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So here’s what I’m up to next weekend…..Taking my son to see Willy Wonka at Wiswall Park in Ballston Spa. But this is no ordinary movie in an ordinary theater. This is a true event!

Ballston Spa, NY has their own First Friday events throughout the year, but as summer comes along, they add movies to the mix. Every first Friday in Wiswall park they will be showing movies outstide. Next Friday (June 5) the Ballston Spa Business and Professional Association will not only be showing the film, but they will make you feel like you are a part of it.

There will be Wonka Bars for sale, and keeping in form with the movie, 5 will contain Golden Tickets. Those who find a golden ticket will win prizes from local businesses such as free chocolate from the Village Sweet Shoppe, a massage from BodyWork Professionals, Chocolate Tea and a gift card from The Whistling Kettle, a $100 savings bond from Ballston Spa National Bank and of course a chance to tour the former Bischoff Chocolate Factory and a gift card to dine in the Factory Eatery located there.

But wait….there’s more!

Not only will you get to snack on chocolate while you are looking at chocolate, but you’ll be able to sniff it too. The movie is being presented with the added touch of AromaRama. AromaRama is a technique developed by Charles Weiss in the 1950’s. It’s used to enhance the movie experience by appealing to the sense of smell at key moments in the plot. How cool is that? Plus, as director of the event, Daniel DeFabio explains, this will connect people to the history of Ballston Spa as well:

“This is especially appropriate for Ballston Spa, since the village was once filled with the scent of fresh chocolate coming from the Bischoff Chocolate Factory,” says Film Festival director Daniel DeFabio. Referring to Ballston Spa’s mineral springs history, DeFabio adds, “And when you smell the fizzy lifting drink, well, Ballston Spa was practically built on a fizzy drink.”

There will be special appearances from the Candy Man as well. Film starts at sundown (around 9pm) and it’s free. Just make sure you bring some chairs and blankets to sit on. Films will continue through the summer, including a film festival on August 7 and 8. For more information you can go to www.bspafilm.com.

I put up a post a in a group on CafeMom that I belong to asking for women who have started their own businesses. I wanted to interview anyone who replied. Never in a million years did I think I would get to interview someone as inspiring as Dr. Eve.

Before I got on the phone with her, the only things I really knew is that she is a motivational speaker and is working on writing a book that will be published this year. That alone was very impressive. By the time I got off the phone with her I was truly grateful that I had the opportunity to learn from her.

Eve had operated her own businesses in the past. She was with some various Network Marketing companies, but never really found anything that she loved. Her life took a drastic turn the night she found herself at a shelter for victims of domestic violence with her 6 year old. She said that it was such a horrible place; loud, dirty, scary. At 4 AM she decided she was going to take her life back. She just knew she couldn’t stay in that shelter and she was dismayed at the events of her life. So she packed up and moved back home to Georgia.

At that time she firmly believed that the universe was telling her to write a spiritual book. So she embarked on a mission to seek out a publisher, and she got to work. She also decided that she was going to be a motivational speaker. She was a little nervous about this at first because she didn’t know if anyone would want her to speak for their organizations. This didn’t stop her though. She starting sending out her info to all sorts of places, and she was actually getting responses. Oftentimes, public speakers have to work for a year or two without getting paid, but she was getting paid from the beginning, and people responded well to her. She says that when she’s speaking to crowds she feels as if she can almost hear herself as a separate person.

Eve told me that it wasn’t until a few years ago that she realized that she’s been a victim of domestic violence her whole life. What’s even more shocking is that it’s been all mental abuse and she has a PhD in Psychology. She explained that it sounds crazy that she could be a victim based on her education and experience, but that it’s very telling to the fact that anyone can be vulnerable to it. She said it’s a cycle that usually starts with children and just continues into adulthood. She aims to stop this.

She is also about to have her own radio show in June. It will be on LA Talk Radio on Thursdays at 4 pm EST.

Her main goal is to empower women globally. She wants them to learn to reach inside themselves and find what is great. She feels very strongly that if women could do this they could truly change their lives. She also hopes to someday do a dating violence program and to open her own domestic violence shelter.

Check out her website to learn more about her. I know that Eve is working on building the site some more and doing fundraising, so if you feel that you could help in any way, please contact her. If you are someone who is in a violent relationsip, please reach out to a local crisis hotline or organization that deals with domestic violence. It is a serious problem and there are people out there who truly want to help.

(anyone else a little creeped out by this guy?)

The lovely people on my mailing list (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) got to hear me chatter a little about my cool Farmer’s Market experience this past weekend. I’ll share a little of that with you now.

Saturday I took my son to the Saratoga Springs Farmer’s Market and we had a great time. Well, he saw a kid with a sprinkle cookie and wouldn’t stop fixating on it until I found the vendor who sold them. So I got him one, and we proceeded with our adventure.

It’s not super huge, but compared to the one I used to go to when my son was little (which was a few people in a tiny parking lot) it was amazing. There were so many people selling potted flowers, herbs, fruits and veggies. It gives me Garden Envy! Soon I will have my own garden though.

