Back and Better then Ever

So, it's been a very very long time since I last updated and been feeling very down on myself. What I set out to do wasn't achieved and I was sad. It's different now. I have got myself some new growth books, and going to start working on myself again. Since the last time I updated things have changed significantly. I have continued in my job but switch positions 4 times and am currently the cook at the daycare. I have started a business with my boyfriend renting out a motor home and look forward to continuing this next summer as it was a great success. I have also started a second at home business. To be completely honest the Melaleuca has come to a crashing halt. There just isn't enough interest and since it's not a party type of system it's hard to create interest. I haven't stopped the Melaleuca but it's kind of on a back burner right now.

I started with Discovery Toys about 6 weeks ago and things are going splendid. So this may turn into a little bit of a mommy blog since I will be talking about toys but it is also about learning about myself and bettering myself. The things I learn and am selfish enough to believe other people are interested in it. In any case, it's going very well. I made my first bonus in my first month and am well on my way to my second bonus with three parties this weekend alone. I am looking forward to a fantastic holiday season offering free educational toys to hostesses and bettering families, child development, and my little corner of the world in the small way I can do so. So until next time, hopefully much sooner then this long sabbatical I leave you with some Words of Wisdom.

Never Forget that Doing what you love

is the cornerstone of having success in your life.

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Gone for so long....

So I don't exactly know how long it's really been but I know I have been gone for a few weeks. Sorry. We've been so busy I just haven't been able to get back to the computer to blog.

Let's see....Illiana's birthday was on the 12th and it went really really well. She had her party on the 7th and that was really great too. She had lots of fun and got some great gifts. We went to go see the inlaws on the Valentine's day weekend. Then we had my partners birthday this week and that was great fun too. It was a surprise party for him yesterday that wasn't that much of a surprise but I'll get him good next week.

The biggest reason I was gone though was that I started a new job. I can't tell a lot about it because some of my friends read this and there is a lot of confidentiality that is associated with it. Basically I work with a little girl at a daycare here in town. I was originally hired for only 3 months but it sounds like it might be being upped to 5 months instead which would be wonderful. It's hard work and I am tired most of the time when I get home but it's been great otherwise. Anyways, that's all for today. Maybe tomorrow I can tell you something inspiring.

All Set

So the house is clean, the salads are made and vegi's cut up. Everyone is invited and the house is set up for all the guests. I even packed the swimming bag for the afternoon swim for the party. Now all we need to do is pick up the cake and have a party. I think I'm going to pick up some party hats while I'm at it, and candles since I forgot to get one for her.......let's all cross our fingers....

Not ready yet

Today I am getting ready to throw my daughters first birthday. I know it may sound a little silly to some people but this very thought brings me to tears. I remember just a little under a year ago the long horrible labor part of the birthing process and don't remember begging my mom to stay even though my dad was worried about the 2 hour drive home in a snow storm in the middle of the night. I also don't remember telling my partner that I hate him, and that we were adopting the next one. Oddly enough, both of those concepts don't exist anymore.



When Illiana was placed on my chest I remember thinking how beautiful and perfect she was. Of course, most of that was just hormones. About 2 hours later when my sister showed me pictures of her when Illiana was first born I informed Illiana in my still slightly drugged state that she sure was ugly. Not meaning physically but she was early and all covered with that slimy gross vernix that is definately something I'd like to skip with the next one. That and the being induced for 4 days. I'll skip that too. I remember thinking about how much I loved her right off, and that she was mine and that she was wonderful and everything I could have ever hoped for.



So tomorrow we're celebrating. Granted a little prematurely but celebrating none the less one year of undeniable wonderfully, beautiful, cuteness. Meaning of course Illiana. I love you buttercup!!

Official Rant!!

