!@✔A Blog by Mrs. Bynum

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

New Online Store Features Plus Size Items: Shop4Plussize.blogspot.com

For the plus size women who love fashion, uniqueness, and most of all a fresh new look there is a new blog you have definitely got to check out called Shop4Plussize. The Shop4plussize blog was created on February 2010 to share items first from the founders, LaTonya Bynum, own closet starting first with her own wedding dress. Her collection will continue to expand into offering other items that she wants to share with the world. The Shop4+size blog hopes to become a place where every plus size woman will continue to visit as they search for their next outfit. Stay tuned as this blog continues to develop into an exciting fashion adventure... To learn more about Shop4plussize then click here.

Make sure to tell a couple of people about this new online store founded by LaTonya Bynum.

http://www.latonyabynum.com/

Many thanks to shopmycloset.com and crochetlove.net for helping me to manifest the idea.

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Monday, February 8, 2010

Ellen Degeneres Records 1100th Show

Between her dancing, hunching a table, Tony laughing so loud you can barely hear the music playing, her dumping people in the water tank, interviewing people who are unheard of, awesome gifts for everybody on the show, and her love of playing those silly games, I just love watching her show when I am at home during the week. The Ellen show comes on through the week at 4:00 Central Standard Time. Her show is full of awkward interviews with people I would actually want to meet in real life. A lot of people don't like her or her show because she is a lesbian, but guess what? I could care less about her sexual preference for women. Ellen ROCKS and most people are just jealous. Anyway, here is my favorite Ellen show Episode with Halle Berry. She even has a book called My Point....And I Do Have One that I didn't know about until now.

Here is the video: HERE

Do you like the Ellen Show? What was your favorite episode?

All I can say is that White Woman has it going on.

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Top 10 Arkansas Bloggers

In a time when most well known bloggers are from states with a population of over 3 to four million people, I would like to point out what Arkansas bloggers have to offer. I want to take time to point out some of my favorite small town bloggers who live in Arkansas. Sometimes I wish there was one website with a directory that lists all the current bloggers by state. But since that website has not been created, here is a starting list for the state of Arkansas. I frequently visit these sites and have added quick link to all of them on my blog.

35 Before 35 - Latiste: a blog about her journey to weight loss.

A Beautiful Frenzy - Amy: a blog with interesting & creative photos, undiscovered music talent, celebration of michael jackson, and lessons learned.

Beautifully Brown - Bianca: a make-up blog and creative writer

Being Mrs Jones - Christina: a new mom finding her way to living a prosperous life.

Full Figure Plus - Glen: a blog about everything dealing with the plus size fashion industry

I Adore Makeup - Anna: a make-up blog talking about everyday life

Lemont Free: a blog of thoughts and a different perspective on everything in the media

MzMidnyte - Christina: a new blog finding her way through inspirational quotes, self-help messages, while providing make-up resources.

Thoughts of a Black Southerngal: a strong woman that tells it like it is.

LaTonyaBynum: a blog where you will find resources, how to articles, and tips for living a healthier life.

To learn more about blogging get the book Blogging for Dummies by Susannah Gardner. If you are an Arkansas blogger, please leave a comment and tell us a little bit about your blog and where to find it.

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What is a Virtual Assistant?

By my own definition "a virtual assistant is a admistrative supportor turned amazing project manager that can perform specialized tasks for a variety of needs". They are hired on a fee for service basis. Somewhat like a contract employee that is hired to complete a specific job/task in a certain period of time, a virtual assistant is a resource or GO-TO person to get your organizational mission accomplished. Virtual assistants specialize in helping people, small businesses, non-profits, schools, universities, and major companies with just about anything they need. If you don't want the hassle of having a new employee then hiring a virtual assistant might be just the thing for you. I kind of like the idea of becoming a virtual assistant. They specialize in doing tasks that you might think of as tedious and time consuming.

Below is a list of a couple of things I (http://www.latonyabynum.com/) specialize in as a virtual assistant:

Contact Management:
Creation of Contact Lists, Mailing List, Mass Mailing, Business Card Scanning, Email Database Management

Personal Assistance:
Paying Bills, Travel Arrangements, Editing Proofreading, Data Entry, Internet Research, Professional Peer Reviewed Journal Research, Project Management, Spreadsheet Creation

Document Services:
Creating Contracts/Request for Bids, Technical Proposals, Document & Photo Scanning, Form Letters, Mail Merges, Manuals, PDF File Conversion, Proposals, Transcription, Word Processing, Grant Writing,Word Processing

Marketing Support:
Automatic responder, Mailing Campaign, Email Blasts, PowerPoint Presentations, Newsletters, Flyers, Ads in JPEG, PNG, GIF format, Press Releases

Desktop Publishing:
Brochures, Business Cards, Flyers, Invitations, Labels, Letterhead, Postcards, Signs & Banners

Social Networking Support:
Facebook, Linkedin, My Space, Twitter

Software I Use

PayPal • Blogger • FeedBurner • Microsoft Access • Microsoft Excel • SAS • Microsoft Outlook • Microsoft Publisher • Microsoft Word • Microsoft PowerPoint • Arc GIS •

