Yoga SEO Article Content - For Sale

Some might call me a yoga nut.  I don't think I'm at the point of being called a "Yogi" by any means, but man, I could do yoga all day, every day if I had the time!  Heck, I even postponed Valentine's Day because I had my yoga class last night.  Sad.  Don't worry though, the BF and I are celebrating tonight. :)  Making him a homemade meal.  I give the gift of food.  And an hour or so in the kitchen. ;)

But I digress.  I love yoga, and have become fascinated with all that it can do for your mind, body, and soul.  It's amazing.  I started a year ago, and unless I'm near my death bed, I don't skip a single class.  It is "my" time.  I spend a lot of time at the gym--go pretty much every day.  But treadmill time is different from yoga.  Sure, my daughter is in the drop-in daycare while I run some miles on the treadmill, but I'm typically listening to music or watching a movie on my iPhone with Netflix streaming.  With yoga, it's one hour of complete concentration.  You're calm, you're relaxed, you're centered, and you're bending in ways you never thought possible.  The health benefits of yoga are tremendous.  I have seen it in myself.  I have lost considerable weight (even the clothes I wore before my daughter came along are too big now!) and I have some major muscle.  My yoga class focuses a lot on abs and arms, so I've got some serious guns here in the works! LOL  It has boosted my self-confidence, calmed my anxiety, and has given me a strange sense of peace that I never thought I could feel, especially when things that were stressful in my life were arising.  I've never felt more at peace with myself, my life, and my body.

I know, I know, it all sounds so cliche, but seriously, it has done wonders for me.  So in-between working on articles for clients, I have slowly started researching and writing on something I'm truly passionate about: yoga.  I write a variety of SEO articles for clients, but it's nice to switch gears and focus on something you're truly interested in, something you truly want to learn more about, and something that offers you knowledge and advice in the process.

I have been trying to get a jump start with Constant-Content.com, and have decided to focus on writing fitness articles for now.  The submission process is kind of lengthy, as is the editing process, but over time I hope to have a nice spread of yoga SEO articles for sale through the site.  It's a nice way to bide my time between client jobs, as lately, things have been really slow.  Gotta find a way to pay the bills somehow! :)

If you are interested in checking out the yoga SEO articles I have for sale, check out my profile on Constant-Content.com.  You can also request articles if you're looking for something specific, or something of a completely different nature.  You can find out how to contact me through my site at sarakhaley.com.  I am also in the process of creating a HUGE portfolio PDF in order to showcase all of my work that is around the internet, but that is taking a lot longer to do than I expected!  Once it's up, it will be downloadable from my site.

Well, as much as I'd like to say that I gotta pack up the gym bag and head for yoga, I honestly have to get started on dinner!  Making a glorious pot of potato and sausage soup, and am already drooling just thinking about it!  Have a wonderful day everyone!  I'll leave you with a hilarious video called "Shit Yogis Say" that totally had me rollin' when I saw it!

"Wanna see where I can put my leg?  You WANT to see where I can put my leg..." LMAO!

oDesk Success Story

A month or so ago, I was invited to interview with oDesk to talk to them about my experiences with oDesk for media nuggets.  Had a phone interview with an individual that works with oDesk's PR, and was able to share my story of success and words of wisdom.  Recently, I was featured as one of their success stories, offering up helpful information on how to get started with oDesk and make your mark.  I feel so honored to be highlighted in their newsletter!  Here is the clip published below:

Not gonna lie to you.  That's pretty awesome. :)  Between jobs on oDesk and some of my other clients, I have definitely been keeping busy between work and hanging out with my kiddo.  I love what I do--love that I can work from home and spend time with my daughter.  I'm not making millions by any means, but I'm doing what I love and love what I'm doing, and wouldn't trade it for the world!

Been living vicariously through my parents as well in their new endeavors.  With my dad being laid off from his job of 13 years (a year from retirement), they have been trying to find creative ways to bring in some money, as my mom has always been a homemaker.  The two of them have gotten into storage unit auctions, thanks to Storage Wars.  You should see these two--they crack me up!  I remember Mom texting me that they got a unit, and I went over the next day to see their treasures.  My mom was standing in the middle of the garage surrounded with goodies, hands on her hips, looking around and nodding her head.  She goes, "yup, I'm ready for another one."  LOL  Dad has fun posting all the little treasures on eBay and learning about the stuff, while my mom and her OCD take care of unpacking and organizing the goodies.  They make a good team.  Dad hasn't had much luck finding work, but I think--regardless--they may have found their niche. 