This post is exactly what the title said. My official rant. Last night I spent 2 hours making adds for an online site to get my home business out there some how. This morning I got an e-mail from a woman who had read the ad. Her e-mail said this

"you Are not allowed to steal other peoples ads will be reproting you and you will be removed !!!you are stealingour ad plkease stop and change your ad heading !! "

I literally copy and posted. I love how she can't type and spelling seems to be a problem for her to. Stupid woman. So then I sent her an e-amil asking to direct me to this ad that I'm apparently copying. After that I did find the ad. This is what it said.

"(company name here) . This company is based out of Australia, which is known to have the #1 highest standards for organic products. They have household cleaners, hygeine products (deodorants, shamp & cond, COSMETICS (cosmetics have so many harmful chemicals, that we put on our faces everyday!!) and a brand new baby care line (which I am very happy about, and love!!) I am a mom of two, who became very aware of the chemicals that, on a daily basis, where going into my own as well as the rest of my families' bodies. Looking for the best posible solution to this harmful intake of chemicals, I have found a company that sells certified organic products. Better yet, they allow me to help my family with our health but also financially. I am able to sell their products and earn an income through doing this. The greatest thing I have found, is that you do not have to do any house parties, or carry any stock. For the month of February registration to become an associate for them is only $6 (celebrate their 6th birthday). It is an exciting opportunity but an opportunity to have certified organic products in your house and knowing that you are making a difference for their quality of life. "

So one, the site where we are advertising says that you are not allowed to offer MLM's or Pyramid schemes on the site. She is obviously adding the comments about helping her family financially. Little dig there and to me a MLM pitch for the last part of the ad. Her title was the name of the company which to me is not a very creative marketing technique which if I am being completely honest I might have given her a heads up about that if she hadn't been such a bag.

My ad is this:

"Are you looking for environmentally friendly options and don't know where to look for high quality cleaners? I have products that may interest you. Cleaners that have been FDA approved to kill 99.99% germs without harmful chemicals and smells great to boot. Please feel free to contact me if you are interested and I can give you more information."

I honestly can't see what she figured we had in common. My title was "Environmentally Friendly Cleaners". It's totally different from hers. I also don't sell for the same company. I sell for Melaleuca and wasn't looking to sign people up to make a fortune. I was just looking for people who want to use safer and cleaner products then the typical brands. My company has been running for almost 25 years and quite frankly isn't organic. Her products are organic. My products are environmentally friendly. I'm sure that they spray the Melaleuca trees to keep the bugs off and they don't guarentee anything like this. I also feel personally that the best marketer will win. Whoever loses just has to step it up a notch. I'm fine with that. If I lose then I know that I just have to dust myself off and learn from the experience. It will only make me a better leader and sales person in the long run.

Monopolies don't exist in North America or at least there not suppose to. We're a capitalist continent and any one who thinks different can go live in a communist country that has nothing to do with capitalists.

Needless to say, I have been fuming all day long and when my partner came in a flipped out about this nasty woman. I think she has a lot of growing up to do and needs to understand how a market works or she's never going to get ahead.

Resolutions Revisited....How am I doing?

I have been working hard at trying to live up to my goals and improving my leadership skills through bettering myself. Unfortunately, it's so damn cold!! Reading is easy when it's cold though so I've been getting plenty of that done.

I wanted to go for a walk today but I don't even want to leave the house. It's not that it's any colder then the past few weeks, in fact, it's actually warmer. I'm just sick of the cold.

I thought yesterday that I would stay in to do some excercise so I attempted to do yoga on the floor. Notice the word attempted. This is not in regard to my lack of desire to do the yoga, nor is it an inability to get into the awkward positions required while toning and shaping your muscles. This is in fact because of my daughter. Please note, this is not a mom blog moment, this is a giggle moment. While on my hands and knees doing the different poses my daughter starts giggling and crawling in between my legs and arms. Have you ever had a baby doing that? It became very very difficult to focus and after trying to distract her from me without throwing her in the crib I finally gave up. I did do some though, which is better then nothing.

