Email from my bank:  You have a new bill from Macy’s.

Odd. I haven’t used my Macy’s card in about a year. But I check. And, yep, instead of my beautiful zero balance, there’s a charge for 50 bucks with the description “Hotline.” The bill also includes a “Have a question about your bill? Call Macy’s Customer Service!” So I do.

I’m on hold being bombarded with two-second snippets of songs followed by minute-long advertisements. Then, I’m arguing with an automated voice.

Hi. I’m a machine pretending to be a person with bad hearing who, golly gee, didn’t quite hear what you just said. Could you please try again to tell me your social security number?

And I say (again), I’m not going to give you my social security number. Let me talk to a person.

It feigns confusion. I repeat. It repeats. I repeat. And, then (machine pretending to be a human with a prefrontal lobotomy) it suggests I speak with a person.

I’m on hold a while longer.

Finally, a How can I help! and my explanation and Oh, you have to call the hotline company for that. Right. And so I call the hotline and a machine asks me to say my ZIP code and my house number, which I do. And then a person gets on and asks me to say my ZIP code and my house number. (123 Deja Vu Lane?)

She asks me many questions. They have no record of me. I am put on hold. I am transferred to The Analyst. She asks me the same questions and more questions including, “Does 2009 Main Street ring a bell.”

[An aside to the Piker Family:  Does it ring a bell?! HA!]

Uh yes; I used to live there. And, suddenly, The Analyst is done with me and getting off the call and I’m sputtering like Ralphie on the Santa slide as the boot comes down.

Me:  Wait. Wait. I didn’t have a Macy’s card when I lived there.
Analyst:  The charge is for a card protection service that was initiated through Kaufman’s.
Me:  I cancelled my Kaufmann’s card years ago.
Analyst:  Kaufmann’s bought Macy’s.

And I want to say I know that you stinking smarmy dipwad; my point is, Why the heck am I suddenly being charged for a FREE service that I had on a different card from over 20 years ago? but, The Analyst, she is gone. And I am left with original tele-person who desperately wants to update my address in their system. I inquire why she would bother. I don’t want this service; I’m not paying this charge; Why do you need my current address; And why am I suddenly being charged for a free service that I had on a different card over 20 years ago?

She can’t answer me that so I say, Okay, let’s just cancel this then. And she begins a sales spiel about how this service can protect me from fraudulent charges.

She. Has. Absolutely. No. Idea. How. Funny. That. Is.

She explains that I’ll get a refund and I inquire how that will occur. Do I pay and get a check? Do I not pay and get a credit? I do NOT want to end up paying any finance charges on this.

Her patronizing response? Oh, you’ll have to discuss that with Macy’s.

I will indeed have a chat with Macy’s. Or, at least, I will have a chat with a machine pretending to be a person who is bummed out about me canceling my credit card.

Beth Schmidt began writing at age 8, when she penned the story Kooky House. Unfortunately, she spelled it Cookie House and readers completely misunderstood. As spelling and grammar improved, she did a stint composing very dramatic teenage poetry before going on to earn a writing degree. Subsequently, she has supported her writing habit by taking on various jobs in ad agencies and corporations in the Pittsburgh area. Life Preservers is one woman’s view about the things that keep us afloat:  family, friends, community, humor. And sometimes cussing.

We’ve all had a broken heart.  Some are more painful and memorable than others.  Maybe it was your first love…maybe it was a love you that had been with you for many years of mountains and valleys.

I will always remember the breakup of my first real relationship – those feelings of nausea, chest pain, overwhelming sadness and anxiety, unable to breathe and fear of moving on without that person.  It’s amazing how a certain smell, song, place or memory can put you right back in that place in time, and all of those feelings come flooding back  like a tidal wave.

Isn’t it also ironic that many of the symptoms of an emotional broken heart are the same for a physical broken heart?  Heart disease is the number 1, leading killer of women causing 1 in 3 deaths each year. Heart attack symptoms also differ in women and men.  Many women think the signs of a heart attack are unmistakable — the image of the elephant comes to mind — but in fact they can be subtler and sometimes confusing.

Heart Attack Signs in Women

1.         Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.

2.         Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

3.         Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.

