So, it’s Cinco de Mayo!  ¡Fiesta!  Party!  But before you run out later to buy the tacos for dinner or the cervezas for happy hour, might I share with you a quick 40 second read on what Cinco de Mayo even is?!?

The holiday of Cinco De Mayo, The 5th Of May, commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. It is primarily a regional holiday celebrated in the Mexican state capital city of Puebla and throughout the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico, and especially in U.S. cities with a significant Mexican population. It is not, as many people think, Mexico’s Independence Day, which is actually September 16.

There you have it!  Now let me give you some quick fun things for craft ideas first, followed by food, and finally FREE music:

Food

Based on the age of children who might help you assemble lunch or dinner, Boca Beth recommends the following: 

Salsa and chips 

Big Fritos with sour cream, chili & cheese and/orguacamole for dipping 

Make your own taco station complete with meats(chicken or beef), tomatoes, lettuce, cheese,taco sauce and shells 

Flan, dulce de leche ice cream, Tres Lechescake (available in many flavors these days) orgalletas/cookies from a local Spanish grocerystore.CraftsHave the children make their ownMexican ponchos out of large browngrocery bags with paints, sequins, beads,feathers, foam shapes, etc to decorate 

Maracas can easily be made with twopaper plates stapled together (adultsupervision required), popsicle stick asthe handle and rice, pasta or beans asthe noise filler – children decorate the

outside of the plates prior to assembly.

And if you have time for some music fun during the day, e-mail me at bocabeth@msn.com for a free MP3 version of the Latin American fun song Chocolate!  I will send you lyrics and activity ideas to do hand-in-hand with the song. Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando! Boca Beth

I believe many of us have the mentality of “Earth Day is Every Day.”  As we live our lives as moms and business women we make daily conscious decisions to recycle, to reuse, to reduce waste and so on in our homes and our home offices.

 Today, as we Nationally recognize Earth Day, I want to share with you some easy things to do daily to bring the meaning and essence of Earth Day into your daily routine:

• Remember this from school?  Reduce  Reuse  Recycle 
• Take time to turn your backyard or your balcony into a place that is appealing to wildlife.  Add a birdfeeder, throw in some cool native plants, and buy a fountain for water (our family delights in the many birds drinking our fountain’s water!)
• Pack lunches in reusable containers to help reduce the amount of trash you produce - save the brown bags for only field trip days.
• Walk your children to school, or scooter to pick them up one day (watch their eyes get really big as mom arrives in style on a scooter!) and even try to carpool with your child’s friends.  Reducing the use of your family car will set a great example for your children.
• My kids laugh at me often as I refill our plastic water bottles daily.  They chuckle now but will appreciate the effort later as their landfills are devoid of those darn plastic bottles!• Cut down on how much paper you use by using both sides of each sheet and cutting up old paper to use as scratch paper.
• Make certain all of the family is turning off lights in rooms that are empty, that their video games and computers are off and that there is a respect of conserving energy both day & night.
• Invest in one of those stylish, reusable shopping bag, and take it to the store every time you shop.   This sets a clear example that you refuse to let another plastic bag enter your home! 

Happy Educating!  and Happy Earth Day!

Beth Butler

Founder of The Boca Beth Program

Yes amigas!  Many of you have already had Spring Break while others of us are anxiously awaiting that wonderful week.  Then there are my homeschooling moms friends who laugh when I even mention having to plan my families play during someone else’s calendar!

Either way, we all have times where we need to stock up and be ready for quality time with the children.  It’s why many of us do what we do, and in the height of an almost PR opportunity or in the middle of a pricing negotiation, we MUST stay true to our original vision and plan…………keep the kids in your head and heart, stay fired up about your business and know when to say “No” to either one when the need arises.

So…………………….Plan Ahead!!!!!!!

Look for sales of cool craft fun items (I use Oriental Trading for some inexpensive Summer arts and crafts with the girl who comes in to help out with Megan.  Don’t feel guilty that you need to bring in help to watch over the child or children during their Spring and/or Summer breaks.  It’s part of running a company from home (you would have them in DayCare, Preschool or Family Child Care if you were a 9-5 office worker . . . THAT was in honor of Dolly Parton on American Idol this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

We pay a high school girl for 20 hours per week to spend quality time with Megan (almost 8 years old in one week) - they do vocabulary games, arts & crafts, math sheets and flashcards, swimming, and just plain fun stuff too!  And for the $7 per hour she is worth every cent.

