PLEASE VISIT OUR NEW SITE!

Go to: www.thedooverblog.com

That’s right guys.  We are now self-hosted and have undergone a Do Over on our Do Over.

Say that 10 times fast.

Go to: www.thedooverblog.com.

Please subscribe to our email, comment on our posts and join our discussion at our new site!

Come on over – look forward to seeing you there!

-David

4 easy steps to finding the you, you have always wanted.

After reviewing our life stance objectives created at the start of this project, February’s results are pretty amazing.  (Check out our project results section.) 

No, we are not financially independent… yet.  But in a just a short time and with a little focus, we have made tremendous improvements in the quality of our life and have thus, just improved our chances of surviving and enjoying, until we achieve our financial goals. 

If we can do it, so can you.

Here are some helpful tips that you can implement today if you find yourself in need of a Do Over.   Keep in mind, not everyone’s Do Over has to be extreme.  This approach will work for small and large changes alike.

1. Identify your pain. 
   Be specific.  No one likes to review their failings (or their feelings).  However, if you don’t admit you have a problem, you can’t really fix that problem.  Make a list of the issues.  
2. Create a way to categorize and measure your results. 
   It does not have to pass anyone’s stringent testing other than your own.  Create a simple way to pinpoint where you are now, and where you want to be.  Check out our resource section for helpful forms and information.
3. Make a list of ways you can affect a positive change.
   Look at your pain list and where you want to be (or how you want to feel) and create a list of things you could do to stop, reverse or change the issues that are causing you pain.  You may have multiple ideas on how to fix one problem.  Great.  This exercise alone proves you are not helpless and can take control of your present and future circumstances.
4. Do it.
   This is the hardest step.  If you have followed the steps above, all you have to do is execute.  You will be amazed if you attempt it, how fast you can turn things around.  Will your solutions always work?  No.  Life may change the stimulus or rules, you may have to tweak here and there.  Action is the key.  Take action and see your life improve. 

 

10 helpful tips for shopping for food and avoiding allergens.

One of the many challenges of having a child with food allergies is grocery shopping. Reading every label can be daunting, especially if your child has multiple allergens to contend with. Here are some tips to ease your shopping trip and save you money.

All rights reserved by cottoncandylola

1. When grocery shopping it is a good rule of thumb to try to stay on the outer perimeter of the store. This is where you will find the majority of allergen free foods (fruit, vegetables, meats, deli). This is a healthier (and less costly) way to shop whether you have food allergies or not.

2. When buying packaged food look for products that have 5 ingredients or less on the label. Odds are if there are more than 5 ingredients your child won’t be able to eat it. This will save you hours of shopping time and unnecessary frustration.

3. If there are any ingredients on a label that you can’t identify, don’t risk it. Companies will use different names to try to mask ingredients. Another rule I follow is, if you can’t pronounce it you don’t need to eat it.

4. If your child is on a gluten-free diet, ask at the customer service desk if they have a gluten-free products list. This will make it easier to search for products that are safe for your child. Many stores also have a gluten-free section that makes shopping much easier, all you have to do is ask.

5. Go to natural food stores like Whole Foods, Earthfare and Trader Joes. They have great organic choices and foods without all the preservatives and chemicals. They also have a trained staff that is eager to help. To find an organic store near you got to http://www.organicstorelocator.com .

6. Recheck labels on foods you eat all the time. Just because something was safe the last time you bought it, doesn’t mean it will be now. Ingredients can change overnight and it’s important to always double-check to make sure nothing new has been added to the ingredient list.

7. Buying healthy food can be expensive. Try to find another family or two who buy the same kinds of foods as you and buy together in bulk. This is great for buying things online and it will save you on shipping.

8. Seek out farms in your area that raise fresh eggs, organic fruits and vegetables and grass fed beef. Their prices are usually reasonable and you will get really fresh food that tastes great. You can also buy a side of beef and carve it to share with your friends and family.

9. Talk to other shoppers. If you see someone picking up a product that you haven’t tried, ask how it tastes and why they like it. Specialty foods can be very expensive and it’s disappointing to spend $5 for a box of gluten-free breakfast bars that taste awful and your child won’t eat.

10. Don’t be afraid to make it yourself. Often times the best solution is to buy the ingredients and make it yourself. You will know exactly what is in your food and can freeze baked goods and meals to be eaten later.  Many children with food allergies can’t eat in restaurants so take out is not an option. Having ready-made meals in the freezer makes it much easier to make a quick meal on those days when you are running late or are too tired to cook.