4.         Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

5.         As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.

If you have any of these signs, don’t wait more than five minutes before calling for help. Call 9-1-1 and get to a hospital right away.

The American Heart Association is working hard to educate women about heart health.  They have developed a program called, “Go Red For Women”.

“In 2003, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the American Heart Association and other organizations committed to women’s health joined together to raise awareness of women and heart disease. The NHLBI introduced the red dress as a national symbol for women and heart disease awareness and the American Heart Association adopted this symbol to create synergy among all organizations committed to fighting this cause.

By working together to advance this important cause, the American Heart Association, NHLBI, and other women’s health groups will have a greater impact than any one group could have alone.

In 2004, the American Heart Association (AHA) faced a challenge. Cardiovascular disease claimed the lives of nearly 500,000 American women each year, yet women were not paying attention. In fact, many even dismissed it as an “older man’s disease.” To dispel the myths and raise awareness of heart disease as the number one killer of women, the American Heart Association created Go Red For Women – a passionate, emotional, social initiative designed to empower women to take charge of their heart health.

Go Red For Women encourages awareness of the issue of women and heart disease, and also action to save more lives. The movement harnesses the energy, passion and power women have to band together and collectively wipe out heart disease. It challenges them to know their risk for heart disease and take action to reduce their personal risk. It also gives them the tools they need to lead a heart healthy life.

Because women have been largely ignored as a specific group, their awareness of their risk of this often-preventable disease has suffered. Only 55 percent of women realize heart disease is their No. 1 killer and less than half know what are considered healthy levels for cardiovascular risk factors like blood pressure and cholesterol. The Go Red For Women movement works to make sure women know they are at risk so they can take action to protect their health.

For more information about women’s cardiovascular health, to get involved with “Go Red For Women” and to make donations, please visit:  www.heart.org

Stephanie Benney is a “Sustainable Visionary” and also the new Pittsburgh Representative for Fuzed Marketing, where she helps companies increase their brand presence. stephaniebenney@yahoo.com

I find in the people that I coach and teach that the number one reason that many people are conflicted, unhappy and living without inner peace is that they are living a life outside of their values.  It is difficult to live in accordance with your values if you first do not know what they are.  Our lives are full of so many decisions that need to be made for practical reasons that we often prioritize in order of what is immediate just to get it done as opposed to looking down the road and putting a little more thought into “What can I do today that will bring my actions in line with my values?”

For example, If you have a family you may find yourself enrolling your children in all the after school activities that their friends are doing – shuffling them around to soccer practice, school performances, and instrument lessons while losing sight of the fact you don’t hold true the value of having competitive or over performing children.  Your value may be that you have a strong family with thoughtful and considerate children but when is the last time you volunteered together anywhere?  Or in your career you may find yourself stuck in a rut at work where your work seems repetitive and you don’t see any room for advancement.  You find yourself checking the online sites for similar positions elsewhere, sending out resumes, and considering going back to school for your MBA.  Then after analyzing your values you discover that you don’t value doing predictable work in an office.  You value freedom, helping others and creativity.  Only then will you start looking for opportunities and building skills in fields that will ultimately bring you more in alignment with who you are and more on a track for fulfillment.

Values are not always strengths though sometimes they are entwined. You use your strengths to live and give of your values.  You can be very good at schoolwork but the value there might be a love of learning.  You might be very creative but the value could be helping people.  You might
be a great painter but the value could be expressing yourself through creativity.

How to Determine Your Values

1.  Run off the list of values below.
2.  Get some colored pens/pencils and with one color take a quick pass
of the list, marking a check next to each value that is sometimes
important to you (up to 20).
3. In another color mark only the ones that are often important to you (up
to 10).  Remember some values might lead you or contribute to a higher
value.  Add any value to the list that you feel is relevant.  To help
determine your values, ask yourself what the value is or was when you:
did the most exciting thing you ever did, feel your passion, what gets you
up in the morning, what you want to be known for at age 95.
4.  Mark in red the top five values that are always important to you – the
things that absolutely define who you are (only 5).  Tape these where you
will see them every day.