I met a gal who makes soaps, lotions, bug spray, and lip balm. She was really nice and I got the most lovely clove scented lip balm from her. We also bought handmade bread that was made with olives, real maple syrup, fresh scallions, Adirondack blue potatoes and a free-range chicken. On Sunday night we found a recipe in a Julia Child cookbook for broiled chicken with a scallion/mustard glaze. I made mashed potatoes with the blue potatoes to go with it. It was wonderful.

We’ve also been getting our milk and eggs from a local farm. It’s the cutest place. It’s literally a small room off the side of their farm house. You go in, write down what you took and leave your money. They are certainly very trusting people. We also used Local Harvest to find a great farm nearby. They happened to be at the market as well, but they aren’t too far from here and you can order a million different things from them. We decided we will get a freezer to put in the basement of our new house so we can make a monthly trip to the farm to stock up.

My husband is reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma right now (thankfully, because he finally told me the other day that I’ve been right about food stuff this whole time!!! I LOVE being right.) and we’ve decided to get a lot more local food and he’s willing to eat less meat too. Eating locally is good for several reasons. If you go to a local market or farm, you use less gas than the huge trucks that travel across the country to deliver produce to a local grocery store. Many “off-season” fruits and veggies come from places like South America. That’s a lot of fuel to fly that stuff up here! Plus, it’s really nice to actually meet people face to face who are providing you with food. I’d rather hand my money to a nice family and know that they love their animals and their land, than a large agri-business.

Does this mean I’ll never shop at the grocery store? Of course not. But it does mean that I don’t have a lot of convenience food around the house anymore. This isn’t a bad thing, it just takes some time to readjust habits. Instead of reaching in and grabbing a granola bar from my pantry, I have to remember to make a whole pan of them now. I actually have a great recipe for granola bars. The cool thing is that it forces you to slow down and actually think about what you put into your body and really appreciate it.

I don’t always propose that the “good-ol-days” are as grand as everyone claims they were, but I will say this:
People weren’t so darn fat 50-100 years ago. They took their time. My mom could cook a whole Thanksgiving dinner from scratch at the age of 11. My great grandmother used to make fresh bread every morning, and my step-father grew up on a farm where he knew exactly the amount of labor that went into his meals. We’ve lost touch with this and I’m determined to bring it back in my own family.

So check out Local Harvest, go to a local market or farm if you can. I’ve never met a single person who said, “Man that Farmer’s Market was such a waste of time.”

Need some fun things to do with your kids that are also cheap?

Watch my video for two great ideas on cool things to do with the rugrats that won’t break the bank.

In fact, by using these recipes you can actually save money in the long run.

You’re Welcome

I met Arlene Lizarraga through CafeMom and she actually introduced me to a fairly new company, with a not-so-new product. The company is called Votre Vu, and they had their official launch this past January. Arlene actually joined back in October of 2008, during their pre-launch. Interestingly she found out about the company while she was with another Network Marketing company. She tried the products, fell in love, and knew it was a perfect fit.

The Votre Vu line of products are nothing “trendy.” They have been made in France by a family for 80 years, but previously were only offered in boutiques in France. A businessman from America came across them, saw the opportunity, and started Votre Vu as a way to spread them around the world. So now you don’t need a passport to try posh cosmetics from Paris.

They currently offer skin care for various skin types, shampoo, sunscreen, a bath line, and a “beauty drink” that is their number 1 seller. Arlene explained that the drink helps with healthier hair, skin and nails; many even say it helps reduce bloating and assists in proper digestion. They will be adding a line for men in late summer, which will consist of shaving products and a health drink just for men. In the future they will also add in cosmetics.

When she started her work-at-home journey 2 years ago she wanted to get out of the house to mingle with others and to also earn enough money to take her family on vacations. Well, she’s done a bit more than that! She was recently only 1 of 2 women out of 70 to win a contest, providing her with over $1000 in free product, and also an upcoming video spot on the company website!

The cost to get started is low, she said she made her’s back with her first party. You can also be a preferred client and get your products at a discount. She loves getting her samples in the hands of women because they respond positively and it makes her feel good sharing her passion with others. She doesn’t do all her business in person though, she is also very active in online groups and forums.

She recommends that if you are looking for something to do from home it’s key to look for something that you love, then research the company and their compensation plan. If everything seems like a great fit, then go for it!

If you want to contact her for more information or to try some samples yourself, you can check out her site. She’s very passionate about her business and is more than happy to spread the word to anyone interested.

Lately I’ve been making changes in how I am as a person and as a mom. I think it’s very poignant that I’m putting this up today, since it is Mother’s Day after all. So why did these changes come about???

Well, just a few short weeks ago I got the first level product with my primary business. It’s a set of information that involves wealth creating, debt relief, investing, financial planning, personal growth and also “alternative” health. I kind of bristle at the term “alternative health” because it makes it sound like it’s something bad. It almost sounds like a lifestyle choice that you would be making dangerously. I guess the only reason it’s still considered “alternative” is because the vast majority of people are making really poor lifestyle choices.