Have had such a fun summer this year, it's been a blast!  Been hanging out with April a lot, made a trip early summer to Arizona for two weeks to visit a friend.  Had to work while I was there, which was fine, since my friend had to still work her job as well and couldn't get the time off, but when she got off work, we did lots of fun things like hiking and visiting local landmarks.  I made a trip to Minnesota to celebrate my Grandma's surprise 80th birthday, and then have had a variety of friends come to visit in town over the last few months.  Other than dealing with putting my cat down last month, this summer has been by far one of the best summers I've had in a long time!  April is starting back up with her speech therapy, and is progressing by leaps and bounds--they are so impressed at how she is doing, and said the fact that I am home with her all day makes a huge difference.  Her teacher said they do not see this kind of progress with kids that are in daycares, so that says a lot about being a stay-at-home mom and the ability your child has to learn.

I'm on the home stretch of making my house a home.  It's been a year since I've moved in and I just got the final piece of furniture I needed for my apartment--a computer desk!!! Haha!  Was a little sick of camping out and working at the kitchen table.  Money has been tight so I have been having to scrimp and save in order to get the things I've been needing, but that makes it so much more rewarding when you finally reach your goal!  Have I mentioned how much I love my apartment complex?  I talked to the landlord about hooking me up with some paint so I could paint my apartment (was supposed to get khaki walls and white trim/doors when I moved in, but they had to get me in in a rush and they didn't have time to do it).  Instead of handing me some paint and paintbrushes, they actually scheduled painters to come in and do it all for me.  They scheduled two days of painting (one painter for walls, one for trim and doors) and I just used those two days to go out and have fun with April.  My apartment looks amazing, and I couldn't thank them enough for doing that for me.  I made sure to send down a gift card for them to enjoy some lunch on me, since I know it cost them several hundred to hire someone in to do that all for me.  I have a feeling I'll be living here for a long time! :)

Well, my break is over.  Was working on updating some things on my website, and since April is down for the night, it's time to tackle a few articles before I turn in for the evening.  Wish my arm didn't hurt--got my tetanus shot yesterday (thanks to an incident with a rusty truck) and I feel as if someone slugged my arm really hard.  Ugh.  Anywho, happy Wednesday, all! :)  I will leave you with a funny video of April showing off with her Dora guitar...and experiencing an epic fail. LOL

To my cat...

I got Kibbles shortly after I graduated and moved out on my own. Went with my friend Katie out to the pet store in Plattsmouth, and instantly fell in love with this rambunctious, cuddly gray tabby cat. He was gray and white, with a white stripe down his nose and a personality that you couldn't help but fall in love with. I ended up taking him home.

Kibbles was a playful kitten, and loved people. For being a cat, he was awfully socialized with friends and family and greeted you at the door like a dog. Whenever anyone came over and sat on my couch, he instantly hopped on their lap and made his presence known. He'd snuggle with anyone that was willing to sit and pet him for hours on end. You could cradle him like a baby in your arms and he would totally eat it up and stay there forever if you let him. I had numerous friends that fell in love with him and always threatened to smuggle him out of my house to take him home.

And that purr...it was one of the loudest purrs. You could hear him purring from a room away, no doubt about it. That purr and his instinct to cuddle got me through a lot of rough times. In the last ten years, that cat was definitely my "rock." Sadly, he was the only "man" in my life that I could ever really count on, regardless of what happened in any of my relationships. At the end of the day, he would be there to cuddle with me and purr and suddenly the world was a better place. I remember when I was pregnant with April, he took to my belly right away. He would lay across my stomach, even as I got ungodly huge, and would purr so loud, I bet April could hear him. After she was born, he would cuddle next to her, almost like her security blanket. That cat, when it was all said and done, was not just a cat to me. We had a bond that probably a lot of "non-pet lovers" just didn't get.

After thinking he had a simple UTI, I had started him on antibiotics per the vet's instructions last week. Instead of getting better, he got worse. I caught him peeing on my rug, but he wasn't peeing--he was crouched down in pain and dribbled out a few spots of pure blood. Something wasn't right, so I had to take him in for further blood work and tests.