Acceptance
Achievement
Adaptability
Adventure
Affection
Affluence
Agility
Ambition
Appreciation
Authenticity
Balance
Beauty
Being the Best
Belonging
Bravery
Brilliance
Calmness
Candor
Care
Career
Challenge
Charity
Cheerfulness
Clear-mindedness
Cleverness
Closeness
Comfort
Commitment
Compassion
Confidence
Conformity
Consistency
Contentment
Control
Conviction
Courage
Creativity
Credibility
Curiosity
Decisiveness
Dependability
Determination
Devotion
Devoutness
Dignity
Diligence
Discipline
Diversity
Effectiveness
Elegance
Empathy
Energy
Enthusiasm
Enterprise
Excellence
Expertise
Faith
Fame
Family
Fearlessness
Fidelity
Financial Independence
Fitness
Flexibility
Flow
Focus
Forgiveness
Frankness
Freedom
Friends
Gratitude
Growth
Happiness
Hard Work
Health
Helpfulness
Honesty
Honor
Hopefulness
Humor
Hygiene
Impact
Inner Harmony
Innovation
Ingenuity
Insightfulness
Integrity
Intelligence
Kindness
Knowledge
Leadership
Learning
Love
Make a Difference
Modesty
Nurturing
Openness
Organization
Passion
Peace
Perseverance
Playfulness
Poise
Polish
Power
Prosperity
Quality
Resolve
Respect
Self-Actualization
Self-Control
Selflessness
Sensitivity
Serenity
Service
Sexuality
Simplicity
Solitude
Spirituality
Stability
Strength
Structure
Success
Sympathy
Teamwork
Temperance
Thankfulness
Thoroughness
Timeliness
Trust
Unity
Valor
Vigor
Virtue
Vision
Willpower
Wisdom
Wit
Youthfulness
Zeal

If your life seems out of alignment ask yourself what you are doing that is
not in alignment with your values.  Then ask yourself what you could be
exploring to bring you closer to your values.  Start now!\

For the FREE article Surround Yourself with People Who Have Your
Weaknesses as Their Strengths  or Strengths – Free Tools to Help You
Define Yours, or Change – Here’s How!  go to Mary Lee’s Articles and
Tips Sheets page.

Mary Lee Gannon is the president of StartingOverNow.com – Leading Productivity Solutions for People and Organizations. Mary Lee is a graduate of The Duquesne University Professional Coaching Program and an alumnus of the 2010 Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital Coaching in Medicine & Leadership Conference. Her personal turnaround came as a stay-at-home mother, with four children under seven-years-old, who endured a divorce that took she and the children from the country club life to public assistance from where within a short time she worked to the level of CEO. Services include: Workshops, Meeting Facilitation, Coaching, Webinars, Speaking and Management Consulting. Areas of Specialty: Organizational and Board Development / Meeting Facilitation / Productivity / Goal Setting / Leadership / Life and Career Transition / Strategic Direction / Time Management / Divorce / Purpose.  Her book “Starting Over – 25 Rules for When You’ve Bottomed Out” is available in bookstores or on Amazon. Get her FREE ebook – “Grow Productivity – A Leader’s Toolbox” on her web site at www.StartingOverNow.com or by emailing her at marylee@startingovernow.com.

Just wanted to share something I saw over at Pinterest — among the plethora of other pinteresting things. This isn’t even really a recipe — it takes so little to make this and the rewards are so great.

These are so so SO much better (and better for you) than those Dib’s — which are made of things such as artificial vanilla flavor, corn syrup, cream, partially hydrogenated cottonseed and soybean oils, monoglycerides, tapioca maltodextrin, propylene glycol monostearate, monoglycerides, and everyone’s favorite, sodium carboxymethylcellulose.

These have two main ingredients — chocolate and bananas. And you can choose to top it with coconut or chopped nuts.

So these love nuggets are what I give my little love nuggets. The kids love making these with me (they do the dipping) — you can make this right after they get back from school and have it for dessert that same night. Super fun.

Here goes.

Just melt – Chocolate chips or baking chocolate (I used scraps of different dark baking chocolates stored in my freezer). You can do this in very low heat if you have a very good thick-bottomed saucepan or in a double boiler. If you don’t have either one – here’s a good way to McGyver a double boiler.

Cut up some bananas and dip them in the chocolate.