I’ll preface this whole thing by saying that I’ve been a vegetarian for most of my adult life, although I currently am not. When my son was born over 4 years ago I had decided I was going to be gung-ho with breastfeeding. Then when he started to eat solid foods I would buy cases of organic baby food from Costco. I was on WIC at the time (wow, I’ve come a long way financially) and would get enraged at how unhealthy a lot of the stuff was on the program. Thankfully they’ve made some positive changes to the program now. I used to exercise all the time, lost my baby-weight fast and was feeling great about life. Then when he was a year old I decided to get a full-time job outside the home. Although I kept breastfeeding for another year, I started to slip when it came to the food part of things. I also wasn’t exercising. What do I mean by “slip?”

Well, I got busy, stopped exercising and started eating more meat at that time. My weight started to increase. Later I got it back down, but it was mostly by not eating much, which is clearly not a long-term solution. I was also buying convenience foods at the grocery store more and more, and would let my son get the tiny Dum-Dum lollipops from the drive-thru latte stands each day. I hated him starting his day off with candy, but he would whine and I would give in.

At a point I started to exercise again, but still wasn’t paying a whole lot of attention to what I was eating. I wasn’t necessarily eating horribly, I would still shop at my local natural food coop from time to time, but the fruit and veggie intake in my diet was shameful. Things got much worse when my husband was deployed for 7 months because I didn’t really have a reason to cook so restaurant food became a regular staple.

Fast forward to a few months ago, we moved and suddenly I went from making a ton of money, to nothing. I got smart and started clipping coupons and buying what I had coupons for. Usually the coupons are not for the healthy stuff. I didn’t really think anything of it though, I was just proud to be saving so much at the grocery store. Then I started my business. I got my set of CDs and listened to them feverishly, trying to get as much info in my head as fast as I could. I listened to everything about setting a proper financial path, and then I got to the CDs about health.

Here’s where things got real. Everything that I knew in my heart about food was coming out of the speakers in my car. It literally brought me to tears, not because I wish I knew it all sooner, but because I did know it and I was putting blinders on. I called my husband later that day and informed him I was overhauling our diet. He wasn’t pleased, but he’s coming around. I still eat a little meat and dairy, but not nearly how I was before. I’m eating more fruits and veggies and in just a few weeks, with a few tweaks, I’ve lost 9 pounds.

At the doctor’s office the other day my son saw a poster for diabetes prevention. I was elated! There was a picture of a foot with a yucky sore on it and my son wanted to know what it was. I explained that if people eat enough bad stuff over time, they can get really sick, and then bad things like foot sores can appear. He was grossed out and it finally clicked in his mind why I wouldn’t let him eat candy all the time.

I am also getting  back to what I love in regards to parenting, which I must say is not the “normal” way people do things. I am trying to give a little to La Leche League, because I’m a total lactivist. People usually give me crazy looks when I tell them I breastfed my son until he was 2. I am buying organic again and being more natural and aware in the things I do and the ways I spend my money. This isn’t convenient, or always cheap, but it’s what I feel is right. I will keep getting weird looks when I correct parents who tell me that cow milk is great for their kids, or themselves. I will keep feeling guilty when I tell my son he can’t have something that most other kids eat, and I’ll keep spending a small fortune on “good” fruit roll-ups because my son goes ga-ga over them and I won’t let him have the regular ones anymore.

That pic is of my personal mentor Diane Hochman. The woman is amazing. I believe that nothing in life is just happenstance, and know that I was meant to meet her at this point in my life. What’s really crazy (and I think it’s pretty cool) is that 6 years ago we were both under the same big roof all the way down in Nashville. Here’s what happened. When I first got into Network Marketing I was a distributor with Herbalife. They focus on health and weight loss products, and even though I’m no longer with them, I must say that their products are great and they really do work. We were both down in Nashville for their national convention, but here’s the difference. She was sitting down on the floor with the rest of the top earners, and I was in the regular seats frantically take notes. I dreamed to someday be on that floor too.

Fast forward to now. I’m not with Herbalife anymore but came across Diane on Twitter. I can’t even remember why or how but I had put up something and she responded to it. We started chatting and the rest, as they say, is history.

Here’s the thing I respect and admire about her. She’s not a “get rich quick” kind of gal. She doesn’t pose in front of flashy cars, I can’t even tell you if she lives in a “normal” house or in a gated community, I really have no clue. She doesn’t have a million pictures of her relaxing on the beach sipping cocktails. She’s just genuine and honest and has a good head on her shoulders. She’s busy, has a lot of people that she works with, but she’s never too busy for people who really need her help.

Now if you are wondering who she learned everything from, it’s a man you may already be familiar with:

His name is Joe Schroeder and he is simply amazing. He founded The Million Mind March along with Diane and he’s been kicking butt in Network Marketing for quite some time now. People such as Mike Dillard and Dennis Karganilla have learned a great deal from this man. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of reading his written works or hearing him speak, you know that you’ve heard the message of someone very brilliant and inspiring.