I have also been reading "Cesar's Way". It speaks a lot about being the lead pack animal in your dogs life. There are also many people who have changed their lives and their relationships by adding these concepts into their people lives let alone their dogs lives. He speaks about being calm-assertive and how your energy affects the people around you, or dogs in the case of the book.

I think these are great ideas for a leader of any group. The reality is, as much as we don't like to think about it, humans are a pack animal. Cesar refers to how extended families, governments, and church groups are as much a type of pack as a dog pack is. There is a hierarchy and defined leaders in every pack be in the pastor, the patriarch of the family, or the Prime Minister. By being calm-assertive you will naturally be portraying yourself as a leader in any group because of you believe and give off the energy associated with leadership.

I intend to learn how to be calm-assertive as I know that I am not right now. I have a friend who is a dog trainer that trains the same way Cesar does so hopefully I can learn from him. If I truly want to be a leader and run my own home business then I have to be that leader. I need people to be attracted to my leadership abilities and my "energy" if I ever intend to be the leader that I want to be.

So I guess my resolutions are going ok. I don't know if I've actually lost any weight yet but the important thing is that I'm trying. I'll also keep reading and learning as much as I can so I can get this business going and be able to stay at home with my beautiful daughter.

Pack Leader?

My partner and I recently started hanging out with a couple from a town a little ways away. They are, quite frankly, a little older then I am but considering my partner is 9 years older them me, I figure it's a good thing for him and I really like them to so it's no bother. Anyways, the first thing you discover is that this family has dogs. Really, really big dogs. If fact, I have never seen dogs this size except on pictures on the T.V. They have what are called Mastif's. It also turns out that they are dog trainers. That's exciting. First thing that comes to mind is "The Dog Whisperer". When you hear this couple talk it is like taking a walk with Cesar Millan. I love it.

After visiting with this couple for the past couple of months we have really grown to like them and trust each other with privledged information, such as favorite cereals or flavor of ice cream, and so they know our financial situation. To say the least it's a little bare at the moment. It will get better soon though so I'm not to worried. However, in the mean time, they have offered to let me work with them and the dogs out at the farm when they need help and a little extra cash will go a long ways. I'm excited about that too.

This leads to me learning more about being a leader. While learning about leading the dogs I am going to be learning more about myself and what kind of leader I am and what I am capable of. In fact people have commented that just watching the show has helped them understand themselves better and to be more assertive leaders. Great! Just what I am looking for! So, now I've got a few more books (great, more reading) and I'm leaning how to be a pack leader. Hopefully, this is going to do it and I can update you further on my leadership training.

I did It!!!

So far I have been flying for about 4 days. Or maybe I should say fluttering, but I am on my way to bettering my life. That whole leader thing and bettering yourself now applies. My sink has been shiny for a 4 whole days. My partner is almost the most happy I've ever seen him and there's this calming feeling when I look at it. It's a great feeling. Like a nice cold drink on a very, very hot summer day. It really is that refreshing.

Been walking a little lately but it's been so cold it's hard to get the desire to go outside to excercise even if I am going into the local arena to stay warm while I do it. I played Wii with my sister and her fiance for a few hours the other day but I don't think that is included in the "work out" catagory. It doesn't help that Illiana absolutely refuses to have a nap. She's now been screaming for 2 hours but the end is in sight finally.

So the road to bettering myself and towards being a leader that people can believe in is rough but I'm trying. So far my house and a significant increase in excercise. Soon, I hope to be helping a friend train dogs and so learn to be a pack leader and maybe understanding that role will help me to understanding myself as a leader.

FlyLady

So I've decided that I'm going to learn how to "Fly". Finally Loving Yourself, is a website a friend of mine introduced me to, and considering how I feel about housework I figure I'll give it a try. I'm sure that cleaning up my environment and getting a regular schedule will help in the long run to help me lose weight as well which is one of my New Year's Resolutions.