Lay them on a tray lined with parchment. Sprinkle with shredded coconut (or some other thing.. or not).

Freeze.

When frozen, transfer to a container, keep in freezer and enjoy at will.

Leah Shannon is Chief Veghacker at The Brazen Kitchen where she blogs about food and food policy. She also holds wildly healthy cooking classes at Wild Red’s Farm in Stanton Heights. Her blog is at The Brazen Kitchen and you can follow her on Twitter @brazenkitchen.

(Yes, what a woman actually found in her kids’ McNuggets)

So I’m sure most of you have heard by now the story of the 17 year old girl in the UK who collapsed and was hospitalized earlier this week after spending her life eating nothing but chicken nuggets (mostly from McDonalds, some from her grocer’s freezer aisle). She was found to be so nutrient-deficient and anemic that she had to be on a mega dose of vitamins through an IV during her hospital stay, and continue a vitamin regimen at home.

Now, how would you make chicken nuggets at home?  Maybe you’d chop up some white breast meat, dust it in flour, dip it in some egg, then some more flour and fry it in vegetable oil, right?  Or if you’re slightly more health conscious, maybe you’d go for bread crumbs and bake instead.  How far from this recipe could fast food and processed food companies be?  Since advertising and marketing and misleading nutrition advice out there would have us believing that there can’t be that much wrong with a chicken nugget (protein and carbs, we need that, right?), let’s take a deeper look.

Cut and pasted directly from Mickey D’s site for anyone who’s curious to find out is this list of their chicken nugget ingredients:

Chicken McNuggets® (6 piece):
White boneless chicken, water, food starch-modified, salt, seasoning [autolyzed yeast extract, salt, wheat starch, natural flavoring (botanical source), safflower oil, dextrose, citric acid], sodium phosphates, natural flavor (botanical source). Battered and breaded with: water, enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), yellow corn flour, bleached wheat flour, food starch-modified, salt, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium lactate), spices, wheat starch, dextrose, corn starch.

CONTAINS: WHEAT.
Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.

So what does this really mean?  Well, one thing is that I’ve seen that a chicken nugget only contains anywhere from 44 to 70% actual meat.  The rest is all those food starch and chemical fillers.  And just what ARE those confusing ingredients that you don’t keep in your own baking supplies?

Let’s take a look.

Well, for one, “food starch- modified” essentially means corn starch.  It is corn starch that has been chemically altered, or modified, to increase bulk, so they can use less meat, more corn (definitely genetically modified.)  It also means that the “meat” you’re eating is roughly half meat, half chemicalized, genetically modified corn powder.

“Autolyzed yeast extract” ??  You’ve heard me talk about this before.  This is just another way of creating MSG, an excito-toxin that fires up your nerves to a creepy and not presumed safe level, and also creates a flavor sensation that is incredibly addictive.

“Dextrose” is sugar.

“Sodium Phosphate” is used as an emulsifier to keep the ingredients well blended and a pleasing texture.  It also happens to be used in most laxative and medical colon procedures.  I think it’s interesting this needs to be added, (in addition for it’s likely salty flavor) since the body probably wouldn’t have a clue how to eliminate this confusing jumble of chemicals and altered food ingredients without it.

Continuing on the list, I shouldn’t have to explain “bleached white flour”.  Flour with bleach.  Yes, THAT bleach.  Tasty!

“Sodium aluminum phosphate”.  I always hate when I run out of this, it’s so hard to find in grocery stores.  Not only is this a chemical used in many pesticides, but the cumulative effects of aluminum and aluminum by-products in our diet, beauty products, and medications has been strongly correlated with Alzheimer’s disease (an active controversy, of course).  Aluminum toxicity can also impair kidney function, calcium metabolism, decreased liver function, anemia, you know, lots of fun things.

I also shouldn’t have to talk about the use of “Hydrogenated Soybean Oil” in these here nuggets.  If there’s a red-flag word to stay away from on food labels, it’s hydrogenated.  You know, trans fats that companies are racing to market their products without, after all the cardiologists finally got their point across?  Oil that’s been whipped up and altered so that it’s no longer an oil, but a nice creamy, never before seen product of this earth, much like a chemical!  And soybeans, like corn, top the list of genetically grown crops in this country.  Which means you’re getting a nice residue of the weed killer Round-Up (the monopolizing Monsanto’s weed killer sold to farmers who own Monsanto’s patented seeds) when you eat corn and soy.