If you want to see what gets me so excited, then check out the March and look for the info on their public calls on Monday and Tuesday nights. If you want a personal coaching gameplan, like I have, then I also recommend that you check out Leaders Club. Diane introduced me to them, and it’s been a truly life changing experience.

A few days ago, Bea Arthur passed away, as I’m sure you all know. I don’t usually get too sad when a celebrity dies, because obviously it’s not like I was friends with them. But I was bummed to hear about Bea. I am too young to remember Maude but I’m a avid fan of The Golden Girls. I could sing that whole theme song for you in my sleep. How many of you realize that there are 2 different versions of the theme song? Oh yes, there are. Dorothy was always my favorite character on that show.

Yes, the show was very witty but it was also a pre-cursor to Sex and the City. The show was about 4 independent women who weren’t afraid to talk about love, sex, death, divorce, dating, etc. They were in their “Golden Years” and were truly making the most of it. They all started just as roommates in Blanche’s house but grew to become like sisters to each other. They demonstrated that women could be smart and savvy at any age. I also view it as a feminist show, since they were all dependent on their own means, and managed to live great, productive lives, even after their husbands had died. It also gave a true picture of women who are comfortable with sex and their own sexuality, especially at a time in their lives where many like to pretend that women are no longer having, or thinking about, sex.

So in tribute I will add the lyrics to the longer version of the theme song below:

“And if you threw a party,
Invited everyone you knew,
You would see the biggest gift would be from me,
and the card attached would say….

Thank you for being a friend.”

Yesterday I interviewed Denise Agnew who is an Executive District Manager and Independent Consultant with Arbonne. For people who aren’t familiar with Arbonne, here is what it says about the company on their site:

“Arbonne premium skin care products are formulated in
Switzerland at the Arbonne Institute of Research and
Development (AIRD) and made in the U.S.A. Our proprietary
formulas are botanically-based, ph correct, hypoallergenic,
dermatologist tested, never tested on animals, formulated
without animal products or by-products, formulated without
mineral oil and formulated without dyes or chemicals.”

Denise has been with them for 3 years now. When she started she had been a Stay at Home Mom since 1991, when her first of 3 children was born. A friend who lives in Arizona introduced her to the company, but she was a little hesitant. She really didn’t think that she could sell anything. She tried the product anyway and was so impressed with the results that she knew she could do it. She explained that she had always been a person who would tell everyone about a new product that she was using, good or bad. Honestly, most people are like this, but then get freaked out by the idea of selling. Denise knew that she would want to tell people how great the products were, so profiting from it would just come naturally. I asked if she started her business to make a little extra spending money or if she really wanted to have a serious business. I loved her answer! She told me that when she starts something she never does it half-way; she’s gung-ho and wants to be great at whatever she is doing.

Denise took her business so seriously that she took it a step further and became a licensed Esthetician. She also started her own business with her sister, who is a massage therapist. The business is called At Home Spa Parties and they go to people’s homes to do express facials and massages. She also promotes her business at vendor shows and recently got her products into a store that carries items for women recovering from cancer.

Many network marketing companies are big into “giving back.” I’m sure you’ve already gathered this from some of my previous interviews. Arbonne is no different. They were featured on Good Morning America for donating to the fight against domestic abuse. Currently, Denise has a 13 year old girl that she knows who is doing a fundraiser for March of Dimes. It’s a lipgloss fundraiser through Arbonne’s FYI (For Young Individuals) collection. She said that they really encourage their consultants to think of what they will do with some of the money they earn, in order to make positive changes in the world.

Denise is very grateful for network marketing. Not only is it allowing her to earn money to send her children to college, but it also allows her to keep her schedule flexible so she can still be there for her kids. She feels that a big part of being successful in network marketing is to believe in the power of network marketing, and also to believe in yourself. She gave me a great quote that they say at Arbonne, but I think it applies well to all of network marketing. It’s that the business is like a lotto ticket, except you get to decide the amount to cash it in for. That really struck me. I think this is a very powerful statement about the opportunity of having your own network marketing or direct selling business.

I asked Denise what she thought were important things to look for when starting a home business. She mentioned that she really didn’t do a whole lot of searching before Arbonne, but she recommends finding a company with a low start up cost (Arbonne’s is only $109), make sure you aren’t required to store inventory, and it’s good to have a consumable product, because it ensures reorders. Her true devotion to the power of the product really helps too. You can tell she’s just being honest, and not pitchy, when she tells you how great the products are. Plus you really get the sense when you are talking to her that she cares a lot about her customers and wants to create lifelong clients, instead of just selling as much as she can to as many people as possible.