So - get yourself geared up.  Hire someone fun and smart and energetic!  Buy some fun items for them to do with your child or children and then …………. let the breaks begin.  Knowing you can run your business while your child evolves ….

Happy Educating! 

Boca Beth 

I recall being at a business women’s conference, and as we waited for the keynote speaker to take the stage they had the most inspiring rolling of words floating across the big screens.  The word DANCE would float onto the screen, and then …like there is no tomorrow would join the word DANCE casino online espa�ajuegos de casino gratuitoscasinos internacionales lineablackjack onlinecasinos internacionales portales internetjuego gratis pagina internetcasino del juego en lineajuegos apuestas pagina internetkeno casinono cd casino empire,casino empire,crack casino empirepremios dinero portales internetjuegos flash casinoganar dinero real pagina websuper slotsbest online casinosformulario ruleta visual basicganar la ruletaonline casino gamesjuego gratis portales webonline spielbankroulette strategiedeposit bonus casinofun roulette onlinecasino gaminginternet casino pokercraps spielenonline gewinnenkasino comroulette online gameinternet gewinnspielrealistische internet spielbankcasino spiele downloadenonline casino paypalspielregeln spieleautomatenonline casino hamburgkostenloses freispielroulette spielregelnfun games rouletteroulette spiel,online roulette spiel,casino roulette spielslotmaschine online spielenkostenlose online casinolotto zahlenkasino onlineonline blackjackroulette online gratisonline kugel f�r roulette,online roulette,roulette online gameonline spielautomatenvideo poker gratisspiel online kasinocasino online,internet casino online,casino online games …

This continued with other words that moved you to the core as a woman and as a mom.  Then, the last words came up, and they have stayed with me year after year and moment after moment.  I want to share them with you …. HUG YOUR CHILD ….. don’t be the first to let go.

After reading some of the posts on our message boards yesterday, I felt there was a consensus (a general agreement) that our minds are racing so much so that we often times fail to focus on the moment.  Many of my fellow mompreneurs were confessing to being with their child physically but not mentally, trying to connect with hubby yet thinking ahead to their product’s new packaging or something similar.

Ladies, friends, amigas, businesswomen…we must stop the madness!  We CAN run a business, a company AND have meaningful interactions with our family on a regular basis.  Teacher Mom (that’s me!) is no Poster Child for perfection in this arena; however, I did detect that as one of the eldest in our boards, 49 this year(!), I might have a strong lead in the experience department on how to gain patience and positive, quality time in our lives.

Lesson #1 … Allow Your Children to Teach You Today

Yes, you read correctly.  Really make a conscious effort to learn from your child(ren) today. 

• Watch how the simple things delight them.
• Learn how to laugh a lot and out loud with them.
• Enjoy smiling with no reason other than that you are alive with your child.
• Count how many times they touch something to learn about it - awaken your senses!!!
• Relish in their hugs, their kisses … then, when they want something, be thankful they are alive to need you and you are alive to be their mom.

HOMEWORK:  Come back after a few days and leave a comment on one moment you enjoyed more because of this lesson.  Thanks…we will be waiting to hear from you.

That’s today’s lesson.  Simple.  Not too many steps.  But we are on the road to becoming more patient and more involved in our life.  Let’s not watch our lives pass us by as if it is an out-of-body experience.

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth

You see the culturally diverse society around you?

You feel the economy becoming more and more global?

You realize that being bilingual is no longer an option, it’s a necessity!

So…today, hoy día…make the promise to your children that you are going to give them the gift of a second language starting now, ahora!

Okay, okay……….don’t leave the computer screen mad at me!  Please……don’t leave the room!  Take a peek at a book written by two moms who happen to be PhDs in linguistics, and you will realize after five minutes with this book titled The Bilingual Edge that you CAN give your child the gift of a lifetime of language skills with some fun and play!

Yes!  I said fun and play!  In fact, just like I have said since day one of becoming a classroom teacher and mom of three, make it about play and you’ll do it every day!

Here is a cool, free download of a bilingual song to get you started - that is if Spanish is the new language for you and your family!

Bilingual Song About Counting by Boca Beth

And here is a coloring / activity page to go along with the fun!  Just follow this link to a free PDF Spanish and English coloring page.

Stay tuned - next time we will discuss how to do this bilingual fun stuff with any target language you choose!

