attacks should not be a part of childhood. Truth is, anxiety attacks and depression should be much less prevalent than it is altogether.

Body Joy

It’s midafternoon and I’m feeling the itch to move my body, but instead I return phone calls, wipe the kitchen counter, sort my daughter Lilly’s school papers. I haven’t really moved in almost two weeks, at least in any meaningful way, and I’m in “the box,” a place of parched fear, scratchy overanalyzing, and tart self-judgment. I find myself here about five or six times a year, whenever I allow life to push me faster than I can keep pace spiritually and emotionally. Then I narrow my focus to the bandwidth of “just get it done,” and when I lift my head, I find I’m in need of a major blast of passion and perspective but afraid to move toward it. The longer I’m in the box, the more afraid I become, because moving is painful and joyful, and narrow has become such a familiar, if unsatisfying, way of being.

I know what will free me: allowing my body, not my mind, to express what I’m feeling. To simply move, not to burn calories or tone my thighs or perfect a yoga pose but to breathe and give my impulses form, to shake and holler and swoop and feel life moving through me. Conscious movement (for me, anything from yoga to whirling and wailing) brings me into startling intimacy with myselfintimacy that brings aliveness, intimacy I crave.

So many of us put ourselves in the box, cutting ourselves off from our bodies. I recently led a weekend retreat for 22 women centered around rest and inner listening, which included a fair amount of movement. The participants had come hoping to recapture a spark of joy, a sense of themselves free from “shoulds” and to-do lists. The movement exercises turned out to be the most challenging part of the retreat for a number of the womenand the most life-changing.

In the first exercise, I asked the group to ask their bodies (not their minds) to show them what their everyday life felt like. The circle exploded into hopping, running, grabbing, marching, and slumping. Then we came to a pause, breathed, and noticed how this felt. I asked the group, “What does your sacred pause look like?” It looked like this: graceful swaying, arms opening and extending, breath slowing and deepening. The contrast was startling. But as we continued the exercise with different questions and expressions, I saw one group member, Kit, bolt from the room and several other women who were barely moving.

At a break, I found Kit on a bench overlooking the city. “How are you?” I asked. “Scared,” she said. “It feels like there is this roar inside of me. I want to let it out, but I’m afraid what might happen if I do.” We talked about giving herself permission, being kind to herself, taking it at her own pacethe most important advice when befriending the body’s wisdom.

Walking back to my cabin later, I marveled at how convincingly real our fear can feel, how seemingly impenetrable in its accumulation. Not just a box but a fortress. I asked Camille Maurine, author of Meditation Secrets for Women, movement teacher, and my guest at the retreat, “What are we so afraid of?” “Consciousness is a great mystery,” Camille said. “That we can be aware of our own existence is a marvel, but consciousness is also a mixed blessing. Awareness of being alive brings awareness of death, and the more aware we are, the more we feel. Movement brings us smack into contact with that wonder and awethrough sensation, through the breathand that can be a scary awakening.”

The retreat unfolded beautifully: movement, journaling, and silent time outdoors slowly worked miracles, peeling away our layers of fear, rushing, and self-judgment. I noticed how much younger we all looked, and how much more laughter filled the center. We were discovering how thrilling it is when we reclaim our juice for living, our very life force, when we open our arms to ourselves and abandon our somatic ruts.

After dinner on the second day, Elizabeth told me this story: “When you asked us to move the first morning, I froze. I didn’t want to look stupid or stand out. But then I had an experience that changed everything. I took a walk after our class, and the young girl who lives here joined me. We stopped to watch a horse being shod, and she brought me a handful of flowers and said, ‘I am so lucky to live here!’ As she said this, her body dipped into a squat and popped up againspontaneous movement! I thought, ‘This child didn’t wonder how to express herself or whether it was acceptable. She just moved.’

“Later, in Camille’s class, when she asked us not to move until the impulse came from within, I thought of that girl. I sat frozen for five minutes, determined not to move until my body was ready, reliving every awkward moment of my teenage years, all the times I had learned to physically shut down. When the impulse finally came, it was so exhilarating. My body was breathing me. It was like my mind was a bystander, and as I watched, it was my body telling me stories. As it finished one, I’d get quiet and still, and then another story would pour out. It was breathtaking.”