While he was at the vet overnight, I kept thinking the worst. I knew that if the bill was any more than $600, I wouldn't be able to swing it. And that was spreading out and maxing out my three credit cards just to get that $600 together. Anything more and I knew I wouldn't be able to help him. I was hoping it was something simple and fixable.

It turns out it was fixable, but not simple. He was in the process of passing a bladder stone (which is why he was in pain), and had another huge one that was going to require surgery to remove. Doctor said he wasn't sure how he got the bladder stone, could have been a number of different reasons, but he couldn't guarantee that this would be the first and last issue. I asked him how much the surgery cost. On top of him being boarded at the vet and the tests that they had already completed, it was going to be about another $800. I couldn't say anything. The vet told me to think it over and call him back when I made a decision as to what I wanted to do. I hung up the phone and bawled my eyes out. I knew I was going to have to make a judgment call that I didn't want to have to make. I called the vet back, said I would be in to put Kibbles down. I called my mom to come get me and come with me, and we went down to see Kibbles one more time.

Kibbles was so happy to see me when they brought him into the room. This was the last time I would see those gorgeous green eyes, hear that amazingly loud purr, and snuggle with my ten-year-old lug of a cat. They already had him prepped for the euthanasia. I signed some papers, and they left me in the room with him for a little bit before they were coming back in. All I could do was cry and keep telling him I was so sorry. If I had all the money in the world, I could have fixed him, and maybe had him around for another five years or so. But the vet told me I was doing the right thing. He said cats this age typically don't have this problem just once after they've started. He said he has seen cats that have to come in about once a year to have bladder stones removed surgically. And with his arthritis, this was just the beginning of a lot of medical bills and vet visits for this cat. He had a good ten years behind him. He was happy, healthy, and loved, everything a pet should be. I couldn't be selfish and go into debt trying to prolong his life if it meant him not being happy, just to make myself happy and not have to deal with the heartache of missing him. This was inevitable. This was one of the hardest decisions in my life.

I got to hold him as they put him down. But I couldn't let a complete stranger hold him as they put him down, I couldn't do that to him. It might not have hurt him at all, but it hurt me. It was just like he went to sleep, but there was no loud purr, no snuggling, just dead weight and silence. I know I did the right thing, but it hurts. Time will pass and life will go on, I know that, but it sucks.

The last few days I see little reminders of him. The catnip on the counter that he loved, and that Kirby doesn't even react to. The can of wet cat food I got him as a treat, gone uneaten. I threw the medicine away that I was giving him. I cleaned up the spot on the rug with the spot cleaner. I keep walking into the living room thinking he's going to be stretched out on the rug sunbathing, but he's not there. I keep thinking of picking him up and bringing him into bed to cuddle with me at night, but he's not there. It's the little things that I miss. Just his presence in the apartment was reassuring and comforting.

Now I'm down to two: Dakota and Kirby. Kirby is a lot less social and cuddly than Kibbles was, but Dakota is picking up the slack by becoming overly needy. It's like she knows something's not right, like there's a void she needs to fill, and right now, that's comforting. Kirby walks around looking a little lost and confused, and keeps sniffing Kibble's favorite spots. I think they know. And for anyone who is sitting there thinking, "it's just a cat," you're wrong. For years, he was my "kid," my baby.

When you are at the pet store looking at a kitten or puppy, the last thing you think about is all their vet appointments, how to take care of them when they get sick, and the day that they will no longer be your companion. But it's so important to think of all the joy that they give you, and understand that that was exactly why they were in your life in the first place.

Kibbles

3/2001 - 7/8/2011

Today's National Recognition :)

So I'm feeling pretty special today. I was interviewed and highlighted on the AOL website about work-at-home moms. :) Here is the article, complete with a picture of the munchkin and me from Easter. Not only is it way cool, it's also some nice PR for me and for what I do.

Freelancing has it's ups and downs. Upside: staying at home. Downside: budgeting. Upside: saving on daycare costs. Downside: unsteady work. But considering everything, pros and cons, it's gotten me by. Sure, money is tight, but what family isn't struggling paycheck to paycheck these days? Things have been pretty crazy on the freelancing front, but lots of positives with some side projects I've been doing.

