AT HOME, ON THE AIR
-->Tara Crooks was looking for a unique way to make money at home,
something beyond selling candles or Mary Kay products.210406 LOCAL
NEWSSavannahNow.comTara Crooks was looking for a unique way to make money at
home, something beyond selling candles or Mary Kay products. -->After all,
it seemed every 3rd Infantry Division wife was dabbling in direct marketing.
Crooks wanted to find a niche - a business she could run anywhere the Army
takes her, 4-year-old daughter Wrena and husband, Capt. Kevin Crooks of the
1-41st Field Artillery.Then it came to her."I was lying in bed, and I'm
thinking 'What am I passionate about?'" she said. "All of a sudden I
realized the one thing I know better than anything else in the world: I know
how to be an Army wife."This week, Crooks, 30, is celebrating one year of
being "on-air" via her Web site ArmyWifeTalkRadio.com. There, visitors can
listen to the Richmond Hill resident's weekly radio program. She and her
guest "gurus" discuss everything f!
rom sex to gardening to how to decipher an Army pay stub.The hour long show
is also available as a Podcast, a downloadable audio file through Web sites
such as Apple's iTunes.When she began about 30 people tuned in, she said.
She now reaches about 1,000 listeners a week, and recently signed on her
first advertising sponsor."That was the first paycheck I've seen," she said.
"I was dancing in the street."Operating a successful business from home is
hard work, but the Internet has opened a world of possibilities for
stay-at-home moms, said Kelly McCausey, who helped Crooks start her own
show.McCausey also runs a talk radio program aimed at helping mothers start
home-based businesses.Last year, the Gaylord, Mich. resident invited Crooks
to talk about an earlier Web-based business she started. McCausey then
connected Crooks with the tools and software she needed to start her own
radio talk show.McCausey has been operating her site, wahmtalkradio.com,
since November of 2003. She !
said she now earns a full-time income from her weekly radio program."N one
of that would have been possible just five or six years ago," she said. "The
possibility for starting an online business and telecommuting is huge."For
those looking to start their own home-based business, McCausey has one
crucial piece of advice: Buyer beware. The Internet is full of fraudulent
get-rich-quick programs that don't work. She suggests joining an online
forum to share tips with other work-at-home moms."It's really easy to get
scammed, so surround yourself with people who tell the truth," she
said.Crooks said her radio program gives her the freedom to stay home and
raise her child the way she had always hoped. With the right software, a
good microphone and an in-line patch that allows her to conduct phone
interviews, she's able to tape her show on her home computer. Soon, she
plans to broadcast it live online. And she eventually wants to build an
entire online network for spouses from all branches of the military.Anything
she can do to help spouses, especiall!
y young ones who are just entering the military community, is rewarding
work, she said."When you make a spouse stronger, you make a soldier
stronger," she said.
http://images.military.com/Audio/FTED11.mp3
Hey guys I'm on military.com with the EDITORS DESK podcast! :) Check it out by clicking on the link above.
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Show a Special Military Family You Appreciate Them
Military families know military service is not a job, it's a lifestyle. While this lifestyle provides endless opportunities for adventure and learning, at the same time families are subject to unique challenges. The National Military Family Association (NMFA) Family Award provides an opportunity to recognize those families who have made the most of the adventure and conquered the challenges. The NMFA Family Award is given to 12 families who exemplify the best of the military family lifestyle. Each winning family will receive $500 and a $250 donation will be made to a charity of their choosing. Additionally, one winning family will be chosen as the NMFA Family of the Year and will receive $1000 and a trip to Washington, D.C., where they will be honored at a reception with key military leaders and the program sponsors. They will also have the opportunity to present a check in the amount of $500 to the charity of their choice. Any active duty, reserve component, or retired family of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or commissioned corps of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration or the Public Health Service, are eligible, as well as the families of fallen service members, or families of wounded service members who were injured in the line of duty within the past three years and have since been discharged. Nominations will only be accepted online at http://www.nmfa.org/familyaward.
Click here to read the rest of this post.
When you are sitting on the floor of the office going over your schedule and you inadvertently refer to your child's spring break as "her being on leave" ....man I am serious...that is what I did last night and I caught myself...and then just cracked up!
Click here to read the rest of this post.
When I stop to think about why some Army wives feel that this life isn't for them or that it's just not working out so well ...I realize that for some of them it really is true..but then I see the majority that really just need to make a change in themselves to see the benefits. Is the glass really half full? Or half empty? It's really about being proactive.
For example, when I had my baby at Ft Hood, TX I was told OVER and OVER how horrible it was to have a baby there. I mean you should have HEARD the stories - and doesn't it make you want to slap the person? Like you have a CHOICE as to where you are going to have this? Oh, wait, it's horrible? Really? Well let me go get that extra 6,000 bucks out of my savings and head up to Temple to the bigger hospital....YA RIGHT!! Anyway, I digress... Over and Over I was told it was awful and I am here as LIVING PROOF to tell you that it was actually quite a joy! Well as much of a joy that childbirth can really be - ha ha ha - ok ok I'm talking about the PAIN!!! I think it's really all about being proactive and not reactive.
NEWSFLASH to all of you out there - this is going to seem harsh to some but GUESS WHAT? The ARMY (in all it's glory) isn't here to TAKE CARE OF YOU it is out of the goodness of their hearts and a desire to have happy families and soldiers that they provide the services which they do and ironically most of them are not taken advantage of -- instead we complain. Sure it's a hard life - hell I've had my battles just as much as each one of you - but being REACTIVE to what the Army does for it's "business", and taking it personal isn't getting you anywhere.
My advice? PROACTIVE instead of REACTIVE! That means GO OUT THERE and make the best of what you have! Sure it's a given there are some things you can't change -- so change the ones you can! Find JOY and LOVE in what is available. Make the most of each day (and so what if you have some down ones - we're allowed!) and be PROUD of who you are and your purpose on this Earth. I can tell you not everyone CAN do this - but YOU can..and you'll do it with grace once the attitude changes and you choose to not let outside things control everything you do.
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Posts