You can only be the person your body can support you being. Most of the time, we don’t realize we’ve hunkered down into ourselves, shoulders slumped, chest concave, unable to breathe deeply. Trapped in repetitive, hobbling ways of moving and breathing, certain possibilities in life are closed to us. But if we are able to feel our feet on the earth, our chest expansive, our breathing relaxed, our body able to sway and soften, a whole new way of being opens to us, with new options for action and connection.

I’m back at home in my living room, reminding myself, reminding my body of the lessons reinforced over the weekend. I stretch out on my yoga mat, close my eyes, bring my attention to my breath, allow my exhale to be longer than my inhale. I silently recite a mantra, “God breathes me.” I recall that fear can only exist when I project forward in time. Fear needs time. What is here, right now, in my body, in my sensations?

I ground my energy, growing roots deep into the earth, letting myself feel that I am, in fact, in a body. I enter into the moment, give up the struggle against myself, give up the stories about how I’ll always be a neurotic, worrying dervish or that it doesn’t matter how I feel when other people are starving. I breathe and wait until my body is ready to communicate, until the impulse to move comes from withina few gentle yoga poses, then into dancing, then resting in child’s pose. I’m letting my body remember itself.

My fears and worries clump into smaller and smaller particles, and I move into the spaciousness between them, experiencing that joyful moment when the breath and the body unite and I allow what wants to come into being to come, unforced and unmediated by my mind. I stop to write in my journal now and againsnippets about new ways to listen to my daughter, an insight into a character in my novel. I listen and move…seeing, asking, and listening through my body to a new perspective.

SIDEBAR:

This simple exercise helps my bodynot my braintell me how to move.

1. Bring yourself into child’s pose: Kneel on the floor, knees hip-width apart. Lean forward with your belly resting on your knees, forehead on the floor. Arm position will depend on comfort: either place at your sides, palms up; stretched out in front of you, palms on the floor; or, my favorite, elbows on the floor, hands in prayer position either in front of you or “tented” over your head.

2. Repeat silently “I am being breathed.”

3. Ask your body “How would life like to move through me right now?” There’s no need to force an answer. Just rest in the trust of child’s pose, being breathed, content to let your body speak.

4. Surrender to impulses from your body to move, versus directions from your mindyou might roll on the floor, you might get up and swoop, sway, sing, or shout. The point is to give expression to whatever wants to move through you.

5. Follow these impulses to a natural concluding point. Return to child’s pose and rest in a moment of gratitude.

Jennifer Louden is a best-selling author of five books, including the classic The Woman’s Comfort Book and her newest Comfort Secrets for Busy Women. She has appeared on numerous TV and radio programs, including Oprah. She’s also a certified coach, creator of learning events and unique life balance products. Her upcoming retreat with Master Coach Molly Gordon is on how to “do” change with grace and confidence. Visit http://www.comfortqueen.com/retreats

Creative Thinking versus Critical Thinking

The process of creative thinking is often, mistakenly, intertwined with critical thinking. There is a tendency to write and edit simultaneously, couple hypothesis generation and evaluation, combine problem identification with solution.

To increase effectiveness, one should first apply creative thought, which is meant to be daring, uninhibited, free-spirited, imaginative, unpredictable, and revolutionary. The trick is to ignore content and maximise the size and richness of the idea pool.

Second, critical thinking is exercised to achieve applied creativity. This is reductive, logical, focused, conservative, practical and feasible. During this stage, the idea pool is reduced to achievable, appropriate ideas.

Now onto the Idea Pool itself:

Maximising the size and richness of the idea pool is a conscious process that has a lot in common with a) lateral thinking and b) the elicitation of tacit knowledge. It is the pre-critical thinking phase and some elements include:

a) Coming up with ideas for the sake of generating ideas.

b) Using a variety of stimuli and frameworks to open up as many pathways as possible.

c) Not having a conscious direction.

d) Not stopping when a goal seems fulfilled.

e) Consciously stimulating change in direction.

In short, the key principle is to produce first and scrutinize second - writing and rewriting are two separate processes. This applies across the board, from business problem solving to arts such as screenwriting. The more people try to understand meaning, the less they produce.