So if you’ve been looking for a company with a solid line of products (they even have stuff for babies), and a company that encourages helping others, then you should check out Denise’s site and get in touch with her. She’s incredibly nice and explains the business very well when you talk to her. Even if you aren’t interested in selling Arbonne, you can pay $29 and buy the products at a 20% discount.They also have a new line you can check out, called FC5.

I know that Earth Day is over in a few hours, but I wanted to put my two cents in. Ok so I’m not going to give you some long-winded pep talk about recycling. I’m also not going to pretend that I’m the greenest mama out there. I just think the most important thing is that we make positive changes each day.

Grab old tote bags from around the house and use them for shopping, grocery and otherwise. Share stuff with friends and neighbors instead of buying new. Have “meat-free” days in your home. Try to get out and walk to places when you can. Dig through your drawer full of change and cash it in to buy eco-lightbulbs for your home. Take your tax return and get an Energy Audit on your home and start to fix things here and there. Try to find new uses for old “junk.” If you have kids this should be super easy. Use containers that might go to the trash and fill them with dried beans and rocks and make a musical instrument. Buy locally grown foods and shake the hand of the hard working man or woman that grew it for you. Plant a tree or some flowers. This list could go on and on and on. No, you can’t do everything. I’m sure even Al Gore wakes up with cold sweats from time to time when he realizes that he probably could’ve taken a shorter shower that day, or that he forgot to turn off the light in a room when he left it. Nobody’s perfect. That’s not the point.

Look, when I was in grade school they were telling us to clip the soda can plastic ring thingies, and we had school assemblies on saving water and various other “green” things. When I watch Nickelodeon with my son they are all about “going green” too. The message that young people hear is still the same, almost 20 years later. It’s just more evolved now because we know more. Knowing more can be daunting. It can make you feel guilty, helpless, maybe even like a total loser because you’ve been doing things the “wrong” way. Don’t feel bad. Instead feel great that you are learning about it now.

We don’t really know how much longer this planet has. No one knows. We could be doing all of this in vain if Kim Jong Il blows the whole world up tomorrow. But it’s a lame excuse to say you aren’t going to do anything good because you aren’t sure if you’ll be around to see it fixed. We are so blessed to have this planet. I’ve read reports where scientists have said that the perfect alignment of everything that has to happen to make a livable planet for humans is so rare and freakish that’s it’s practically impossible that there is anything like this planet out in the universe. So every morning that you wake up and can breathe the air, be thankful. And if you live in a big city, with nasty stinky air, then breathe it in and be thankful that you are still alive and that it hasn’t killed you yet. Because if it hasn’t killed you yet, that means there’s still the ability to change it!

Ok, I’m going to tip toe off my soap box now. Happy Earth Day everyone!

I met Gazelle through Cafe Mom. She’s very active on there, in addition to being incredibly busy in her own community in Georgia. She has been running her own Virtual Assisting company for going on 11 years now. I was very excited to interview her because generally I think of Virtual Assistants being in places like India, instead of down the block, in their own home. I asked Gazelle to tell me her story and about what it’s like being a Virtual Assistant.

She actually started her business as sort of a happy accident. When her kids where ages 4 and 5 they came down with the chicken pox. She was working in an office for a very unpleasant man who wouldn’t let her use her earned time-off to stay at home with them while they were sick. So she got her stuff and walked right out! She had been doing administrative assistant and executive assistant work prior to this, so she started temping in those fields. One day a friend said that instead of going to these business for a few weeks at a time, she should have the businesses coming to her. She realized that it made perfect sense so she set up shop in her house and got busy trying to get clients.

She had no marketing experience at all. She went to job fairs, passed out flyers and began cold calling. One of the people that she called ended up referring her to their friend, who hired her. They were her first client and remained a client for 5 years. She kept getting new clients and existing ones were referring her as well. She’s done many different jobs for clients over the years, and hasn’t always known how to do every project when she’s agreed to take it. She’s diligent about learning though, and will always figure it out to make sure the job is done properly.

You may wonder if there is much of a market for her services. She told me that hiring a good VA can be very cost effective for a company or small business owner. Most of her clients are independent contractors or small business owners who don’t have the ability to actually hire a full time employee, nor do they have the space to accommodate such a person. Plus if someone is hiring her for one project, they don’t need to keep her on as a staff member once the project is complete.

She’s had so much success with her business that she’s actually had to write a book because she’s had so many requests for information on how one could start their own VA business. You can get it from her site as an e-book or she can mail you a signed copy.

Gazelle has been able to be at home with her kids since they were young. She has enjoyed this immensely. If you have experience with administrative/executive assistant type work and are struggling for a way to work at home, being a VA could be a great option for you. Even if you are currently working in an office you may be able to start some freelance VA work from home. This would be a good way to build a client base and get your business starting smoothly. Although Gazelle jumped right into her business out of necessity, she mentioned it’s best to really set things up properly before you begin.

She also warned there are many people out there who are looking to take advantage of VAs or people who want to become VAs. She said that they will basically try to hire you and then “sub contract” out work to you. Although this may not sound bad at first, she said that many times they will make you sign a contract that forbids you from running your own business for a certain amount of years.

