I’m taking a Master’s class about Executive Leadership and my assignment last week was to put together a presentation about an executive leader in the entertainment business. Lots of names came to mind, but I chose Paula Deen because she represents what I call an “overnight entrepreneur.” And, she’s a mom.

Paula Deen is an original mompreneuer. She’s enjoying success today because of a lot of hard work in order to take care of her sons. Here’s why Paula is an inspiration to women and moms.

• Devastation Leads to Action
  After 20 years of marriage, Paula Deen was faced with a devastating divorce, and the need to find a way to make a living to support her two young sons and teenage brother. All she’d know to this point in her life is how to cook and care for people, but she needed skills — and fast. Money was tight; she only had $200 and no business skills. This didn’t stop Paula from digging down deep to survive with the only thing she knew; cooking. (source: Paula’s Story.)
• Overcoming Obstacles
  She had no money, no formal education, and a disease that kept her indoors. (source: Paula’s Story.) A New York Times article quotes Paula on her agoraphobia:

  Some days I could get to the supermarket, but I could never go too far inside,” Ms. Deen said. “I learned to cook with the ingredients they kept close to the door.”

• Believing In Herself
  Paula believed in herself and self-published her first cookbook. Since that time she has had multiple cookbooks published along with a new memoir and is the Editor-in-Chief of a magazine.
• Taking the Good With the Bad
• Take Control of Your Life
• Do What You Love

Paula sums it up great on her Web site:

But, you know what, none of this would have happened if I hadn’t of taken the good with the bad, embraced both the heartache and joy, and taken control of my life when I thought it could not have gotten worse.”

Related:

• PaulaDeen.com
• NY Times article about Deen.
• Cooking With Paula Deen magazine.
• Top 5 recipes from Paula’s magazine.
• Paula’s The Lady and Son’s restaurant.
• Paula on Food Network.

Here’s a quick and simple recipe that I learned about last week for a great chocolate and peanut butter cookie. I immediately went home and baked it for my family, it is a great recipe to make with kids, although you can hardly call it a recipe since all you really have to do is mix. I took some photos to demonstrate how easy it really is. (Thanks, Danielle, for the recipe.)

Buy prepackaged peanut butter cookie dough mix. Stir ingredients as per the instructions (egg, water, oil and cookie mix) in bowl.

Make one-inch round balls. Put them in mini-muffin pans (greased).

Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

Immediately upon removal from the oven, put one unwrapped peanut butter cup in the center of each cookie.

Let cool, grab a glass of cold milk and eat up this yummy goodness.

Each weekday morning in my house is always a rush to get out the door, which leaves little time for breakfast, let alone something healthy. Lately, I’ve been in a quest to get something at least somewhat healthy into my body Monday through Friday.

• Keep a stash of natural granola bars in my desk drawer for those days I end up closing the door without getting a morsel of food into my body.
• Bought low-fat yogurt and natural granola, nuts and dried fruit (Mona’s granola) for a quick take-with-me breakfast.
• Make muffins ahead of time and freeze them. You can have a fresh muffin in 10 seconds in the microwave.
• Make some yummy looking, mostly healthy breakfast bars. “Parents” magazine calls them energy bars, but they look delicious too.
• Whole wheat english muffins with sugar-free jelly and/or natural peanut butter.

I don’t have a post prepared for today so I’ll just write about a few things I’ve found lately:

• “Friends” star Courtney Cox is said to be under stress for trying to balance life, work, motherhood and marriage. She’s reportedly shrank two dress sizes — down to a size 2. Now, she was skinny enough before loosing weight, but wouldn’t it be great if some weight loss came naturally for the rest of the world’s moms since we deal with this same stress. Just goes to show you that money doesn’t buy everything. Read the story here.
• There is a lunar eclipse tonight. It’s the last one until 2010, people. The news makes is sound like this is ages away, a millennium away. It’s only two more years.
• I stumbled upon a Web site for Work at Home Moms, www.buzymoms.com. It’s a professional looking site that seems to have lots of detailed information, tips and resources to help you find that business where you can work from home.
• New family rule: the fist person home has to give a warm greeting to the second person home. Read how Steve tells of this family ritual at TheSneeze.com. Fair warning: if you read any of his other posts, I’m won’t be held responsible for the amount of tears that will be streaming down your face because you’ll be laughing so hard it will hurt.
• Lately I haven’t had time to make family meals so I’m on the hunt for quick and easy dinners for a family. I did a quick search and found some interesting recipes here. Send me your links if you know of some great places to get inspired.

February is a short month, but it’s a leap year so there’s an extra day. The Pink book that I refer to often has a great list of “to dos” at the end of each chapter (each month), but it’s always bothered me that I have to read all the way to the end to get ideas of things to do during the month. I am going to try some ideas for myself as goals or inspirations at the beginning of the month. Here are some I thought of for February.

• Give Valentine’s to your kids
• Be sure to let the ones you love know it this month. More than just saying it.
• Hug your kid every day this month — no matter how old he/she is
• Do something just for you
• Read a book that’s just for fun. Something light, something that may not even have a lot of merit, but something fun to get your mind off of all that ails you.
• Send Valentine’s cards to your child’s Grandparents.
• For Valentine’s Day draw hearts on your driveway with sidewalk chalk. It will make your mailperson smile
• Stay in on Valentine’s Day. Order a pizza even. Skip all the hoopla surrounding fancy dinners and enjoy being together, no matter what you are doing.
• Make Rachel Ray’s “You Won’t Be Single For Long Vodka Cream Pasta” one night this month. It’s “Yumm-o”
• Stop by the Godiva store and buy just one piece of chocolate. Eat it on the spot.
• Buy yourself a new robe, PJs or slippers (or, hey, all three!) — anything that is new, and comfortable for an evening at home.
• Sit by a fire at least once this month. If you don’t have a fireplace, visit a local hotel or restaurant lobby that has one. Order a glass of wine or specialty coffee and think about life without interruption, just letting the crackle of the fire shift your thoughts. You’ll be amazed at how much clarity comes when sitting so still.