On with the list!  “TBHQ”  This is a good one…err…I mean really bad one.  It’s a petroleum product and also a form of butane (yeah, like a cigarette lighter), so you know it’s great for you.  The nuggets likely get spritzed with this after coming down the production line to keep them looking like nuggets for a year after one falls behind your car seat.  Between 1 and 4 grams of this stuff can make you incredibly ill.  More than 4 grams?  RIP.  Cumulative effects of ingesting small amounts of it over the course of your lifetime from processed foods?  Theories abound, but no big corporate companies are really gonna test that.  There is some evidence that it can exacerbate ADHD symptoms, asthma and dermatitis.  Rat studies have shown increased risk of pre-cancerous stomach cells and DNA damage.  It has also been suggested to affect estrogen levels in women.

What else do we have? “Dimethylpolisiloxane”  That sounds DELICIOUS.  It is a substance they put in the frying oil to keep the cauldron from bubbling over.  It is a silicon based polymer that is heavily used in the cosmetic and medical/medical device industry, and my favorite: silly putty.  Supposedly non-toxic, but would you really be comfortable eating your make-up and feeding the putty to your kid?

If you’ve made it to the end of this blog, congratulations, it was a jam packed one.  Hopefully it inspires you to eat some fruits and veggies.  Hopefully it also inspires you to really read the ingredient labels (or search them out if not listed at your favorite chain restaurant), to fully understand what you are consuming.  McDonald’s is certainly not the only offender here in using some of these crazy chemicals.  Most chain restaurants, not just fast-food ones, do.  So if Chili’s or the Olive Garden is your typical Friday night date….do a little research on what’s in their seasonings and sauces, too.

I can’t stress enough how much of our health depends on the quality of what we eat.  Just because a nutrition label that says how much protein you’re getting and how little sugar makes you think, “oh, that’s good right?”  Think again, and skip down to the ingredient label instead.  There’s a whole different story going on there.

Caitlin Grater is a Licensed Massage Therapist and Certified Health Coach who recently relocated back to Pittsburgh. She graduated from the Swedish Institute, College of Health Sciences and from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, both nationally recognized and based in New York. Her website is www.graterhealth.com

February is associated with expressions of love. Recall the lyrics from The Hollies, “Just one look…that’s all it took.” If it were that simple to make the right connection..

MMI wants our bizchicks group to know that “one look “can make a significant impact in first impressions in business communication. Facial expressions are crucial in your repertoire of body language.

No other part of your body can convey the immense richness of nonverbal communication that your face does.

When attempting to make a new business connection, in meeting and greeting someone for the first time, your aim should be to have that person walk away thinking, “I’m glad I talked to her. “ Id like to do business with her.”

Read the following tips to better yourself in business with the right facial expressions:

• Frowns signal disagreement, disapproval, and sometimes anger. Unfortunately, some of us seem to frown more often than we smile. It has become a habit to frown. Break IT. Be mindful of what the other person is seeing when they are talking to you.

• Smiles are important signals of acceptance and nonaggression. Forced smiles signal that you can barely tolerate the other person. What makes a genuine smile? It is the twinkle in your eyes. A fake smile is limited to your lower face only. Be mindful of using your eyes when smiling.

• When listening to others speak, do not focus on their mouth or lips. Keep your focus on the imaginary triangle of the face. Focus on the middle of someone forehead when negotiating. This is considered a disarming tactic.

• When approaching someone, refrain from “looking them up and down”. This applies to both sexes. You will most likely get caught every time. This awkward nonverbal ques will negate any good impression you are trying to create.

Call on Mother, May I for our impression on other topics that interest you at MMIpgh@gmail.com

Check us out on our website www.mothermayisite.org or call us at 412.531.2050 for more information on how we can make your life experience…nicer.