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth

I love, love, love going to Conferences focused on Women in Business and Helping Women in Business!

The ENERGY!

The FRIENDSHIP!

The PASSION!

Such was the case last week when I had the fantastic fortune of attending Women in Charge - an event in Miami Beach (the location didn’t stink!!!) sponsored by Entrepreneur Magazine and American Express OPEN (you know, the new plum card and Make Mine A Million…….and if those two things don’t ring a bell,  you should check them out ASAP!!!!).

I had signed up for the FREE (Yes!  I typed FREE!) event months ago, and then as the costs of the company were analyzed at the end of 2007, and our P&L started shaping up (or is it down!?!?!) I had resigned myself to the fact that I could not and therefore should not spend money on airfare, car rental and hotel (thinking maybe I would skip meals until I got to the event!!!!).

Then hubby came through with a work related item in South Florida, I fly free on Southwest with him at any time because he is one of their preferred travelers, and of course the cool South Florida hotel was now on him!  (I even got to eat out in Miami Beach when we arrived too!)

So - thanks for listening to lesson #1!  Don’t ever give up!  If there is a will with us ladies, there is a way!  I somehow started feeling a sense of urgency to attend this event at the last minute and really pleaded with my husband to make it work for us to get there.  So keep focused on your passion, write down what you want, and it will manifest itself into happening!

I took some great notes during the keynote and the breakout sessions (Rieva Lesonsky, the Editorial Director of Entrepreneur, was there along with Catherine Seda who is one of their contributing writers, and both ladies delivered kickin’ workshops!!!!! on trends, PayPerClick Campaigns, Search Engine Optimization and other business related tips and techniques).  I want to share what I learned in bullet fashion.  Then if you have questions, e-mail me personally at bocabeth@msn.com

First For Fashion Related Businesses and Trend Watching Business Women:

• Belong to Trade Associations that are related to your industry - they will keep you in the loop of trends
• Watch TV about lifestyle issues, Read Magazines, Check out Newspapers all to keep up on trends - with the newspapers make certain to read online LosAngeles, New York and even Paris or Milan for fashion people because the trends start in those major markets and work their way around - read the Lifestyle sections or Trend Section when time allows.
• Go to www.trendcentral.com www.trendwatching.com  www.springwise.com  www.iconoculture.com and these sites will also keep you up to date on trends in your industry
• Those of you in fashion sign up to get newsletters from online spots of Neimann Marcus and Nordstroms for more trendsetting ideas and go to www.ebags.com to find up and coming designers in handbags
• Also be aware of the hottest colors for packaging, for design and for fashion manufacturing - go to www.pantone.com and www.fashiontrendsetter.com to see what is HOT in colors for the next year+
• If you are still trying to THINK of a business to start - two of THE HOTTEST things are cupcake shops and pinkberry stores - want more info - e-mail me, okay?
• During recession times consumers like bright colors and comfort items/food

Now for Search Engine Help and Pay Per Click Campaigns:

• The BEST thing I learned last week - turn off Content Search in your Google Ad Words Campaign - I can’t tell you how much money this already saved me in one week.  ONE WEEK!!!  I have used Google AdWords for more than 4 years, and when Content Network Search came around Google pushed it, and I bought into it.  Never did I read or have anyone tell me to take myself off of it - that it wastes your daily budget FAST with little ROI.  So learn from my mistakes - go to edit campaign settings and uncheck the Google Content circle TODAY!!!
• Lower your cost per click by being more specific with your keywords and keep all ads you write relevant by making your keywords part of each ad
• Make sure the landing page is congruent with your ad copy - if you mention your specific belt - take them to that page of your site.  The home page is NOT the best landing page since most visitors leave sites after 2-3 clicks if they can’t get to what the ad told them they would see
• Put brackets around your keywords in the Keyword editing tool [ spanish ] - Like that!

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!  and Happy Business Ladies… Next year we must make a trip out of this one day FREE conference, don’t you think?!?!?!

Boca Beth

Well, if 2008 is not the year of the entrepreneur, it certainly IS the year of the mompreneurs who share on the wonderful online community of women that Pat and Ellen created for us to inspire, motivate, cheer on, hold up, pick up, and sing praises for one another!