More helpful tips and lists of favorite foods, websites and resources will soon be released in my food allergy e-book. Subscribe to this blog and we will let you know when it’s available.

 

Nancy is a food allergy fighter, mom and experienced entrepreneur with a passion for helping people.  Learn more about her (here) and follow her on Twitter @dnpfoodallergy.

Outlaws, potholes and each way was uphill. I gave up.

Isn’t it funny that we look for all the reasons we do some things and not others and look for answers everywhere but ourselves?

We have been conditioned since birth not to give up. And that is part of the problem. If you were driving on a road filled with outlaws and pot holes, and each way was uphill – most of us would choose a different road. No one would say you gave up. They would say: “Wow”, good thing you changed direction.

But, use the same logic when analyzing your current job (or satisfaction level) and from the depths of hell you hear the record playing all the reasons not to give up. Even your family and friends know the words and sometimes sing along too… it is karaoke in its worst form.

And so, after thinking about the past 30 days and our vastly improved quality of life, it was good timing that I found these golden nuggets from: http://www.clay-collins.com/blog/about-clay-collins-my-story/.

“So often, our greatest gift lies not in what we can do, but what we simply, for the life of us, cannot do.”

“The only thing holding you down, holding you back, is your inability to give up on anything that’s not 100% you. And the only thing that can set you free is your uncompromising refusal to do anything that’s not in 100% alignment with who you really are.”

“Things turned around for me when I gave up on doing everything that (1) I couldn’t not do, and (2) didn’t give me illegal amounts of happiness . . .”

If I had to stop today (not going to) and rejoin similar, previous pursuits (not going to), I would be grateful for what I have learned in these few weeks… especially learning how to give up.

Ease your anxiety (and risks) when traveling with food allergies.

All rights reserved - http://www.traveladventures.org

Travelling with children, especially young ones, can be challenging, but travelling with children with food allergies is downright complicated to say the least.  If you are planning a trip and have food allergy concerns, here are some helpful hints to ease the anxiety that can often arise.

1. Talk to your allergist or doctor in advance to ask for their suggestions and tips. This is especially important if your child has an epi-pen. You need to make sure that the pen is in sound working condition and that the dosage is adequate for the weight of your child.
2. If you are staying in a hotel, call ahead and find out if their restaurants, or restaurants nearby, have allergy-free options (gluten free meals, dairy free meals…). If you are concerned about eating out, ask for a room with a kitchenette and either bring your own groceries or be prepared to shop for food once you arrive. You can also rent a condo with a full kitchen to make food prep easier.
3. Find out what grocery stores are near where you are staying. This will be very important if you need to prepare all or most of your meals. If there is not a grocery store nearby that has food your child can eat, you will need to plan to bring a greater amount of food with you or pick a different destination if possible. If you can’t change your trip, find out if you can ship a box of food to the hotel in advance of your arrival.
4. Be sure you know how far the closest hospital is from your accommodations. If your child should have an anaphylactic reaction during your trip, it’s important that you can get to the hospital quickly. Even if you have an epi-pen that ceases the reaction, your child should be observed for a few hours afterwards to make sure all is well and no further reactions occur.
5. If you are travelling by car, be sure to pack enough food and snacks to cover the entire trip, especially if there won’t be restaurants along the way that have safe options. I try to have at least one full grocery bag of snacks for every 4-5 hours in the car. I also bring protein-packed foods that are more filling, like sliced turkey and cheese. This can fit easily into a mini cooler and can be a lifesaver when snack food isn’t cutting it. Apple sauce cups and bananas are great to have on hand as well.

The most important tip of all is to believe in yourself.  It is perfectly normal to feel anxiety about your trip, but you handle caring for your child every day at home and you will make it all work when you are away.  So take a deep breath and get excited about your trip.

Stay tuned for many more helpful travel tips, including how to travel overseas, in my upcoming food allergy e-book.

 

Nancy is a food allergy fighter, mom and experienced entrepreneur with a passion for helping people.  Learn more about her (here) and follow her on Twitter @dnpfoodallergy.

Video Diary #3: Progress Report

Necessity is the mother of invention.

Courtesy of http://www.dailypictures.info

Of course this sounds cliché.