Kal Bishop, MBA,
http://www.managing-creativity.com

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK and founder of http://www.managing-creativity.com. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led improv workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. Kal regularly conducts workshops and presentations in London and can be reached via kalB@managing-creativity.com.

How Breathing Differently Can Make You Happier

“When you breathe, you inspire. When you do not breathe, you expire.” - Quote from an 11-year-old’s science exam

John Grinder, co-creator of NLP talks about the link between respiration, physiology, internal state and high performance. He calls this ‘the chain of excellence’. I recently read a book by Osho, the wonderfully non-PC mystic and guru. In the book, Osho instructed the reader to pay attention to their breathing rate when they were sad, and notice the timing of the in-breath and out-breath. He explained that next time they were happy, they could re-induce the sad state by merely repeating the breathing pattern. Fortunately, he added, it works the other way round too!

Follow some or all of these exercises;

Firstly; When you are experiencing a powerful, positive state, allow yourself to become aware of your breathing rate. Pay particular attention to the timing and rhythm of your in-breath and out-breath.

Secondly; Next time you are in a neutral or negative state, start breathing at the rate and rhythm from exercise one, and within a minute or so, the positive state should begin to return.

Many gurus advise people to do breathing exercises regularly. I know Tony Robbins does in his marvellous book “Unlimited Power” he advises that you start each day with a breathing exercise of inhaling slowly and deeply, then holding it for twice as long as the inhalation and exhaling in twice the pace. It really is invigorating and a great way to get motivated at the start of the day, especially if you are looking to do some things with your day that require motivation.

Breathing is powerful, our life force and is a major factor influencing our state of mind (if you uncertain about this, hold your breath for two minutes & re-read this sentence) This being the case, please use your common sense when doing any of these exercises (if you have a respiratory condition, please check with your health advisor first.) I do not want any asthmatics complaining that they did themselves harm following these exercises!!

So, thirdly; Start breathing comfortably but deeply, in through your nose & out through your mouth. Imagine that you are breathing from that area of your abdomen just beneath your belly button. Make the in-breath last to a count of 5 and the out-breath to a count of 6. Continue for at least 2 minutes, and notice what happens.

This 5:6 ratio seems to be a simple yet powerful way you can induce a relaxed state at will. The art of Yogic breathing is called Pranayama. Pranayama offers many different approaches for cleansing the mind & body through breathing exercises. Here’s one of them (with thanks to RA Wilson):

Fourthly (this may seem a bit odd to do, I’d recommend not doing this in front of friends or at work!) ; Lie on your back & pant like a dog, breathing rapidly in & out through your mouth 20 times. Then, breathe slowly, deeply and gently in and out 20 times through your nose. Once again, do the mouth-panting 20 times, then resume gentle nose-breathing. Notice what happens.

This technique is referred to as the breath of fire, and typically results in a state of… well, you find out!

These techniques can be very powerfully utilised when wanting to get in control of your state if you are going through a period of change such as reducing your weight, stopping smoking or developing more confidence.

Please remember that most people don’t breathe nearly enough. Start to breathe more deeply and notice how much better you feel. Have lots of fun with this. Notice how good you can make your self feel when you breathe differently.

To receive Adam’s amazing bi-monthly newsletter, packed with modern, innovative, psychological tips, techniques and information visit www.adam-eason.com You’ll also receive a free instantly downloadable hypnosis session to enjoy at home.

Mind Mapping

Ever been on a project where you had trouble keeping all the ‘if’ questions straight? “If this happens,” you say, “we’ll do one thing. But, if that happens, we’ll do something else instead, but only on a Wednesday.”

In cases like these, especially with high stakes, you may have drawn a diagram on a piece of paper. That way you could visualize the forks in the path ahead, while still seeing the objective at the end.

Diagrams map our reasoning and can be as simple as a few lines on a napkin, or as complex as computer models. Called mind maps, these diagrams help us make better decisions, or make difficult decisions more easily.

But, let’s also think of them as a system for better communication. Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes.

Mind mapping helps us communicate in at least three ways: to illustrate the components of complex situations; to show the outcomes of a series of actions; and to highlight otherwise unrecognized linkages.