With that being said, the teacher in me is compelled to remind every one of us as the pace setter of our families and as the daily inspiration provider for our children to make certain to instill this drive of following your passion and chasing your dream within each and every young child, tween and teen we touch.  It’s one thing to say that your children watch you work like a crazed chicken some moments and like a graceful butterfly other moments.  It’s a totally different thing to truly and purposefully encourage them to dream and dream big.

So often we take for granted the innocence of children and their God-given talent for unbridled imagination.  I think that often times fools us into thinking, “I don’t need to talk to Megan about dreaming big and following her passion.  She’s all over the place with her made up games and fanciful friends.”  The opposite is true………

………We should embrace her games and ask to play once in a while or elicit an introduction to that made up new friend.  We learn so much from this spontaneous play with our children and gain insight into where their minds are taking them.  And even though those two other calls need to be made or those three other “To Dos” need to get done before it’s really play time, don’t you think we should make it a point to slow down, stop for 5 minutes, give her our undivided attention and then go back to our list that never gets done?

Society does a poor job on developing dreams and passions, we are doing amazing jobs at developing our dreams and passions, and now we need to remind ourselves to help our children dare to dream and chase that dream with passion and purpose!

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth

Most of us are reflecting on how our 2007 has shaped up…Did we lose those 10 pounds we started the year with that we resolved to lose?  Did we learn that new language we resolved to learn?  Did we begin that new class we resolved to start to cook different meals?

Ah……just the word resolution brings about shivers to my spine!  I am one of those that really never makes New Year’s Resolutions and stays focused throughout the year revisiting my goals and my dreams often to make sure I am on track.

Leslie of Grill Charms has so inspired us all to continue chasing our dreams, but she has really shown us that we need to do it day in and day out with PASSION and the initial energy and drive that we had our first week in business!!!!!  Thank you Leslie for the unplanned kick-in-the-pants you have given many of us fellow entrepreneurs!

Our bilingual music videos hit TV airways via the Education Channel here in Tampa Bay this month!  (See a complete Boca Beth bilingual music video for FREE by clicking here!)  I can’t think of a better way to kick off a New Year than to know that many families will benefit from the music, movement and creativity woven through each of our Boca Beth Bilingual Music Videos!

So….my friends and amigas, let’s make this an amazing year.  Send your videos in to Donny (I am!!!), network with fellow like-minded and positive people (you will feel so much better for it!), and make this week like it’s your first in business, and have the sense of urgency and excitement to make things happen NOW/AHORA.

Happy Educating! 

Boca Beth

We know those days are ahead of us….

Those of us who do not homeschool and have children in the traditional school setting realize the Winter Break is almost here…..

Thoughts of what will we do with our little “I’m bored” Robots and “There’s nothing to do” Rascals loom overhead and around our feet……

Here are some quick links to get yourself prepared ahead of time.  One of these cool craft ideas comes from our very own Melissa and her  Storybook Studio where you can stop by and do some very cool Christmas, Hanukkah and Holiday shopping.  Find a very easy to make wreath activity by clicking here.

Another cool place to swing by would be Enchanted Learning - a site that is free for visitors, and once you become addicted (like I am!!) they appreciate a yearly membership fee of … hold onto your hats!!!! … $20!  It rocks!!!  I use this site for our Boca Beth Educator’s Club, and our subscribers LOVE their resources.  There is something for every day of the Winter Break if you need it.

As always, Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth

p.s. (For some FREE bilingual language cards to help our during down time because you still wish to keep their minds sharp and learning a little the fun way (even over the Winter Break), click here for more than 80 Spanish and English fun cards.  Have one child be the ‘teacher’ and the other be the students!  Then switch off!)

I know!  I know!

We are all busy.  Crazy busy!  I read the blogs.  I read the online forum entries.  I know that each of us is multi-tasking like there’s no tomorrow………..

But, when was the last time you scooped your child up onto your lap (or cuddled next to him or her if they are past the ’scooping-up’ stage!!!) and read a book with your child with not one interruption?

Believe me, I am no Poster Child for this daily event!  Once I get past sunset on the lake, dinner with the family followed by clean up and showers I am ready to call it a day (and I mean a D-A-Y)!

But, after reading my own abstract for an upcoming training with Head Start staff, I felt compelled to make the cry-out and the kick-in-the-pants to not only my fellow Moms who are busy running their homes as well as their businesses but to myself.

Let’s make a pact here - a friendly agreement - to read to our young children and instill in them the love of reading.  It’s crucial to their success, our nation’s success and the future of this United States of America!

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth