Saturday, October 19, 2013

I may be nuts...

I know it's been a while since I last wrote and a lot has changed, but then again a lot hasn't.  Cutie started 1st grade & I do like her teacher.  The parents here have fought common core & last I heard the school, board voted to take it out of our schools.  Yay!  I have a feeling that Cutie could be doing more work & harder material.  But I don't have concrete evidence of that.

Little man & I spend our days hanging out, meeting new friends & trying to run my business.  So here's where the crazy part comes in....  I added a new business to my already busy life!  I, not only sell Mary Kay (which we have some amazing products coming out in mid-November.  Contact me if you want to be the first to know)...  But I also signed up with Jewelry in Candles.  You get a piece of jewelry in every candle or wax tart!  I don't burn candles in my house, b/c of my kids, but I do use a wax warmer.  So I thought, why not.  The price to join was right (as in FREE.  Completely free, and if you want supplies the sample kits run as low as $16!).  But this is also a ground floor opportunity.  They were started in February of 2013.  One of the coolest parts of this company is that you, the customer, get to chose the type & size of the jewelry in every candle or tart.  So if you want a ring, you get to chose the size, or you can chose earrings or a necklace or even a random piece of jewelry.  There are not quotas & the company gives us coupon codes to pass out to customers.  Check out my website: www.jewelryincandles.com/store/lizherman & use code discoverjlc for 25% off!


Thursday, March 21, 2013

Cooking!

For those that don't know... I don't cook.  Hubby and I made a deal years ago that he would cook and I would clean.  Now that I am a SAHM/WAHM I feel like I should work. 

Anyway, this past Sunday was the St Patty's Day parade in our town.  Here in Louisiana, we do things a little differently.  We throw beads at every parade, and at St Patty's Day, we throw veggies (cabbage, potatoes, onions, fennel (yes, we actually caught fennel), carrots) and some fruits (lemons, oranges).  So after this parade, which my friends and I did dress up for (Tutus and all!), we had a whole counter of veggies and fruits.  Hubby asked me to get chicken stock and start a soup.  So I did.  And I have to say, it turned out yummy.  We added carrots, cabbage, onions, fennel, some ground beef, potatoes and broccoli (it needed more than the cabbage).  I added some black pepper and salt and garlic.  Hubby came home and added to my soup, but made it SO yummy.

Can I just tell you, I am liking cooking, sometimes.  HA!  I never thought I'd say that.  Seriously though, it isn't as taxing as I once thought it was.  I have a bunch of Pinterest ideas to try... most of them are slow cooker (which is my ABSOLUTE favorite way to cook) receipes.  I will post some pictures of them as I make them.  :)

So what is your favorite receipe?

Spring Break is next week

So, Spring Break/Easter Break is next week for us.  This is my daughter's first Spring Break, since she is in Kindergarten.  And I got to thinking this morning when I woke up, I want to do fun stuff with her and Little Man next week.  We have already planned, hopefully, a day at the zoo with some friends.  If they all bail, we'll still go.  I haven't been to the zoo in over a year.  And I don't remember bringing Little Man at all to the Zoo.  It is a perfect day for us though.  A 45 minute drive or so and since we are members, no park admission fee.  :)

Anyway, of course I am a HUGE fan of Pinterest.  (Small confession...  Hi, my name is Liz and I'm a Pinterest hoarder.)  There I said it!  AHHHHH!!!!!  I can't help it.  I feel like if I see something I want to try or love (for the house), I need to pin it.  I feel like if I don't, then I might loose it forever.  :)  So anyway, depending on the weather next week, I wanted to try a bunch of the ideas I have gotten from Pinterest.  I hope to take TONS of pictures to share with you all. 

So, I'm off today to plan out my week next week.  Here's to bouncing bubbles, and driveway painting with the kids!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Changes for me...

Well... a lot has happened since I last posted.  The hubby and I have decided that I will be at a stay-at-home/work-at-home mom.  WOW!  So weird to type that.  I will still be running my business, and even more so now... but I don't have to worry about daycare for the youngest (Little Man) and Cutie will have no disruptions in her bus schedule.

See, I tried working about 45 minutes to an hour (commute with traffic) away.  Most jobs are that far away from where we live.  But honestly I wasn't offered the amount of money that would have made this job worth it.  PLUS, I haven't worked hard for the last 12-13 years (I graduated from college in 2000... wow, I feel old now! LOL) to become a receptionist/mail room clerk.  Yup... that's the only job I was offered recently.  I am not going to say anything bad about the company, because I think it is a good company.  But my work/life balance was WAY off.  I didn't see my kids the week that I worked for them and that just wasn't right.  I like having my mornings to enjoy waking up with the kids, getting breakfast and getting Cutie on the bus.  And I like having my mornings with Little Man.  But with this job, I was rushing to get myself, and them ready for their (and my) days... getting them to daycare/before care at 6:45 to get on the road no later than 7... to get to work at 8am.  I did get off at 4:30, which was nice... but I still didn't get home or get to them until around 5:30.  That's too much time away from them!

