4 Kid Entrepreneur Tips

How to help your kid become a sucessful entrepreneur.

ITCH your child's desire to succeed with these 4 Kid Entrepreneur Tips.

Recently ABC's Shark Tank offered 11-year-old fifth grader Ryan Kelly  $25,000 to invest in his homemade dog treat company - "Ryan's Barkery."


Ryan Kelly noticed how terrible commercial dog treats smelled and figured if he couldn't stomach the smell, why give it to his dog? The next time they took their dog, Barkley, to the vet, he and his mom asked what foods were good to give his dog as treats.

Armed with this doctor-supplied advice, he and his mom started baking their own treats for Barkley. The treats are all natural and Barkley loves them. He started selling them at his lacrosse games, where there were many other dogs around. He got them hooked by giving the dogs a free sample. ;)  Now he sells them at pet-adoption fairs.

Ryan Kelly gets $25,000 from ABC's Shark Tank for his all-natural dog biscuits.

My 10-year-old son Jaxon started his business last year when if offered to pay him $1 to clean/shine my car tires after the local car wash did a lousy job on them. I explained how the tires get dirty from brake dust and how it makes the car look so much better if the wheels are clean and shiny.

What can you do to encourage your child to cultivate a hobby into a way to save for a car (or college)?  Here are 4 tips to ITCH (Incentivize, Teach, Clue, Help) your kid's entrepreneurial desire to succeed:

1. Incentivize. If you give them all they want, they don't have a need to work. Is there a pair of basketball shoes, a new bike, etc. that they want? Instead of buying it for them, offer to match whatever dollar amount they can earn, whether it is via extra chores or outside the home.
2. Teach them how. The best way for them to learn is by seeing other kid entrepreneurs' success stories. My favorite show "Biz Kid$" airs on PBS and teaches business skills in a sketch-comedy format like Saturday Night Live.
3. Clue them in. Many kids don't realize that they can make their own money without their parents. There are some fun videos/tv shows/books that focus on the subject. My favorite is the YouTube animated series with Warren Buffet called the "Secret Millionaires Club."
4. Help them flesh out ideas and iron out snags.While I suggested free business cards from VistaPrint.com, he had to do the work of picking them out and ordering all by himself. I helped him with shipping by using his allowance. 

As with all parenting, it's fun to see the results of all your hard work. Recently Jaxon helped his little sister create HER own bakery business with her Easy-Bake-Oven, complete with her own free business cards for "Savannah's Baked Goodies".

Shine-free skin in summer - it IS possible (with this)

I have really oily skin. Which, I'm told, will be great when I'm older. Gee, thanks.

Right now it's all about finding the best stuff to deal with it and make it pretty. So two things:

1. Proacitv (no joke, this shit works) and 
2. Boots #7 Beautifully Matte Make Up Primer. (And I don't even wear make up.)

I can only find it at Target -and going there is expensive b/c I buy cute stuff that I just don't need - but this stuff is worth it. In fact, you might have noticed that your local Target was totally re-doing its Boots #7 section and for a long time, I thought this product would be - GASP!- discontinued.

So I tried everything else. Seriously, I tried all different mattifiers from amazon. Dr. Brandt, Neutrogena,

Here's why it is so freakin' fabulous:

1. Lasts a super long time (the longest lasting I've tried out of a ton)
2. Has Salicylic acid to help fight against spot-causing bacteria (salicylic acid alone doesn't work for my skin, but I'm slathering this stuff on twice a day and anything helps, lol. Did I mention that I have really shiny skin??)
3. Cucumber extract soothes skin (read "takes red out of blemishes, etc.")

So, long story short, get thyself some Boots #7 Shine Free Primer for a shine-free summer. :)

Easy Bake Oven GOURMET Cookbook - no joke

Imagine if all your favorite gourmet chefs from The Food Network (or your favorite famous restaurants) all got together and created grown-up recipes for the Easy Bake Oven...