If you are wanting to learn more about becoming a virtual assistant feel free to get this book, Virtual Assistant, The Series: Become a Highly Successful Sought Out After VA by Diana Ennem

I appreciate http://www.todaysadmin.com/ for providing the original administrative support service list for this blog post. I could actually consult with their company because their support services match with what I can do as well. If you are a virtual assistant, an individual needing any of the services mentioned above, or someone who have used the services of a virtual assistant then feel free to contact either of us (email me: latonyabynum at hotmail dot com) or contact the guru's at http://www.todaysadmin.com/ or http://myvirtualgenie.com/. If you decide to contact them make sure that you ask to speak to Jennifer Rai and tell her that you heard about her services on http://www.latonyabynum.com/. Leave a comment below if you want to let everybody know about your virtual assistant services.

For details of my virtual assistant services contact me at latonyabynum at hotmail dot com.

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How To Double Your Salary In Two Years

On May 2004, I graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a Bachelor's Degree in Health Education with an emphasis in Community Health and Spanish. When I graduated, I definitely knew I had to get a job right away. I had a little over $20,000 in student loan debt. The student loan people had just sent me a letter saying that I had a couple of months to get my act together. I started the process of looking for a job....I designed several fancy looking resumes and went on lots of interviews.

Finally, I recieved notice that I had met the minimum qualifications for employment as a document examiner. Long story short, I went for the interview and got the job on December 2004. My annual starting pay was $16,000 so I had to keep my part-time job while working the new full-time position. In less than two years, I had gained enough experience and showed enough professionalism to apply for and get another position in the same department paying $33,000. Here are a couple of things that I can truly say played a major part in me doubling my salary in a little over two years.

Here is my Twenty Six Month Plan for Doubling Your Salary:

1. Be courteous at all times. Just be yourself or better yet improve your public image and everything else will fall into place.

2. Be eager to learn new things. You will easily be known as the go-to person.

3. Volunteer your talent for work related associations related to your area of expertise.

4. Go beyond the call of your duty. When you are asked to do something always try to do your very best. Turn the project in ahead of schedule. They'll appreciate the extra review time.

5. Follow up with contacts to make sure they have what they need from you.

6. Attend company sponsored trainings.

7. Gain experience by asking to work on projects outside of your normal scope of work.

8. Be a team player by offering to help your boss and/or co-workers with their project. Only when you have completed your project.

9. Ask for help if you don't know how to do something. Most people like helping others.

10. Attend social gatherings (potlucks, christmas parties, and other work related functions). It gives your peers an opportunity to get to know you outside of your normal work activities.

Bonus Tip:
11. Get caught up at home. Sometimes you might need extra time to meet the deadline for certain projects. Ask about compensatory time and if you are allowed to work on the project from home.

Hope these tips help to you double your salary. Most of all just be YOU & you'll get that raise.

Also, I would like to recommend Coach Yourself to Success: 101 Tips from a Personal Coach for Reaching Your Goals At Work and In Life by Talane Miedaner. I read this book alot to remind myself of my goals.

Feel free to leave a comment and let me know if you have any other suggestions for tips that will take my career to the next level. I am 28 now and I would love to retire by age 40 :)

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10 Ways to Save Money On Monthly Living Expenses (Cuts At Least $400 Off)

There are bookoos of ways to save money nowadays. By changing some of your spending habits, looking closer at your monthly expenses, and calling a couple of numbers on a monthly basis you can be one step closer to saving money for all the stuff you would like to have. I would like to share a couple of things that I have done to lower my monthly living expenses. I hope some of these tips will help you save a little extra money. My tips might be a little too extreme for people who can't live without cable and hate talking on the phone to bill collectors.

1. Switch your Internet service to AT&T. I pay $19.95 per month for my internet service.

2. Use 1-800-FREE-411 for all of your directory assistance calls. Instead of paying almost $5.00 for each time you are trying to get in contact with someone who may or may not be listed in the phone book. You will have to sit through a couple of phone commercials before you can get the number you need. I think it is still worth it though.

3. Use Voice Over Internet Phone Service with PhonePower. I pay less than $10.00 per month for my phone service (actually $8.83 per month). I have not had any complaints. It works just like regular phone service does. Try it you might like it. Free local and nationwide calls. You even get a couple minutes a month for international calls.

4. Refinance your mortgage. Call your mortgage company and ask about your refinancing options. I was able to cut $30 off of my monthly mortgage payment by doing this. That is $30.00 I am sending them in principal payment instead. Tip: refinance where possible (car, school loans, and credit card debt)

5. Take your breakfast & lunch to work. By taking your meals to work you won't have to buy breakfast meal from Burger King $6.00 (my fav is #1 Ham meal with small orange juice) and lunch from Wendy's $4.00 (my fav is double stack with everthing on it, biggie fry, 5-pc nugget, and a large water). Now I am able to maintain my weight and have hubby to prepare me a bowl of leftovers from the night before. It works for me.