So, Little Man's last week of daycare is this week.  It's a little strange... but I think I'm going to love it.

I am focused on getting my business going to the level I need it to be at, and enjoying raising my kids.  I can't even tell you that I am loving the idea of having all of my summer with both kids.  We'll be able to use our pool and enjoy ourselves going to the zoo... the beach... wherever we decide to explore. 

So, stay with me... I've done my business in all ways... working full time, with no kids, working part time with one child... and now being a SAHM to 2 beautiful children. 

What's your situation?  What's your ideal work/life/family balance?

Thursday, March 7, 2013

I know... I know...

You've heard it from me before...  Life exploded.  But I will be honest with you all that are reading, which I hope you are!  I got a full-time temporary job, but on my way to work (which is about a 45 minute to hour commute) I got told that the assignment was over.  Really?!?  You could have called me last night or even a little earlier.  I was more than half way to work this morning.  ARGH!  All because of one person, who really had no reason, telling some things that I said to my now former boss.  She was moving on to another job within in the company... Why would she care what I had said or responded to what she had said!  Seriously, who does that?!?  WEEEELLLLL, apparently that girl.

Anyway, today's post isn't about her.  I am washing my hands of her.  She really isn't worth my thoughts or time. 

So, I've been doing a lot of soul searching on what I want to focus on...  whether it be family/home life, business life, work life, and even exercise/health wise.  Today, I'm going to focus on health/exercise.  I am at a loss.  I know what to do, as far as eating healthily, and exercising, but I've had no motivation.  I haven't seen an progress, which makes it hard to continue.  I know I know... It takes time to see results, but I am just having a moment with my weight.  So... from today forward, I plan to make "me" time to exercise and I promise to eat healthily for the most part.  Heck, everyone deserves a little "cheat" every now and then.

Also, with this, I am hoping that my family will get healthy again.  My kids have been sick all winter, it seems.  My son, who is 10 months, got tubes a week ago, because of all the ear infections he's had.  And since then, he's been loosing his voice.  My daughter has had cold and cough, one after the other.  It is killing me.  I just want happy and healthy kids, as well as my hubby and I being happy and healthy.

So what are you doing to keep healthy and to loose this weight once and for all.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

I'm so excited!!!!

Welcome to all my new followers!  :)  I'm so excited you are here.  Let's all get to know each other.  So, I'll start... okay, really, if you've read any part of my blog, you know about me.  I'm just who I appear to be online.  But I want to hear from you all!  Where do you live?  Where did you hear about my blog?  Send your friends to my blog... I'm hoping to get it hopping around here.  And there may be some giveaways in the future!  :)

Monday, February 18, 2013

Going to catch up on Monday Mingle's...

So I am a HUGE fan of http://thepartyplancoach.com  Her blog is fantastic... full of TONS of tips for running a successful business.  Every Monday, they do a "Monday Mingle", answering the same questions and linking up to each other.  I haven't participated yet.  but I want to.  :)  So, here I go... I'm going to start at the beginning of 2013 and answer some questions.  It might give you some insights on me, my life and my family.

So, the first question of 2013 was how did I get started in my business?  I had known about the products for many years, because my mom used to use them.  (LONG LONG time ago)  Anyway, I knew of the 2 big companies.  I had just started a job at a new place & started with a different company, hubby was in law school, and I had met a new friend, who happened to be my upline for the new company.  I told her that I wanted to try "that Mary Kay" product (thinking it was AVON - I had just seen an AVON book in the lunch room at work).  Anyway, she hosted a party, because she had just met someone at the law school who was a consultant.  So I went.  I was late... horrible, because I am a military spouse, and I was going to a military member/spouse's house.  (both she and her hubby are active duty)  Anyway, I arrived, and had told myself that I wasn't going to spend too much money.  I met my now friend, Jen... and was amazed by her.  I didn't know what she had, but I knew I wanted it.  I wanted to be like her.  Crazy, I know... because I was a grown woman wanting to be like someone.  :)  Anyway, I bought the products.  The consultant did everything right.  She sold me the products, asked me to host.  I didn't host a party.  I didn't know enough people, because we had just moved to Virginia.