Demetria Pappas and Lisa Iadiciccoare the Co-founders of Mother, May I-a premier company that trains and teaches proper behavior, common courtesies and social skills updated. MMI is licensed to train professionals in Protocol and Corporate etiquette.  MMI provides customized presentations for all audiences. MMI’s Mission  is to share valuable information for everyone to improve their world–“Changing your manners, may change your world”

Last minute seems to be a running theme for every holiday, and Valentine’s Day is no different.  It seems we are always on a quest to find the perfect present at the eleventh hour. While I personally feel that you should show your appreciation to loved ones every day of the year, Valentine’s Day is still a hallmark on the traditional calendar.

There are still those hopeless romantics who get lost in the cards, flowers and the heart-shaped boxes full of fruit and creme-filled chocolates.  Did you know that 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent out worldwide, 36 million boxes of chocolates and countless pesticide-sprayed flowers are given each year?  So hey, if you are going to go for the gusto, why not do it in an eco-responsible manner?

Follow these eco-friendly Valentine’s Day tips: 141

Skip the card:
Standing in the grocery store for 20 minutes doesn’t show anyone you love them. Instead opt for a hand-written letter or poem on recycled paper. Or better yet, create a long list of all the things you love about the person. Everyone from your children to your friends, parents and partners will appreciate the extra thought and personal touch much more. Just DON’T do an e-card or an email; it won’t win any brownie points.

Homemade Kid’s Cards:
If your kids are obligated to give a Valentine’s Day card to every child in their classroom, help them make their own out of recycled paper. They can even include on the card one genuine thing they like about the person.

If you still decide to opt for traditional, store bought Valentine cards, consider participating in the St. Jude’s Recycled Card Program.  “The children and volunteers at St. Jude’s make new cards by removing the front and attaching a new back.  The result is a beautiful, new earth-friendly card.  The benefits are two-fold:  customers receive “green” holiday cards for use and the children receive payment for their work and learn the benefits and importance of ‘going green’.”

You can mail your card donations to:

St. Jude’s Ranch for Children

Recycled Card Program

100 St. Jude’s Street

Boulder City, NV 89005

When choosing flowers:
For your flower delivery, choose potted plants and organic or local whenever possible. Or spend the extra time on origami roses, because nothing says love like frustrating yourself over a small piece of paper for that special someone.

For the chocolate lover:
Okay, okay. Chocolate is probably a must for a lot of women. So, how about fair-trade and organic chocolate? Or maybe a romantic night making fudge together is the perfect Green Valentine gift idea?

Instead of a restaurant:
A homemade, homegrown, local and/or organic meal is a great alternative to eating out. Organic wine is an easy find. Using beeswax candles will add the romantic touch without breathing the fumes.

Something unique:
Plant a tree together to symbolize your relationship’s strength and endurance. Place a list (on compostable paper of course) of all the things you love about each other under its roots.

The perfect Valentine gift idea:
If you’re looking for a gift, search vintage. Antique jewelry, or some other retro gift will have more meaning and history without using any new resources. If you’re crafty enough, try a homemade gift – a knit scarf, a tye-dye shirt, a piece of art, etc.

Stephanie Benney is a “Sustainable Visionary” and also the new Pittsburgh Representative for Fuzed Marketing, where she helps companies increase their brand presence. stephaniebenney@yahoo.com

Before I begin, I give credit to Stephen Covey for originating this idea framework. It helped me to organize my thoughts about what I wanted to say to the small business owner who is searching for answers about how to succeed. In working with successful (and not so successful) entrepreneurs over the years, I have found some common characteristics that go beyond the traditional tasks we normally talk about (e.g. having a business plan, access to capital, and a good group of advisers).

Habit #1: Believe In Yourself

• I admit I’m an optimist and I believe in the power of positive thought. If you don’t believe in yourself, how can you possibly build a successful business? Take the time to consciously think positively about your ability to be successful.
• I attended a seminar during which the speaker, a successful woman business owner, suggested that you act how you want to be a year from now in terms of making decisions about your company. Believing in your success means planning for that success.
• Tip: If you haven’t already, listen to Earl Nightingale’s The Strangest Secret.

Habit #2: Know Your Strengths And Weaknesses

• You can’t believe in yourself if you don’t know yourself.
• Knowing your weaknesses is just as important as knowing your strengths.
• Once you discover your unique strengths, determine how you can use them to your advantage in business (are you highly organized, a big picture person, an excellent communicator?).
• Tip: Perform a SWOT analysis.