Being a VA also has tax benefits. If you work from home you can deduct portions of your home expenses from your taxes. Gazelle also gets to write off any new software that she purchases in order to complete an assignment for a client. To learn more please go to her website, and don’t hesitate to contact her. She’s very nice and genuinely wants to help people.

Taking a bath is one of my all-time favorite luxuries. I know that people get a little weird about taking baths. They claim it’s like wallowing in your own filth, or making a “B.O. Soup” as my husband once told me. When I do indulge in this treat I am doing it for relaxation, not to clean myself. Also, I never hop into the tub after I’ve gone to the gym or done anything that’s made me grotesquely dirty and/or stinky. I do it to chillax and zone out.

My favorite thing to put in the tub when I bathe is a bath bomb from Lush. Now I do have instructions from an awesome gal where she explains exactly how to make them. I fully intend on making them one day, but for now I will enjoy the ones my husband buys me.

Lush has stores all over the world but my husband first got me some goodies from the one in Victoria, BC. His ship was in port there for a couple of days and while out on the town he went into the store and got me some bath bombs and a bar of Demon in the Dark soap, which makes your whole body feel like an Altoid.

The bombs usually tint your water pretty colors and they make your whole body smell good, even after you’ve dried off. Some even have little bits of confetti or flower petals in them. I would recommend that unless you are a drag queen you don’t want to buy the ones with glitter in them. Just touching a glitter bomb will get glitter all over your hand. I can’t imagine sitting in that much glitter. You might want to have a Robot Maid on hand to scrub your tub when you are done with that mess too! If you are wary of the petals or other additives from floating about while you relax, just tie a section of old pantyhose over the bomb before you toss it into the tub. It will collect all the pieces and you can toss it into the trash when you are done.

FYI, many of their products are vegan too. They also have body butters and bath melts, stuff for men and even powdered deoderant. You can look on their site to find a location near you or you could just order online. It’s not the cheapest stuff ever but it costs less than a trip to a swanky day-spa. Plus, you deserve a little pampering right?

I had the pleasure of speaking with Carolin Hauser the other night. She runs a site called Prosperity Mama which is a “Resource for Conscious Mamapreneurs.” Carolin has quite an amazing story. She grew up in Germany, dropped out of high school, had her own business by the age of 18, became a Naturopath, studied meditation and traveled the world. At 27 she found herself with a baby girl and no clue about which way would be best to make a living and spend quality time with her child.

She struggled with many jobs that all left her tired and broke. Not only was she not having financial success, but she was exhausted and had no energy for her little girl. She changed strategies and decided to turn to the Internet. She decided to start her own business in Network Marketing and did it under the teaching and guidance of Ann Seig. She got Ann’s e-book: The Renegade Network Marketer and that put her on the fast track to success.

Now Carolin gets to have the money AND the time with her daughter. She also coaches other women on how to be successful Mamapreneurs. If you want to be coached you can go to her site or send her an email (carolin@carolinhauser.com). She’s incredibly nice, so I suggest you stop by and say “hi.”

At the theater today I saw the trailer for the Where the Wild Things Are which is directed by Spike Jonze. I love Spike Jonze and that book is one of my most favorites. I have vivid memories of my mom reading it to me when I was a kid, and I read it to my son now. I almost named my son Max after the main character of the book. No matter how many times I read it, I get a little choked up at the last line. I always think about how Max is being so bratty but his mom loves him so much she still gives him a hot dinner. It’s very sweet. As a kid I used to think about this as unconditional love from my parents, but now that I am a parent I think of it as doing what is kind for my son, even when I’m upset with him.

Plus the book is about a dreamer and the power of imagination. I’m a chronic daydreamer. All in all, I plan to see this movie as soon as it comes out. Here’s the trailer, enjoy!

I hope everyone is having a nice Easter. I got to sleep in, which is treat enough, and then we made our son go in his room while we hid eggs around the house. We don’t really do the Easter Bunny/Tooth Fairy thing, our son is too wise for that. I am going to do one of my favorite things in a moment….clip some coupons, figure out good deals. Then it’s off to the store, followed by taking my son to see Monsters Vs. Aliens. I’m actually excited to see it, I love goofy movies.

I haven’t done as much work this weekend as I had planned but I have been spending some good time with my family. Tonight I’ll be busy as a bee in summer.

Ok, I need to get this show on the road, try not to eat too much candy today.

P.S. As I watch Mary Poppins for the 100th time I’m still angry that I can’t do the “finger-snap” to clean my whole house. Maybe if I was Julie Andrews I could figure it out.