6. Get married. Enough said!! Two incomes are better than one. (Disclaimer: Savings may vary depending on the person)

7. Use your local library as a place to check out movies and books. All you have to do is ask them to order the stuff you want and they can request it from the network of libraries and you will have it in a couple or days or so. This is a sure way to cut those entertainment expenses down.

8. Get yourself a television converter box & rabbit ears. Call your cable company and ask for disconnection of your cable. I mean you have the library and with a converter box you'll be able to get the basic channels anyway. You don't need all those extra channels because there is nothing ever on T.V. anyway.

9. Call your county tax collector's office and ask about the Homestead Credit. This is a credit for property owners to get $350 or more taken off of their annual property tax bill. If you live in Arkansas and own property you definitely want to check into this tax credit application.

10. Last but not least, Call your credit card companies on a monthly basis and ask them to lower your interest rate and tell them what a good customer you have been. You will be surprised at how well this works. Some of them will even tell you about special promotions that are available to you. Take advantage of the ones that cost nothing to you.

Bonus savings (Save Money on Doctor Bills):
11. Eat Healthy and Be active
12. Get your annual health checkup

Hope this information helps you. By using these money saving tips I am sure you will be able to save at least $400 - $600 per month. You'll thank me later.

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Sunday, January 31, 2010

Miss America 2010 Winner: Caressa Cameron

Congratulations to Ms. Caressa Cameron (representing Virginia) who just won the title of Miss America. This is an honor and a priviledge. When they called her name she looked so surprised almost like she could not believe it herself. The former Miss America (Katie Stam) was trying to pin the crown on her head and Caressa was like a bobble head - could not squat still. She kept on bouncing around. She was too happy. I hope she takes many lessons from Ms. Vanessa Williams of how to overcome the stardom and make a career out of this achievement. Don't let them take you under Caressa. Stick close to those who were have been there for you before you made it to this point. I am sure you will have all the love and support you need as you take on this new phase of your life. Best of luck as you represent the crown of USA.

Here is the video if you missed it: HERE

Here she is in a Driving Under Influence Public Service Announcement: HERE

Let's just say we will leave the song "Listen" for Beyonce to sing.

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Saturday, January 30, 2010

5 Things I Would Not Mind Having Right About Now

Okay--so every girl/boy has to have a wishlist ready at all times. Just in case.....the Fairy Godmother comes around. Who knows...it could happen. I was just sitting here trying to think of things that I want but I am way to cheap to buy for myself. I know you are probably saying LaTonya, you will only live once, but I just have this thing about being in debt. I don't like it and I plan to retire by age 40 so I would rather not dig myself any deeper. Point blank.... Debt is SLAVERY. So here is a list of several things I would not mind having right about now. I have included pictures for the visual readers.

1. An energy efficient car ... 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

2. Home Remodel Work..starting with the bathroom and then a dining area

3. New clothes/shoes...a whole new wardrobe from Cato, Lane Bryant & WomanWithin

4. Laptopwith a bigger screen

5. Two Flatscreen TV's: 1 for the living room and 1 for the bedroom

I am sure that all these things will come in due time :)'

Have you ever wanted something but had no business thinking about it whatsoever?

http://www.latonyabynum.com/

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Monday, January 18, 2010

Workout: Inten - Sati by Patricia Moreno

This morning I was able to catch the Today's Show with Patricia Moreno talking about her new book "Inten-Sati" and her 7 basic principles for gaining inner peace . Inten-Sati is a mind, body, and heart training workout that allows you to look deep within and discover the best you. I decided to google her name and found out a little bit more about her and her techniques. I like that her exercise methods talk about the mind, body, and spirit. I have included a link to her video so you can see for yourself.

VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGA_n5LFUw

For more information about her check out her website: http://www.patriciamoreno.com/

I also like the warrior declaration. Read it for yourself.

SATI WARRIOR DECLARATION
Today I stand as a warrior and I choose to be all I can be.
I stand for excellence in all areas of my life.
I look for confidence and approval in my own heart and mind, and what you think of me makes no difference.

I know that it is ultimately how I feel about myself that gives me the experience of my life, and shame, guilt, regret, resentment are the most deadly of all opponents. The only way they can be defeated is by absolute integrity, or the absence of contradiction between what I know, what I profess, and what I do. I know that when I lie to myself I am severed from my truth, which is my power, and an inharmonious relationship to my truth is deadly.

No one is born a warrior, just like no one is born an average man. We make our selves that way by the accumulation of steps we take towards one or the other. I know the power of my mind and I begin every journey confident of victory. I am only defeated when I have accepted defeat, and the moment I turn my back on my self and my vision may be the moment I halt just short of my goal, and I will make useless all my previous efforts. My work is to discover my work and with all my heart give myself to it, and by honoring this path I will achieve the greatest victory of all, a life of love, a life I love, and a life well lived.
Today I choose the path of the warrior.

Make sure to add her blog to your blogroll @ http://patriciamorenothrive.blogspot.com/

She is definitely a revolutionary!

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