Habit #3: Seek Out Strong Partners

• There is no Superman or Superwoman; we can’t do it all.
• Partnerships are not a sign of weakness but rather they are mutually beneficial relationships. You should get as much as you give.
• A partner is one who can bring to the table what you do not have or are weak in (see Habit #2).
• Don’t miss out on an opportunity within your business because you are afraid to collaborate.
• Tip: Network! You never know who you are going to meet (online, at a meeting, during a seminar…I once established a partnership with someone I met at the grocery store).

Habit #4: Find Your Passion

• I think it goes without saying that you are going to do your best when you are doing the thing you are most passionate about.
• Don’t go into business because you see a trend (e.g. Marcellus Shale is currently hot in Pennsylvania) or because you want to sell what a big customer is buying (e.g. government contracting).
• Think about those business owners who are passionate about their product or service. Don’t you feel compelled to buy from them or at least support them in some way?

Habit #5: Be Creative In Your Marketing

• Small business owners often do not have a lot of time or money to devote to marketing their product or service so they need to think outside of the box to reach potential clients and customers.
• What if you are not a creative person? Talk to people, attend meetings/seminars you find through business calendars, and read about what others are doing that you could tailor to your marketing strategy.
• Go online – create a website, add a Facebook page, write a blog, tweet your message – but make sure you have the time to update and maintain your presence.
• Consider volunteering to speak about a topic related to your business or contribute to an article to gain exposure.

Habit #6: Seek Knowledge

• Innovation is the key to success in today’s business world and you can’t be innovative if you aren’t up on the latest and greatest trends. Luckily the online world has made the quest for knowledge a bit easier (and a bit more overwhelming).
• The world is constantly changing and so are your customers/clients so you need to be informed in order to keep the old and find the new.
• Think about your industry and join industry-specific associations to meet like-minded individuals and attend meetings/seminars. Join your local chamber of commerce to learn about the business trends in your region.

Habit #7: Conduct A Yearly Check-Up

• Not having a business plan to guide your business development efforts is like wanting to visit someplace without consulting a map; you may end up in the wrong place, wasting precious time and money.
• A yearly business check-up is just as important as developing that initial plan because the world is changing at such a fast pace; your map needs to be updated.
• Consider the free business counseling you can receive from the network of Small Business Development Centers and other local organizations.
• “A goal without a plan is just a wish”

What habits do you practice on a regular basis that may be missing from this list?

Christina Damiano has been working with small diverse business owners and potential entrepreneurs for almost two decades, first in the public sector and later as the founding Executive Director of a regional non-profit organization.  Jazzed right now about the impact of social media, you can follow her on Twitter and Google+, connect with her on LinkedIn or read her blog.

The Super Bowl is now behind us, so as Jay and Grant say at the end of almost every episode of Ghost Hunters, “On to the next.” Which, in the world of foodie holidays, is of course Valentine’s Day. I feel like it sneaks up on me every year – coming not too long after the Christmas holidays and immediately following the Super Bowl, sometimes it feels like the holiday that jumps out of the dark closet and yells, “Boo!” This year, however, I got my ducks in a row and am giving you plenty of time to plan your Valentine’s Day goodies. Whether it’s a work party, a girl’s night in, a school party for your kids, or celebrating with your significant other, I’ve got you covered. From fun breakfasts to dinner ideas if you’re eating in, and of course a wide variety of desserts and sweet snacks appropriate for pretty much any Valentine’s-related occasion you can think of. This roundup will get you off to a great start, and I’ll be sharing more Valentine’s recipes with you over the next week, so keep an eye out! Enjoy!