Dolce, who must be a very insightful woman, wrote what I figure is the perfect definitions of different levels of clean. I fall somewhere between the messy and dirty catagory. Yes, I know, something slightly embarassing that you probably shouldn't admit to but I have very little shame.

The FlyLady is an online help or guide to getting your house and your life a little more organised. Not in a religious way, or book type of way but by helping you set a routine to do little things everyday so your house will gradually get to a level that is "clean" without being "OCD". They also send out little e-mail letters with encouragement as well as reminders about what you are suppose to do everyday to stay on top of things. The FlyLady's motto as that your house didn't get cluttered in one day and it won't be clean in one day so take it slowly with little steps and develop a system that works with you and your schedule. According to their website, it works for everyone whether you're a STHM or a business woman. I'll give it a try and see what I can do. I'll keep you posted on my situation and see if I can declutter my life.

Tricks for Babies

So as much as I don't want to turn my blog into a mom blog and stick to thoughts and random ideas about what I'm reading or learning I have to take a moment to comment about how cute my baby is.

I taught her a trick yesterday. It took me about 4 hours but I finally did it. When I ask "How big is Illiana?", she puts her hands high in the air and smiles and then cheers herself on with claps. I know that this isn't really a big thing for someone with older children but for me being a first time mom I have to add it . I love how cute she is.

The second trick that she figured out all on her own is to shake her head to mean no. However, it is so very, very, cute I have a friend who says she looks like a bobble head. You know the ones that you put on the dash of your car.

That's all for today. I promise I will try to keep the mom stuff to a minimum.

Resolutions

So after looking through a number of other blogs I have discovered that there are a number of people that have posted their New Year's resolutions so I figured. Why not.....maybe I'll be more accountable then. I am, unfortunately, very late posting this as it is now the 17th of January but I figure no one is following this anyways so it really is only for me right now.

1. I am going to lose 20 lbs by the end of June for my little sister's wedding and 50 lbs by the end of the year for myself and my daughter.

2. I am going to get my home business going enough that I can can stay home with my daughter. Of course, I really want to earn enough to do things like take a few trips and pay off our house but enough that I can stay home is my goal for the end of the year.

I think that's pretty much the only real big goals I have for the year. Other small things like eat healthier and excercise more fit in with the weight loss.

Leadership Quotes

While reading about leadership and learning more about myself I have discovered a few quotes that I really liked and I just wanted to share them.

As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others. - Bill Gates

The best morale exists when you never hear the word mentioned. When you hear a lot of talk about it, it's usually lousy. - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it. - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. - John F. Kennedy

We must open the doors of opportunity. But we must also equip our people to walk through those doors. - Lyndon B. Johnson

Your failures won't hurt you until you start blaming them on others. - unknown

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. - Eleanor Roosevelt

Leadership is unlocking people's potential to become better. - Bill Bradley

To succeed...you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you. - Tony Dorsett

Jenn Lawlor

So I finally got up the nerve to phone Jenn Lawlor. I stuttered and said something about not really believing that I would get through and then she said that she was spending time playing with her kids and asked if I could phone her back in about 4 hours. I said sure.....and never did. I froze.

I had a list of questions for her like: What do I put on a squeeze page?, and How do I make a squeeze page people will find?. Instead, I didn't phone her back.

She only wants interested candidates to phone and now I sound like someone not interested even though I want to build a home business worse then anything. I've never really wanted to do anything so much in my life as this. I want to stay home with Illiana and be able to be a supportive and stay at home mom while still bringing in money since one income isn't enough anymore. I guess I blew the phone call....maybe I'll phone back in a couple weeks and try again. Maybe by then she'll have forgotten that I even phoned.

Scary just plain scary

Tonight I was reading more about cleaning products and how dangerous they can be. I discovered some very, very disturbing information for all the moms out there. Companies put fermaldahyde in almost everything we keep in our home including but not ending with baby shampoo, and the particle board that most cribs are made out of. I just threw my baby shampoo out and switched to the Melaleuca alternative.