We have been working on our Do Over for just 6 weeks and in that period of time, have absorbed an incredible amount of content about an industry we knew nothing of previously. 

I was researching affiliate programs and the seemingly unlimited options available to promote our upcoming e-book.   A few weeks ago, I had tabled this segment because I was working hard on our structure and just felt too overwhelmed to absorb another mind blowing set of activities necessary for e-book success.   

So today was the day.  We had finalized the components of our e-book offering.  We had established our next set of goals for our blog.  And just like that, I realized we were ready to test the waters. 

Learning-by-doing is a concept within economic theory. It refers to the capability of workers to improve their productivity by regularly repeating the same type of action. The increased productivity is achieved through practice, self-perfection and minor innovations.  To learn more, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_curve

Isn’t it amazing how research plus action shortens one’s learning curve?   But let’s not forget proper motivation too… we have to generate income soon.

Video Diary #2: Mike & Gretchen

Do not fear change, embrace it.

I know how it feels to be the parent of a child with food allergies and how lost I felt in trying to find answers. If I could simplify the process for even one family it would be worth my time. I knew that my passion and desire to help others who suffer from food allergies must be realized or I would forever feel I missed an opportunity to share all that I have learned.

Making the decision to radically alter my life is not something that I decided to do on a whim. It was something that crept into my mind and festered until I could no longer ignore it. I’ve had the idea to write a food allergy e-book for nearly two years now, and the ideas keep flowing through my mind like a pictorial.

It’s funny how when you feed a burning passion, other unexpected surprises emerge. In actually committing to embark on this project I have discovered how less stressful my life can be and how much I enjoy working from home.  The idea that I can create information products that help people, eliminating the need for sales people, employees, office space, and middlemen, is liberating.  Had I not had the catalyst of this e-book “burning in my belly”, I never would have taken the leap.  The alternative is depressing and I would have been stuck in a place that was highly unsatisfying to me.

If you have a strong desire to do anything, I encourage you to find a way to feed it.

To believe in an idea so strongly that it consumes you, is a definitive sign that you have something worthwhile that should not be pushed aside.  The fear should not be in taking the leap.  The fear is in settling for less than you are worth, and never knowing what could have been.

So the allergy e-book is halfway complete, the ideas and creative energy are flowing and everything is falling into place.

If you or someone you know has food allergies, subscribe to this blog and I will send you updates on my book and will inform you when it is available.

 

Nancy is a food allergy fighter, mom and experienced entrepreneur with a passion for helping people.  Learn more about her (here) and follow her on Twitter @dnpfoodallergy.

15 orders per day and I am a dreamer.

Photographer: Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot

Nancy has been working hard on our ebook and has completed 30% of the content.  It is really good.

We have our project map and our work list outlined so as long as we deliver on the milestones, we can meet our ebook launch date. I know that we have done a great job following our plan but I am surprised to be feeling some pressure.

It is an exercise in discipline… to fulfill on a plan previously created and based upon good logic but not experience; to stay the course and allow time for previous efforts to materialize; and to continue to create and invest, even when everyone is pointing out that success is unlikely. This is nothing I haven’t done or heard before, but it feels different.

It is not that I am concerned about our strategy. To reach our project goal, we need to write 15 orders per day at twenty dollars ($20) per unit sale. These are not big numbers. Such a small quantity does not make our product a household name. In fact, 28% of the world’s population is classified as an internet user totaling approximately 1,980,000,000 people. Our required visitor count compared to the available pool of potential customers wouldn’t even register on a calculator as a whole number.

I am thinking that if 15 orders per day can set me free, what am I missing? Why aren’t more people doing this?

Maybe I am experiencing some sort of delayed chemical reaction from college drugs…or maybe I hit my head, and having acquired this specific form of amnesia, I am operating at some diminished capacity in thinking of this project as both a logical and strategic next step.

Perhaps I am a dreamer.

Although I am realizing every day how little I understand, what I do know is that I am not made to accept the average. I must try and have a hand in my destiny. I can’t ride the fence or hope that sudden lottery winnings allow me a chance at life. I don’t want just any life. I want a life of fun, of seeing things and doing things. I am ok with being scared sometimes, as long as it means I get to be happy too.

Maybe what I am missing, is something I don’t want to have.  I still have hope and because of that, I still believe there is more I can achieve.