Breakfast in Bed

Baked French Toast Casserole with Praline Topping
Banana Muffins
Best Buttermilk Pancakes
Blueberry Muffins
Blueberry-Buttermilk Scones
Brown Sugar-Bacon Buttermilk Waffles
Chocolate-Chocolate Chunk Muffins
Cranberry Orange Scones
Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls
Double-Chocolate Loaf with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Spread
Fruit and Almond Granola
Herbed-Baked Eggs
Homemade Pop-Tarts
Maple-Oatmeal Scones
Perfect Scrambled Eggs

Appetizers

Caramelized Onion, Mushroom & Gruyere Puff Pastry Tartlets
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Dinner In

Beef Wellington
Butternut Squash Soup
Cumin and Fennel-Crusted Roast Lamb
Eggplant Lasagna Tart
Fettuccine Alfredo with Fresh Pasta
French Onion Soup
Homemade Gnocchi
Italian Sausage, Red Pepper, and Mushroom Risotto
Mushroom Barley Risotto
Soba Noodle Stir-Fry with Spicy Almond Butter Sauce
Sweet and Sour Chicken

Dessert – Brownies

Baked Brownies
Cream Cheese Brownies
Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars
Peanut Butter Brownies
Peanut Butter Cup Crunch Brownie Bars
Sweet and Salty Brownies

Dessert – Cake

Almost Fudge Gateau
Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte
Chocolate Rum Cheesecake
Coffee-and-Espresso Cheesecake
Fallen Chocolate Cakes
Fig and Almond Cheesecake
Gooey Chocolate Cakes
Hidden Berry Cream Cheese Torte
Peanut Butter-Fudge Cheesecake
Perfectly Chocolate Cake
Tiramisu

Dessert – Candy

Cheesecake Truffles
Chubby Hubby Truffles
Dark Chocolate Truffles
Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
Oreo Cheesecake Truffles

Dessert – Cookies

Better-Than-Brownies Chocolate Cookies
Chocolate-Pistachio Biscotti
Conversation Heart Sugar Cookies
Homemade Oreo Cookies
Oreo Cheesecake Cookies
Salted Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies (for making heart cut-outs!)
How to Decorate Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing (a tutorial for decorating those cut-outs!)
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Thick and Chewy Triple-Chocolate Cookies

Dessert – Cupcakes

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Mocha Cupcakes with Espresso Frosting
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Tiramisu Cupcakes

Dessert – Ice Cream

Chocolate Espresso Semifreddo
Chocolate Ice Cream
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
Classic Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Espresso Ice Cream
Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Dessert – Miscalleous

Cannoli
Eclairs and Cream Puffs
Creme Brulee

Do you have a favorite Valentine’s Day tradition or sweet?

Michelle Norris is a passionate foodie, baker, writer and eater. Visit her website at www.browneyedbaker.com for hundreds of delectable recipes and planning tips.

February has MMI focusing on watching and using the right body language to communicate.  We are all brilliant women with compelling ideas to contribute to our organizations and businesses. Using the right body language today may be the best way you can better yourself in business and lead yourself in a better 2012.

The best way to communicate effectively is to keep your body language consistent with your words. Confidence is key. Conveying confidence is the strongest message you can send with words and mannerisms.

As women, we must always be mindful of how we are sitting, and holding our body and using facial expressions.  Practice the following tips to become and look more confident:

1. Practice smiling while speaking, but not too much. Smiling too much can be misleading. At times, you might not be taken seriously.
2. Make lasting eye contact when negotiating.
3. Keep your hands away from your face and hair.
4. Drop the “just” and “actually” when speaking. The word just demeans what you have to say. It deflates your power. The word “actually” communicates a sense of surprise when we have something to say. So unless you are surprised, skip the word “actually”.
5. Do not start sentences with negative phrases.
6. Don’t nod your head incessantly. It sends the message that you are asking for sympathy.
7. Don’t say this will “only take a minute”. That phrase in a presentation sounds apologetic and implies that you do not think what you are about to say is worthy of time and attention.
8. Do not raise the pitch of your voice at the end of a sentence. Speaking a statement like a question diminishes its power.

Call on Mother, May I for additional advice. We welcome all comments and love to hear about things that annoy you. Email MMI at mmipgh@gmail.com–or pick up the phone to talk-412-531-2050.

Demetria Pappas and Lisa Iadiciccoare the Co-founders of Mother, May I-a premier company that trains and teaches proper behavior, common courtesies and social skills updated. MMI is licensed to train professionals in Protocol and Corporate etiquette.  MMI provides customized presentations for all audiences. MMI’s Mission  is to share valuable information for everyone to improve their world–“Changing your manners, may change your world”