Hi There!

I hope you have had as fun a summer as we have this year. Here's a picture of my son, Aidan, hammering away helping build a helicopter at the kid's craft area at Algonquin Founders' Days. Summer is just about over and we're getting into gear for school. Brandon will be a sophmore this year and Aidan starts preschool in September!

For those who are local, I'll be speaking at a couple of events coming up in September in Vernon Hills and Arlington Heights. You'll find details below. Please come join me if you're in the area!

This month's Guilt-Free article

As we head into August, the reality of summer ending and the new school year starting is upon us. Below you'll find 7 tips to help busy working parents make a smooth transition back into the school year.

To your continued success!

Victoria Cook, ACC
Your Guilt-Free Coach

Connect with me:

PS: A great big "Welcome!" to all the new readers who have recently joined my guilt-free community! You're going to love the resources you'll find here to help you create more time and focus to accomplish HUGE goals...Guilt-Free! Enjoy!

Our Best Year Ever Coaching Call on TUESDAY, September 8th, 12 p.m. CST

“Energy Infusion (Part 1)”

With the speed of life these days, people are running around more and more frantically and finding less and less time to recharge. This makes us feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and undermotivated.

In this discussion, we will share 5 very easy ways to boost energy, many of which can be performed there on the spot to reinforce learning. You will also get a handy quick reference sheet that will help you remember these techniques to be able to use them over and over again!

These calls are ONLY for Best Year Ever Group Coaching members. Not a member?
Join now to access this call with Victoria's special FREE 1-month Membership trial
(plus a small $5 shipping/handling fee)

Tuesday, September 8th, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

GOT BALANCE?

GLMV Women's Networking Group
Opa, 950 Lakeview Parkway, Vernon Hills
Cost: $10 cash or check only at the door
Call 847-680-0750

We live in an over-stressed and busy culture where work/life balance seems to be an allusive goal. If you are feeling trapped and a victim of your life and work circumstances then this talk is what you need to get back into the driver’s seat of your life.

Balance is really a series of little shifts and not an end-point destination. The balance we currently have, or don’t have, is the result of the choices we have made. Come, revitalize, get back into the driver’s seat of your life, AND enjoy the ride!

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Thursday, September 17th, 6:00 - 8:15 p.m.

5 Keys to Creating a Strong & Empowering Inner Strength

Food Executive Women's Group
Francesca's Tavola
208 S. Arlington Heights Rd. in Arlington Heights

Having inner strength is MORE than just attitude. It’s about your WHOLE mindset both conscious and unconscious! Victoria Cook, The Guilt-Free Coach, will share her 5 Keys for Creating a Strong and Empowering Inner Strength. At this powerful seminar, you will learn:

1. Victoria’s 5 Keys
2. how the ongoing inner battle affects inner strength
3. what core beliefs and fears might be holding you back
4. the beginning steps to combat the negative playlist in your mind

7 Tips for a Smooth Transition into the School Year

As we head into August, the reality of summer ending and the new school year starting is upon us. While I was ready for the summer break in June, now that my children have been home for the summer and we’ve had some great fun, I’m ready for them to head back! Here are 7 tips to help busy working parents make a smooth transition back into the school year:

1. Set clear, age appropriate ground rules and expectations

It's important for kids to have a clear understanding of what's expected regarding the morning routine, homework, and scheduling. Perhaps your child is getting old enough for an alarm clock and can take on the responsibility of getting up on their own and beginning their morning routine. Make it clear when and where is best for them to complete their homework. Talk about how many extracurricular activities and clubs can be managed per season or semester. Have these discussions, and negotiations like we sometimes have at my house, BEFORE school begins to head off disagreements and disappointments.

2. Planning & Organization are a must

Taking time out to plan and organize can actually save time in the long run. Let Simply Homemade take all the work and worry out of meal planning and preparation. That will free you up for helping out with homework and spending quality time with family. Organizing everything else can be as simple as a paper wall calendar (I personally use the Moms Plan-It Family Calendar so everyone can see at a glance what's happening each day) or an electronic version like Outlook or a Palm Pilot. The key is to have all the schedules in one place.

Go to your child's school website and print off a copy of the 2009-2010 school schedule and add the school holidays, early release, and vacation days to the calendar too. Add sports schedules and club activities as they become known. Also post important phone numbers for school absentee, coaches, teachers, and leaders of any extracurricular activities for easy access.

3. Reset their biological clock

During the summer months it’s not unusual for parents to permit their children to stay up and sleep in later than usual. This can end up altering their internal biological clock and make the shock of switching back to the school sleeping routine of “early to bed, early to rise” more challenging. Create a smoother transition by getting the kids back into a good sleeping routine a couple weeks prior to the start of the school year. This will give their biological clocks time to adjust and prepare them for the school schedule.

4. Go through the closet

Set aside some time to go through your children’s closet and dresser together to assess what still fits and what they will still wear (if they are a fussy teen), and make a give-away bag of the items you can give to a local charitable organization. Along the way, make a list of what items will be needed for the upcoming school year. This way you’ll be armed and ready when the summer back-to-school sales start.

If you are looking for a reliable organization to pick up your gently used items, I've had great luck with the Cancer Federation. You can even request to be added to their next pick up schedule in your area by visiting www.cftruck.com.

5. Minimize morning headaches

Just about every working parent with whom I’ve worked has said mornings are the toughest, most hectic time of their day. The challenge of getting yourself and kids ready and out the door can be easier with a little pre-planning and delegation. Talk with your children now about the morning routine and what tasks they will need to do. The night before, engage your children in preparing for the next day. Things like having them put their backpack and shoes near the front door, selecting what they will wear, making their own lunch, or deciding in advance what they’d like for breakfast the next morning can help make things less hectic and give them a sense of responsibility and independence.

If you’re also the parent of a toddler, take some time to pre-pack what you can in the diaper bag or toddler backpack. This will ensure clean bottles or sippy cups and an extra change of clothes for your child to wear.

6. Setup a study space for success

Determine where your child’s study space will be and set it up for success. We have a large basket filled with extra loose leaf paper, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, markers, a dictionary, calculator, a ruler, and extra erasers. If you have a tween or teen, it may be a good idea to also stock up on poster board for those inevitable school projects due the next day!

7. Make time for YOU and your spouse

Make time in the busy family schedule for YOU and time just for you and your spouse. It’s important to replenish your own energy in order to have enough for taking care of everyone else. Schedule in a date night or two each month to reconnect with your sweetie and nurture your relationship. Research has shown that when parents have a healthy marriage their children feel more secure.

Even with your very best effort there will be times when the schedule doesn’t go as planned, the alarm doesn’t go off, or something gets forgotten. Remember, you’re NOT perfect, and let go of any feelings of guilt. Apologize, give a hug, and move on. Take what you’ve learned and incorporate that lesson into your plans for the next time.

© 2009 Victoria Cook. All Rights Reserved.

Victoria Cook, The Guilt-Free Coach, is a successful entrepreneur, speaker, Certified Professional Coach, and creator of The Guilt-Free Results System™. Through coaching, classes, and workshops, Victoria helps professional women accomplish huge goals guilt-free.

As a coach, Victoria sees her role as a catalyst to help her clients identify and implement greater self-care and her 7 step system for creating the guilt-free results they desire.

To begin experiencing Victoria's coaching, you can enjoy one month of her Best Year Ever group coaching program at no charge, beginning right now (plus a small $5 shipping/handling fee).

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© 2009 Victoria Cook. All Rights Reserved.