Whenever I redesign my website, I’m dealing with a complex situation. So, I draw a simple diagram, with boxes representing pages and lines showing their connections. It’s only a modestly complex website, but keeping track of the hierarchy and connections can drive me crazy.

So, you can imagine how hard it is, not only to work with a more complex situation, but also explaining it to someone else. However, a simple visual outline of the components and their relationships can effectively communicate even the most Byzantine of structures.

You can also apply mind maps to track the outcomes of a series of actions. By way of an example, some manufacturers of consumer products wonder about selling directly to consumers on the Web. First they ask themselves whether or not they think such an initiative would be profitable. Second, if it will be profitable, how much will they have to spend, and how long will it take? And the list goes on.

By now, though, you’re getting the picture. One thing depends on another, and the answer to it depends on the answer to a previous question. Mind maps illustrate the actions and consequences, and give us a way to forecast possible outcomes.

Now, let’s turn to highlighting unrecognized linkages. One of my former newsletter clients is a major printing company, and part of our newsletter mandate involved explaining changes in the work world to employees. On some occasions we found it helpful to create diagrams of the forces behind the changes, and of our responses to them. We might show how technology relates to globalization, for example, without overwhelming our readers with words and abstract concepts.

In summary, mind mapping, or diagramming our reasoning, helps us communicate by simplifying complex situations, showing the possible consequences of a series of decisions, and highlighting linkages among seemingly unconnected events or players.

Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott’s Communication Letter. Learn how you can use communication to help achieve your goals, by reading articles or subscribing to this ad-supported newsletter. An excellent resource for leaders and managers, at: http://www.communication-newsletter.com

Attitude is Contagious - Would Anybody Want Yours?

Are you using the Life Potential you have been given? Or are you just existing?

We have all inherited standards, traits, habits, perceptions, and expectations based on what our parents, teachers, and peers taught us. We have allowed these to grow as a result of whatever we then learned as adults, and they continue to grow with whatever we feed our minds.

We have all heard the expression: “the fruits of our labor”. Picture a tree growing on fertile ground. Notice the lush, green leaves and the ripe fruit. The fruits represent whatever you have achieved (or what you want to achieve). With careful pruning (weeding), water, sunshine and love or care, your tree will continue to produce. Now imagine if you could see the roots of your tree. The roots are the foundation. They cannot survive without the pruning, water, sun or love. They wither, turn to weeds and die without these.

You are that tree! Are you living in the “Garden of Weedin’”? Without the things vital to your growth, to your Life Potential, you will wither and cease to grow.

If you are not “growing”, you are “dying”!
The first step in growing is recognizing, becoming AWARE that you need the pruning, water, sun, and love to survive and to reach your peak potential. The next step is to get out of your “comfort zone” and take ACTION! And if you want success, learn it! Success is a learnable skill!

Your thoughts will lead to feelings which, in turn, lead to actions which yield results.

Thoughts  Feelings  Actions = Results!

Identify the 2 Main “Roots” of Your ‘Tree of Life Potential’:

1. JOY - take Joy in whatever you choose to do. If your career, job or life doesn’t bring you JOY…change it!

2. PURPOSE - find a purpose in “serving” others; help those around you. How do you contribute to other people? What can you do to contribute?

When you have succeeded in attaining those 2 “Roots” you are fulfilling your Life Potential! Do you have Joy in your job/career? Are you helping others in some unselfish way? If you cannot answer “YES” to BOTH questions, then something needs to be changed.

And in order to change we must be willing to take ACTION.

Affirmation: (say aloud) “My inner world creates my outer world!”

Your inner world creates your outer world!

You create your wealth, your non-wealth, your health or lack of good health, your reality or fantasy. And, how you do anything is how you do everything! There is much to be said about the power of your own intentions. You get what you expect! If you expect to be broke, always struggling financially or personally, you WILL BE! If you truly expect to succeed and win, you WILL!

Develop yourself. The best investment you have is what you see in the mirror. If you want to be happier, work on YOU! If you want to earn more money in whatever you choose to do, work on YOU! If you want a successful marriage, work on YOU! If you want well-adjusted children, work on YOU! Children model what they see and hear! And so can you.

Rich, successful people model and admire other rich and successful people!