This fantastical cookbook already exists and you can get it on amazon.com - it's called "Easy Bake Oven Gourmet Cookbook" by David Hoffman and it is chock-full of deliciousness! I always feel like the hippest mom when I share this book. ;)

If you want to get really fancy, there's The Food Network's Bobby Flay and his "Queso Fundido with Roasted Poblano Vinaigrette" or you can try Executive Chef of New York's "21 Club" Erik Blauberg and his recipe for "Deep Dish Truffle Lobster Pie". Some of the other recipes are for "Palace Olive Poppers," "Roasted Quail Breast with Wild Mushrooms and Pomme Anna," and "Warm Kumquat-and-Date Sticky Toffee Pudding."

To earn our Girl Scout Brownie Cooking Badge, our Brownie Troop will all be making "Baked Chicken with Capers and Cherry Tomatoes" by famous chef and author of The New York Times column "The Minimalist" Mark Bittman. It's simple yet yummy. Here's the recipe for 6 "toothpick-size" servings (think appetizer - so each person gets one piece):

• 1/2 medium chicken breast (about 2 oz.)
• 2 cherry tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 teaspoon capers
• Salt & pepper
• Minced parsley for garnish

1. Preheat the EASY-BAKE oven for 15 minutes
2. Cut the uncooked chicken into small pieces. Cut the tomatoes into three slices each.
3. Put the butter in the bottom of the EASY-BAKE pan. Arrange the chicken pieces on top, then decorate with the tomato slices and capers. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Slide the pan into the oven and let back until you hear cooking noises (about 5 minutes). Then bake another 5 minutes (so 10 minutes total). Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parsley.

Bon Appetit!

P.S. Did you know that the EASY-BAKE oven can bake anything that a regular oven set at 350 degrees can make?! So if you want to cook side-by-side with the kiddos, just prepare yours in the same manner but pop in in the regular oven set to 350 degreees.

(Here's what I'm thinking: new chore for the kiddos - fixing dinner!)

Bikini Bottom (aka cellulite-free butt)

 The 10 Minute "Shower Squeeze" Anti-Cellulite Workout

I pretty much NEED to maintain a beach body b/c I live in Fort Lauderdale - so there's hardly ever "sweater weather".  But I have a hard time devoting time to working out, so I squeeze it in to my other daily activities. I love this little one that I call the "Shower Squeeze" and what you do is clench your butt as hard as you can when you're in the shower. (If you want to pump yourself up/gross yourself out, then feel the cellulite when you're squeezing.)

How to fix/repair Christian Louboutin high heels yourself DIY heel repair for CL shoes

It's been a loooong time since I've bought a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes, but back when the economy was great, I bought several pairs. They are wearing beautifully, with the single exception of the rubber/plastic heel tips on the high heels.

Ok, I've replaced heel tips on many of my heels, but on my Louboutins, the heels wore down to what looked like a screw-in tip (as oppposed to the typical nail-in type). I searched a ton to find out how to repair these, since I'm a DIY-kinda girl, but found nothing! There were a lot of "how to fix high heels" on YouTube, etc., I couldn't find one specifically for Louboutins.

So I figured, "what the heck - I'll be the guinea pig" and got out my vice grips. (Don't worry - vice grips are just locking pliers. You can use regular pliers if you don't have vice grips.)

Here's the video of me actually doing the replacement (please don't be harsh - it was either do it myself in my closet or...never, lol).

YouTube How To Fix Christian Louboutin High Heels Yourself (DIY) 

Turns out they do not screw in, they are tap-ins! BUT to get the old tips out, you have to twist and pull at the same time. You can get replacement tips online or Target (I used "Fab Feet Heel Tips" in the shoe section on one of the end-caps with the extra shoelaces). Once you get the old ones out, tap the new ones in with a hammer. That's it! Now I can wear my super-expensive CB shoes again without that click-clack from the worn out heel! :)