In the world of business there are lots of conference calls, webinars, etc. They usually center around goals, money, marketing, networking and so on and so forth. My friend Annalea is someone I network with on Facebook and she’s also a member of MLM Lead System Pro with me, but the call that she hosts has absolutely nothing to do with business. It’s about marriage, more importantly-how to save a failing marriage. Her story is pretty cool so I told her to email it to me so that I could post it here. Don’t forget to check out her blog and her YouTube page, this gal Rocks! She is proof that if you have a deep desire to make something work, you will put your heart and soul into it. So here is her story in her words:

About 2 years ago, my husband, Michael, and I were separated for the third time. I was pregnant with our son and living at my mom’s house with my two older boys. I had filed for divorce, a decision that I wasn’t completely settled upon, because I didn’t know what else to do. I would go on the computer and look at everything I could find on marriage; trying to get real answers as to why mine was ending because I just couldn’t make heads or tails out of it.

Searching and clicking on site after site led me to one called www.GodSaveMyMarriage.com created by Joel and Kathy Davisson. I began browsing through their information and downloaded the free excerpt of their book, The Man Of Her Dreams, The Woman Of His, and after reading the first couple of pages, I knew I’d finally found the answers I’d been searching for. In a nutshell, “a man will become the husband of his wife’s dreams when he becomes the man that God has called him to be”.

This was the powerful truth that began to turn our marriage around. Michael was hesitant at first because we’d tried so many different things to help our marriage and nothing had worked. But after he read the excerpt and we spoke with Joel and Kathy (amazingly, the authors are accessible!), we both knew that we’d found the necessary ingredient that we had overlooked.

Almost two years later, we are better than we’ve ever been! So much so that we actually facilitate a conference call every Tuesday night to help other marriages in crisis like ours was by helping couples implement what we’ve learned through this ministry. And there’s so much ongoing support offered, you never feel alone in the process: 9 conference calls throughout the week (4 for couples, 3 for husbands, 1 for wives, 1 for anyone needing their spirit uplifted) a terrific forum, newsletters, books, DVDs, CDs and weekend intensives.

Michael and I continue to be blessed in so many ways on this road to getting an Outrageously Happy Marriage and desire to help other couples who find themselves where we used to be…in crisis.

God has so much good in store for your married relationship and, if you’ll let Him, He will bring you both to an amazing restoration! Joel and Kathy’s ministry can help you get there.

Our conference call takes place each Tuesday evening at 7pm (pst) and lasts between 2-3 hours. The number is 512-716-6531 and the access code is 981128#. You can just listen in or speak up and ask a question. Michael and I would love to say hello!

I had the pleasure of interviewing Pam Burger a few days ago and she is an Executive Unit Leader who has worked with Avon for 5 years now. She is also a mom to 3 kids, ages 14, 17, & 18. Her family has quite the history with Avon. Her mother and aunts used to work at the Avon factory in New York, her cousin used to sell the products, and she was an avid user of the products for many years. One day she decided she would sell some products herself to help pay for Christmas gifts and other things for her family. After her first campaign brought in over $800, she realized this could be something that would offer much more than “fun money” for her family.

A little time had passed and Pam decided she wanted to do more than just sell the products, she wanted to be a leader. One of the great things about Avon is that they don’t require anyone to do recruiting. If you want to simply sell, you can. However, if you want to lead, they will train you for that and provide excellent support. Just a few years later Pam made it all the way up to Executive Unit Leader, which means that she has trained several successful leaders under her and she has been rewarded for being a great mentor. She is still required to meet sales goals though, but she is passionate about assisting her clients and this has served her well. She has reached the Honor Society Level which means she’s sold over $20,000 worth of product in a year. She also has many repeat clients who purchase product week after week.

Pam does quite a bit of online marketing in social media sites, but she also goes around her local community and places brochures in local businesses. Sometimes she will get surprise orders to her website from people she’s never met, and many times she’s had people contact her who have used Avon in the past but just couldn’t find a local sales rep. She is diligent about getting her name out there that she works with Avon, and her hard work has paid off. She informed me that contrary to what many would believe, Avon encourages their consultants to do home parties, but they are not required to.

Avon has a phenomenal reputation and one of the things they are best know for is their continual support for the treatment and prevention of Breast Cancer. The Avon Foundation is one of the largest contributors to the cause and donates billions of dollars each year. Avon has teamed up with many celebrities as well, such as Reese Witherspoon who is their Global Ambassador. You may have even seen her in some of the commericals for their Breast Cancer Walk. Recently actress Salma Hayek came on board to promote a line of fragrances and also to be their spokesperson for the campaign to stop Domestic Violence. Some other celebrities that have teamed up with Avon are Courtney Cox and Patrick Dempsey. As a consultant you are also able to set up fundraisers yourself or for other people. The cause that you are doing the fundraiser for gets a percentage of every product sold during their campaign time.

Pam also mentioned to me that a huge part of the reason that Avon has been so successful for over 100 years isn’t just that their products are top-notch but also that they have “smart value.” I don’t know if you’ve ever browsed a catalog but they have products in there that are literally cheaper than what you can get at your local drugstore. This allows all women to enjoy an “affordable luxury.” If you are worried about trying to sell a product during rough economic times, Avon’s competitive pricing makes it easy to show women that they don’t have to spend a fortune to get a quality beauty product.