I've even worked with a few companies as a contributing writer to help get my name out there more as a freelance writer. I started out working from home doing audio transcriptions and some desktop publishing work, but about 90% of my work now is writing, which is my true passion.

And I've been asked to be a contributing writer for several sites. I write a monthly column for I Got Mom Power, writing from the angle of being a single mother. I love the atmosphere on that site, lots of fun and conversational moms to talk to! In addition to writing iPhone app reviews for my own site, HappyApping.com, I am also a contributing reviewer for Tech on the Go, which has been a fun little side gig, too. Last but not least, I've also started writing for ParenteSource, which is an awesome new website that has great growth potential.

Of course, I'm still managing my other sites, including Omaha-Moms.com which has gotten quite the readership lately, and am juggling my own little projects here and there. Also redesigned my portfolio site, which already needs some updating with some of my newest work. eHow just recently decided to ditch their Writer's Compensation Program, which really bites because that was dependable residual income from articles I wrote years ago. Kinda makes me sad, as that was money I knew I could budget every month as income. Not anymore. :(

I recently got a job offer for a local print company, but had to turn it down. I mulled over the offer for a while, but when it came down to it, it wasn't enough pay for how much I was expected to write. At this point in my life, I have established myself as a quality writer, even if I *am* ghostwriting and not getting bylines. Taking that job and investing that kind of time and energy into print publishing would have cut me short on time for my more higher-paying writing gigs, which would have put me in a financial pickle altogether.  A girl has to pay the bills, but getting that offer out of the blue was a nice and uplifting surprise!

Over the last few months, I have lost a few of my more regular clients due to dips in workload, not enough work to keep me busy, or changes in their business game plans, so I've been doing a lot more smaller jobs to get by. But that's okay--it keeps me on my toes, and keeps me motivated to find a variety of fun and fabulous clients to work for! I'm always writing about something different--it's like lifelong learning! :) It just goes to show, however, that you can't rely on just one client to pay your bills, so by spreading myself over a number of more regular clients, I at least keep busy if anything else!

To all my clients, old and new, I thank you for all the work you send my way! Many of you know how much you mean to me, but it's also nice to be recognized for the fact that you help me pay for the roof over our heads and the clothes on our backs. I don't know what I'd do without my amazing clients!

(PS--for an update on my marathon, check out this article over at I Got Mom Power that I wrote afterwards. And yes, my knee is fine! I went back to yoga class yeseterday for the first time since the run--spent the week icing, heating, and babying my knee!--and warrior pose showed it who's boss! LOL Gotta get back in the groove, as I have a Memorial Day run to do, and a half-marathon in September!)

Marathon Time!

So three years ago, I made an extensive New Year's Resolution--to run a 10K in 2009, a half-marathon in 2010, and a full marathon in 2011.  This came from someone who wasn't even running at the time.  In 2009, I did my first 10K.  In 2010, I did my first half-marathon.  And tomorrow at 7am, I will be running my very first marathon in Lincoln!

I'm excited.  I'm scared.  I'm wondering if I'll even make it the whole way.  But it's all about trying.  I am entirely aware that I am under-trained.  Compared to what other websites say I should be running mileage-wise at this point, I have not done enough work.  A recent newspaper article in the Omaha World Herald compared training for a marathon as extensive as a part-time job.  They were right.  And I really don't have time for a part-time job between everything else going on.

Between runs on the treadmill at the gym 6 times a week, long walks and power walks with April outside, and "bootcamp" yoga classes twice a week (and a lot of hiking and activity while I was in Arizona for two weeks!), I feel I have done the best I can, considering I'm maneuvering around the schedule of a three-year-old.  The Lincoln Marathon group forums have been so helpful, and I have learned so much from other runners in the metro area.

So tomorrow morning, around 5am, I will be out the door with my shin splint wraps, MP3 player, Pearl Izumis and a whole lotta courage!  I have no time goals.  My only hope is that I make it across the finish line upright and alive.  And I'm sure the runner's high will be absolutely amazing!

On an end note, here is a hilarious little video about running a marathon.  Ingeniously funny! :)  My favorite lines: "You run on purpose?" "So the first person to do this died?" "Your legs cramp up very badly and you can not walk in a straight line for days.  You should try it." LMAO!