So, I used the products faithfully and found that I ran out of my cleanser in the first month!  CRAZY, because the products were supposed to last me at least 3 months.  So I called her, she came to my house, sold me more products, and told me about the company.  I didn't want to start with the company, because I was with a totally different company and I wanted to give that company a chance.  She then asked me to come to one of her meetings, just to "get ideas for the other company".  I went... thought that the women were on drugs, or something.  No one could be that happy all the time or get along with everyone all the time.  (I was in a sorority in college... and although I loved my sisters, I didn't love all of them or love all of them all of the time!) But the meeting got me excited about the products.  I wanted to go out and share them with EVERYONE!  BUT, what would my hubby think?  I had just started with this other company. 

So, hubby and I were at a Carbon Leaf concert (which if you haven't heard them, you NEED to Google them...  They are AWESOME!), and I told him there.  I was scared out of my mind to tell him.  But he agreed... the Mary Kay products would be easier to market than the scrap booking products I was currently trying to sell.  (And this other company is a GREAT company, with great products... and I know several people who have done great things with them... it just wasn't for me.)

So I went back to the meeting the next week, sign my agreement and the rest is history.  April 16 will be my 11th year anniversary!  WOW!  Crazy to say that.

The lessons I have learned are amazing... ones that I couldn't get anywhere else.  I will have to dedicate several posts to all the lessons I've learned through out the years.  But if you like a product, you might want to consider joining that company.  Why not get a discount and earn some extra money or even earn enough money to quit your job or contribute to your family.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Updates & Challenge

I've been MIA, big time!  But I am back.  I'm so sorry I haven't posted recently.  Life has been CRAZY!  Let's see, first it was my birthday (back in December), then we had Christmas.  And my family spent 2 weeks with my parents.  Loved it!  Then we came back, and jumped right back into life and all it's craziness.  In the meantime, Carnival started here in New Orleans.  It all starts on 12fth night and continues until Mardi Gras.  This year Mardi Gras and Easter were early!  Anyway, the world stops around here for all the parades.  Usually the week before is when all the parades happen in New Orleans, and the weekend before is a whirlwind!

With all that, hubby and I enjoyed our time this year again in NOLA for Mardi Gras.  We saw some great parades, got some great throws (and it is really about more than just the plastic beads, trust me), and ate some good food (since NOLA is a GREAT place to eat and gain weight.  HA!)  Anyway, I am back.  I will be posting more regularly.  I promise.



So on the business front....  help me out, please!

OK friends...I am having a MISS AMERICA contest this month

Do you know a Woman that is UNIQUE? INSPIRING? CONFIDENT?

Then she is the kind of woman I need for this contest!! Here is how it works:

I need to do before and after makeovers with at least one person from each state! You count even if you don't live there right now...Just have to have lived in that state before! Can you help me with the crazy states that I don't know anyone in??

Let's get started...who wants to represent a state?? If you aren't local...I will send you a makeover goody bag....walk you through it...and you send me your before and after pics! If you want to have a "MISS AMERICA" party and want FREE MK...let me know that too! When I get all 50 states represented THIS month...I am doing a drawing for a QUEEN package (over $100 in MK), a first runner up...AND 3 court members!!

Ask your friends from other states if they will enter to represent their state in the Miss America contest so we can do the drawing!!
 

 

 States & their entries:
■AL Alabama -
■AK Alaska -
■AZ Arizona -
■AR Arkansas -
■CA California -
■CO Colorado -
■CT Connecticut -
■DE Delaware -
■FL Florida -
■GA Georgia -
■HI Hawaii -
■ID Idaho -
■IL Illinois -
■IN Indiana -
■IA Iowa -
■KS Kansas -
■KY Kentucky -
■LA Louisiana - Wendy L. (pending)
■ME Maine -
■MD Maryland -
■MA Massachusetts -
■MI Michigan -
■MN Minnesota -
■MS Mississippi -
■MO Missouri -
■MT Montana -
■NE Nebraska -
■NV Nevada -
■NH New Hampshire -
■NJ New Jersey -
■NM New Mexico -
■NY New York -
■NC North Carolina -
■ND North Dakota -
■OH Ohio -
■OK Oklahoma -
■OR Oregon -
■PA Pennsylvania -
■RI Rhode Island -
■SC South Carolina -
■SD South Dakota -
■TN Tennessee -
■TX Texas -
■UT Utah -
■VT Vermont -
■VA Virginia - Ashley M. (pending)
■WA Washington -
■WV West Virginia -
■WI Wisconsin -
■WY Wyoming -

Lagniappe: hopefully I find people who have lived here:
■AS American Samoa
■DC District of Columbia
■GU Guam
■MP Northern Mariana Islands, Commonwealth
■PR Puerto Rico, Commonwealth
■VI the United States Virgin Island