These articles I was reading also covered a number of other cleaners you use around the house. I want so bad to stand on my rooftop and yell out to everyone about the danger of these cleaners. I read stories that made me cry about young children crawling through bleach and drinking toilet bowl cleaner. If I could tell the whole world about how terrible and dangerous these chemicals were I would but I guess I'll have to tell the world one person at a time and hope that people will listen.

My Value

What do I have to offer? I keep hearing the phrase value over and over again. So I started to think what value do I have. I think I've come up with a few things.

I have a caring heart to offer. I care about people and about the world around me. I was the child that cried when I watched Bambi when I was less then a year old. It's true!!! My mom told me so and she wouldn't lie. I also cried during an episode of Rin-Tin-Tin when a little boy was hanging off of a cliff and was going to die. I want people to succeed in their own lives and experience success. Success can be anything you want it to. It can be having a healthy family, or a great career, it could be running the marathon that you always wished you could but never did. Success could be making tons of money or visiting the Parthenon. I want for people whatever they want for themselves.

I think I am a very loyal friend. I have friends that I have known for years that I am still best friends with. In fact, I still regularily hang out with people that I have know for 7 and 8 years. That must be a sign of some sort that people want to be friends with me that long. Especially after they get to know me.

I have integrity. I do what I say I'm going to do. I believe that what happens behind closed doors shouldn't be any different from what you do in front of people and what you say behind someones back you can say to them in person. Having integrity though can be hard sometimes. There are days that it can be tested beyond all measure. I watched Mad Money tonight and it makes me think of integrity. Could I refuse to take the money if I had a sure fire way to get it? I have refused opportunities like that in the past. I worked for a company in management and could easily have pocketed some of the money but I passed up that chance so I could keep my integrity.

I think I am an honest person. People who know me would say that sometimes I am brutally honest. I think sugur coating many things only make it worse. If things like the news wasn't sugur coated maybe our world would be different.

I'm sure that I have many, many more things that make me valuable but at this hour my mind is running towards a dead end. Value is something that you need to be aware of in your own life though. The day that you no longer have value in your eyes then it is time to speak to someone about it because I'm sure that someone that you know will have something positive to say about your value.

Being A Leader

I watched a video on youtube last night done by a fellow the name of Jonathan Budd. He was talking about what it truely takes to be a leader and some of what he said has really stuck with me.

His one comment was that to be a leader means you no longer need help from anyone else. Not meaning that you can't have a mentor but that you can make the decisions on your own and can answer any questions you need without having to turn to your upline in network marketing. He also said that you are not a true leader until you have helped someone else reach that level. I think it is a very valid point. It also complements something I read the other day about appearing as an expert in your business. Regardless of what happens, you should appear to know what the answers are. You don't need to know everything you just need to know more then the person that you are talking with.

The second point that he brought up really really stuck with me. He said that if you want to get professionals to work with you then you must appear as a professional. That makes sense. People tend to bond closest with the people that they have something in common with. This would also argue that if you want to be a professional then you should surround yourself with such people. Watching them, and examining how they deal with a situation will encourage growth in you as a leader. Finding a mentor that can help answer your questions and reinforce you with positive feedback and constructive criticism being aware of you as a person as well as being strong enough to tell you when your wrong is an essential asspect to learning to lead.

Wow!! Sol-U-Mel is amazing!!!

So like I said earlier today I tried Sol-u-Mel. I found some info on what it can be used for. They have 101 things listed and I'm sure there must be more. I tried a few to see if they actually worked and this is what I came up with along with a few more things I intend on trying.