If you saw their Superbowl commercial or any of the other commercials that frequent the airwaves, you know that this company is a force to be reckoned with. Plus just about every woman has at least heard of Avon, even if they’ve never tried a product. Pam mentioned that they are working on even more advanced online strategies for their business partners right now and that the company is expanding globally. So, if you are interested in the product or in learning to become a bold leader like Pam, you need to go to her site and tell her that I sent you.

Over the next week or so I will be doing a series of posts about women working in the Beauty products side of Network Marketing. I will be doing interviews with people who work with Avon, Mary Kay, Arbonne and several others. This is a good opportunity to get some information from women who are working in the industry and why they love the company that they are with. If you have ever thought about working from home, and one of your passions is makeup/beauty, you won’t want to miss these interviews. I will have all of their contact info in there as well, so you will be able to contact them directly for more information.

Who is Brittany Joseph? Well, she’s a WAHM that I met on Cafe Mom who works with Pampered Chef. She’s been with them for 5 years now and this is what she says about it on her site:

“I had no idea when I started my business how fun and rewarding a career with The Pampered Chef could be. I started my business while I was in college and needed extra income to pay my tuition. After college, I began a career as a Paralegal and I became engaged and needed money to pay for my wedding. I kept my business strong and after I had a baby in January 2007, I decided to make Pampered Chef my career while staying at home to care for my son, Payton.”

The Pampered Chef is a very well known network marketing company. In 2002 they were bought by Warren Buffet and ever since then he has been making improvements. When Brittany first joined, things weren’t automated like they are now. She can literally sign someone up online, without ever meeting them in person, and hook them up to all of their training via the Pampered Chef website. That means that if you decide to sign up, you can do all of your training on your schedule, and a lot of it is done through video too.

If you are worried about having to book shows to make a profit, have no fear. Brittany only does about 2 cooking shows a month. The rest of her clients come through catalog shows or bridal fairs. Here’s a great tip that she offered about getting a ton of clients for a small investment: Rent a booth at a local bridal fair. It only costs about $200 and she said that she makes it back off of one client from the show. The best part of this is that the bride goes on and puts their info onto Brittany’s page, then the system emails all of her wedding guests and they have a time window set by the bride where they can place orders. It’s a Win-Win for everyone: The guests don’t have to physically go to a store to go shopping, and Brittany doesn’t have to even leave her house to make her commission off of it. She does the fair once, and can get tons of registries for just a few hours of work. At the moment she has 100 active registries!!!

Another great thing about Pampered Chef, beside the fact that the products are fantastic, is that you can actually have people set up fundraisers through your site. Britanny has done several and the organization gets a portion of all the sales, plus Brittany always donates her portion of the commission.

So, if you want to work from home, just make some money on the side, or are a foodie who wants to earn great products for their kitchen, you should certainly check this gal out. Go to her site to learn more about the opportunity and the products. She’s a very nice person who takes her business seriously, and she’s truly dedicated to the success of her team.

Watch this video to get some info on why people need to be able to Google YOU, and what it can do for your business.

Today we ate brunch at an amazing place near us called Max Londons. We have eaten dinner there before and it’s not super cheap but you get a lot of food, and it’s absolutely dee-lish!

I had an enormous Belgian waffle with bananas, fig jam, marscapone cheese, and small chunks of dried figs. It was heavenly. They serve yummy cocktails and French Press coffee as well.

Brunch is truly my most favorite meal of the day. If you don’t “brunch” on the weekends, I highly suggest it.

If you are a Hurricat Fan and you have a blog of your own, go ahead and grab this and slap it up there. Guaranteed to make your blog at least 10% more rad.

This man inspires me to a degree that cannot be expressed in words. My dream is to fund a charter school one day, similar to the one I used to teach at.

After you check out her site make sure you add her on Facebook!

WOWZA! I just read her About Me page and this gal must be busy. She’s a blogger, a painter, a virtual assistant, and mom to 3 kids! Dang, she’s got me beat.

Her Painting is amazing, you should seriously see her stuff. She does murals and faux finishes. Make sure you watch the whole slide show, it’s really mind boggling how real her stuff looks.

I just stumbled across this and thought it was awesome, so I just had to share. This site is called PsychoBaby and it has amazing stuff for funky kids. My son has had several of the Rockabye Baby CDs since he was a baby. They may sound like a weird idea, but they are really, really cool. They are very mellow and melodius.

If your kiddo has a mohawk, wears clip in hot pink hair pieces, likes fake tattoos, and knows how to make “metal fingers” then you seriously need to get them some good stuff from this site!

Growing up I was a huge fan of the Price is Right. My brother and I used to watch it everyday during summer vacation. At the end of each show he would tell the audience to remember to spay or neuter their pets. Well we just had to have our dog spayed today and I feel terrible because she is laying next to me and crying. I wish I could give her paid meds, but I can’t until the morning.

Here’s a short video I made about a friend of mine. He’s a cool guy, you should check it out!

See him on Facebook and YouTube!