If you wanted to learn how to become a computer programmer, would you go to a hairdresser for advice? If you wanted to learn how to be a better parent, would you talk to someone with no children? If you want to learn how to operate and manage your own business would you go to someone who has failed in his or her last 3 business ventures? Of course not. If you want to be successful, you model and admire other successful people. If wealth is what you want, learn from those who have wealth. And there are many kinds of “wealth” - not just financial.

Wealthy people think differently than “poor” people:
Wealthy people believe “I create my life!” Poor people believe “Life happens to me!”
Poor people expect to just pay the bills; wealthy people expect to create success and win.

Wealthy people are never victims. While most people live in fear, need and obligation, wealthy people don’t let those things stop them. People are motivated by fear, proving their self-worth and anger. Fear paralyzes you! It stops you from taking action. Practice acting in spite of fear, discomfort, inconvenience and doubt.

When you are uncomfortable, you are out of your “comfort zone”. When you are uncomfortable, it is the only time you are growing!

Become a “Whatever It Takes!” Person!

If you become a “whatever it takes” person, YOU WILL SUCCEED! If it takes a bigger commitment to succeed in your goal, commit! If it takes longer hours to get what you want, work them! If it takes doing something you fear, conquer it! If it takes setting down a schedule, follow it! If it takes attending meetings/seminars to learn, be there!

Affirmation: (say aloud) “I act in spite of fear, discomfort, inconvenience, doubts and worry!”

Action is the bridge between the Inner and Outer World.

Break the cycle of FEAR!

Most things are easier than our minds make us believe. You are much bigger and greater than your mind. If you train and manage your mind, you will diminish the fear; you will then be able to learn and “own” your mind. You and your mind are the only things that determine your happiness.

Rule your mind; don’t let your mind rule you!

Your mind is not usually on your side; it is a survival mechanism — designed to be protective, to keep you in your “comfort zone”. Break free! Get out of that zone! Recondition yourself!

80% of SUCCESS is Psychology & Character

20% of SUCCESS is Knowledge & Skills

How do I recondition myself? LEARN strategies, proven techniques then put them into ACTION! Build on your psychology and your character by reading anything motivational, by listening to anyone who motivates you, by attending workshops conducted by successful people. Model those who have what you want! Believe you CREATE your life!

Is your ‘Recycle Bin’ Empty or Full?

Share what you learn and remember your “Purpose”? Contribute to others. We have all heard the saying: “What goes around, comes around!” If you send out signals of financial struggle, fear and doubt, you will attract more of the same. Remember that the way you support and help others is the way they will support and help you! Practice supporting others…start TODAY! Find a mentor - a coach. A good coach will ask more of you than you will of yourself.

Don’t become a “CRAP MAGNET”! If your mind is sending you crap, delete it! Positive IN, garbage OUT! Attitude IS contagious! Would anybody want yours? And “don’t just talk the talkwalk the walk!” If you want to be wealthy, happy and own your sense of purpose, make it happen. It is much easier for most of us to pretend we want it, than to actually DO it!

Position yourself for success. Position yourself for wealth.
“Change brings opportunity; quick change brings quick opportunity! Why wait? Start now! If you want to be paid more, BE more! Once you find something that works, duplicate it! Leverage yourself!

“One step in the right direction is worth one hundred years thinking about it!” - T. Harv Eker

Note: I believe in serendipity and synchronicity. The above article is compiled from various courses or informational seminars that I have attended over the years. It is meant to uplift and inspire. CKT

©2003-2005 Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Cheryl Kaye Tardif is the author of Whale Song, Divine Intervention and upcoming new release, The River. She has appeared on television and radio, and has been featured in newspapers and magazines across Canada and the US. A former motivational speaker for a well-known international company, she has inspired people to achieve goals they thought were impossible, and she uses her motivational skills to encourage others. According to bookstore managers, Cheryl has the highest and most consistent book signing sales in Edmonton, and has often surpassed $500.00 in sales for one signing. She is also the owner of http://www.BookAdz.com, a site that promotes Canadian and American authors, and she is the creator of A.F.T.E.R. ~ Authors For Tragic Event Relief, http://www.aftercanada.com

For more information, email Cheryl at cherylktardif@shaw.ca or visit her website: http://www.cherylktardif.com