They use it for wallpaper remover, air freshener, sticky residue from price tags and gum removal, kitchen odors, pet odors, mold and mildew, and air purification. This just lists a few of the things that it can be used for and I've used it for all of these except for the wallpaper and it really does work. It can be used to remove stains from clothes like pen and oil and yet it can be used in the diaper pail for cloth diapers to help with the smell and the staining. You can use it as a disinfectant, and on your plants to kill afids, you can even bath in it. I bathed my daughter in it because she was having problems with diaper rash. It cured it right away. I just want to note that you shouldn't use this on a newborn baby as there will most likely be an adverse affect. It is ok to use on older infants that can sweat or on adults with bedsores or heatrashes as long as it is very diluted.

I must admit that this is somthing I would never have believed. Something that is strong enough to remove wallpaper and kill mildew yet is mild enough I can bath my baby in since it is all natural. Wow!! I am going to have to try some of the other items on this list of 101 things and find out what else it can do!!

Bleach in our Children's mouths?

I care about my family. My family is a small one. At least the family I live with. I have a daughter and a partner. My daughter is just about a year old. Next month, I can't believe it, is going to be her birthday and I'll be planning a big party.

Becoming a mother was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I found all sorts of new fears and ideas that I had never dealt with before this point. One of the biggest fears that I dealt with was the dangers to my daughter. Throughout my learning I have discovered just how dangerous our world can actually be. For one thing everyone tells you to do the basics like baby gates and making sure there's no cords hanging around. What they don't tell you is that many of the things that you use to clean your house is so dangerous. At least I didn't think about it until I had my daughter.

Everyone knows bleach is dangerous. We use it in our laundry, to clean our bathrooms, and kitchens, even the toys that our children stick in their mouths. Now lets think about it. Bleach in our children's mouths? Wow, that's a scary thought. So I went looking for something better and I found it. There are a few products that I found that work absolutely amazing.

There is a product called Sol-U-Guard that is EPA approved to kill 99.99% of germs without harmful chemicals. In fact, they use products that we have in our own home that we never even thought about before, and they're environmentally friendly. It uses thyme oil, and citric acid both naturally occurring and safe alternatives to bleach to clean our kitchens and door handles with without harming our child. It even has a pleasant scent and if your child puts it in their mouth it won't hurt them. More and more studies are showing the danger of many of the chemicals that we use around our home being bad not just for us but for the environment as well but this option won't do anything to the environment except kill the bacteria in your own environment.

The other product I found is Sol-U-Mel. It actually has a 101 uses, not even kidding, I got an e-mail and have been slowly trying them. It also uses natural products like Melaleuca tea tree oil to disinfect and get stains out of things. Sol-U-Mel can be put in the wash with oily clothes or put in humidifiers to make the air smell fresher without the chemicals that are in the traditional air fresheners. It can be sprayed onto furniture or used to clean your child's crib. Again, 100% safe since it uses all natural products that are safe for your family and the environment. How can you go wrong with products like these?

A start to being a Leader

The other day I discovered a woman on-line named Jenn Lawlor. She is a mom that lives with her family in Alaska and runs a home business making money that many would be envious of. She runs a few web sites and has videos on YouTube.com that teach about network marketing. She manages to run a successful business and still be a stay at home mom.

One of the first topics she covers is about being someone people are willing to follow in your home business or any business really. In business it isn't the products or the services that are in question. For the most part you wouldn't be supporting them or supplying them if they weren't worth investing in. Business is about selling yourself. The advice she gave was to start by looking at why you are failing in business and evaluate what the problems are. She also said that to be a true leader you need to be constantly bettering yourself. Her next set of instructions was a logical step to evaluating problems....basically find a solution. Her advice is to go get a book and start bettering yourself. I'm not much of one for self-help books but I figure I can't lose anything by giving it a try.

I got a book called "The Nature of Leadership" by B. Joseph White who just happens to be the president of the University of Illinois. To me, just his position screams LEADER but I still remain doubtful as to how helpful this truly will be. So far I am about 40 pages in and it seems to make sense. Be both hard and calculating, and soft, and comforting. We'll see where this information leads me and then look towards the next step to being a leader and a stay at home mom with a thriving home business. That's my dream anyways.