MENU PLAN MONDAY 8/27

The next week or so is going to be pretty crazy as school has started, relatives are coming to visit, and we have to go to the city 2 hours away for some medical stuff. DH has a four-day weekend coming up and we've agreed that I can have Friday as my freezer-cooking day.

I'm going to prepare a month's worth of meals for the freezer. I will be spending the week doing as much shopping and prepping for this as I can to make the actual day a bit easier. Come back next week to check, because I plan on posting my recipes, grocery lists and pictures.

Today, I did manage to get my grocery list together for all of this and go to the Commissary to stock up. Nate, my 2-year-old, "helped" me unload. I was sitting in front of the fridge loading milks into it when Nut started tossing whole bags of noodles clear across the kitchen and into the vicinity in front of me. I guess he was giving them to me so I could put them in the fridge!

Then he got ahold of a couple of packages of cream cheese and tore off the cardboard. "Look Mommy, bee-yoo-tee-ful," he exclaimed in awe about the foil-covered brick beneath.

He then got ahold of a box of peanut butter crackers and asked me if I could open them. I told him not now, but in a little bit. Well he decided to take matters into his own hands and proceeded to tear the top off of the box, revealing the opaque plastic bag inside. "Holy cow!" he uttered, surprised that he was able to accomplish this.

Finally he pulled an opened box of spaghetti noodles out of the pantry and most of the pasta fell out, much to both Nate and Kabe's delight. They both scrambled to pick up and crunch noodles in their mouths. Sillies!

The thing is that my Nutty is so charming, cute and crazy that I have trouble getting upset with him when he does these kinds of things!

There's the little stinker on the right:

For this week I'm still making some regular meals, though I will be making extra of some to freeze. I'm also planning out thru Tuesday as that's when the company leaves.

Monday: Porcupine Meatballs (didn't get to last week)

Tuesday: Crockpot Italian Beef w/ Bread and Horseradish

Wednesday: 40-Clove Garlic Chicken

Thursday: Deluxe Baked Potato Bar

Friday: LO's

Saturday: Soup Bar - Meatball Soup, Popeye was Right Soup, Chicken Rice Soup

Sunday: Chicken Veggie Packets, Peach Cobbler

Monday: Homemade Pizza, High-Enzyme Salad, Stuffed Strawberries

Tuesday: OUT

This picture has nothing to do with MPM, but I just wanted to put it on so I could look at it all week. I plan on posting more pictures of food in the future, but for now I'll just have to shamelessly put up pictures of my babies! Oh well!!

Here's Kabe's waving "goodbye" with drool dripping off of her chin. Have a wonderful week! :)

Irish Twins

A while ago, I was talking to a lady who jokingly referred to my two youngest babies as "Irish twins." I googled the phrase and found this definition:

"It refers to siblings born in the same calendar year, or otherwise less than twelve months apart. It’s clearly a deeply derogatory comment about the stereotypical fecundity (and lack of contraception) of Irish Catholic families."

Interesting. Mine are 12 months and 5 days apart, so I guess that's close enough. :)

Upon further googling I found a msn group for people with Irish twins. On it I found this funny list (at least funny to me and probably anyone else who has kids so close together!)

Top Reasons Why It's Great to Have Irish Twins! (my comments are in pink)

1. You don't have to worry about anyone kidnapping your children in the store while you're shopping...that double stroller is so hard to steer, they wouldn't get anywhere!

(ain't that the truth!) The other day I took Em to art camp and couldn't get my side-by-side double stroller through the door of the art museum! I had to hold K-Babe and let the Nut loose. Scary! At least when they are in the stroller, they are contained!

2. If you're staying home with your children until they're in school, you will have fewer non-paid years than if you space your kids out.

3. You get to hear the CUTEST things, like when the older IT calls the new baby a "kitty" because she doesn't know the difference.

4. You get to know your pediatrician REALLY well!

5. You don't have to drag all your baby gear and maternity clothes out of storage, because they are still in use!

6. It's just like having twin babies...except that one twin is big enough to squash the other one like a bug! (this one made me LOL b/c of how true it is!)

7. No one expects your house to be clean. (*sigh* and it isn't)

8. When you're in the grocery store and one of the kids needs a pacifier, you can just take the one out of the happy child's mouth and give it to the fussy one. (Yes, I actually did this today.)

I've done this with baba's (bottles)!

9. You will get extra financial aid for having two kids in college at the same time.

10. People hold doors for you a lot more. (both while you're pregnant and while the kids are young)

11. You can play a fun game with your husband when you go out in public...place bets on how many people will comment about how cute your kids are...or how many people will say "you have your hands full" (like you don't know that already). I get this all the time. They certainly draw looks, attention and comments! If I had a quarter for every time I've heard someone say I have may hands full...

12. You have an instant bond with other parents of ITs because only they can understand what your life is like.

13. There is NOTHING that can bring more joy than being a mother...so why not have twice the joy! (the other day we were out and and another little boy got interested in K-Babe. When the other little kid tried to play with her, Nate kept saying "my K-babe" while putting his arm protectively over her. It was so cute! He's already a protective big brother!)

14. How can you keep from smiling when you're watching older IT pile up a bunch of toys right on top of the new baby so she can "play" with him (even when she does accidentally hit him in the head with her big toy car and make him cry) ? (or when the older one thinks the other one is a "horsey" and tries to sit on her!)

15. Your kids have a BEST FRIEND for life! (I love hearing them interact together. K-babe will give out one of her cute baby squeals and Natey will reply with one of his own. They'll go through a whole series of them that just cracks both of them up!)

16. Life is NEVER boring at home!

MENU PLAN MONDAY 8/13

The babies welcome you to Menu Plan Monday!

I can't find my ususal menu banner so I thought I would just open with a couple of pictures of my two babies in their high-chairs. They're seated and ready to find out what's on the menu for this week!

Well, we moved into our new house last week, which explains my lack of posting. It was a rather disorganized and chaotic move, but we are settling in. We LOVE our new house. It is about 40 years newer, much bigger and a million times more convenient than our old house!

I really need to get back into the healthy menu planning so I'm glad to be posting again. I have barely eaten fruits or veggies for the last couple of weeks, so I'm planning on having a salad for lunch every day and a fruit smoothie for afternoon snack. I'm also going to try to eat 2 more fruit servings during the day and fix some raw veggies. Of course I'm going to try to get the kids to eat as much of this as possible as well! Here's a picture of one of the salads I made a couple of weeks ago- the Tuna-rrific Pasta Salad (no peas, of course). Who wouldn't want to eat this for lunch!

A little while back I found a great new food blog called MommyCooks and bookmarked a bunch of recipes to try. The one I have gotten a chance to make, Stuffed Strawberries, was a big hit! I took them to a backyard barbeque our neighbor hosted and the people were impressed. The fact that they were pretty easy to make remained my little secret!

Go to I'm an Organizing Junkie's blog to find other great menu plans. It's how I discovered the Mommy Cooks blog! :)

Monday: Baked Tilapia w/ Brown Rice

Tuesday: Grilled Marinated Pork Chops w/ Baked Potatoes

Wednesday: Tuna Noodle Casserole

Thursday: 40-Clove Garlic Chicken, Rice a Roni

Friday: Beef Burgundy Simplified

Saturday: Make-you-own Pizzas

MENU PLAN MONDAY 7/9

Last week just flew by with the holiday breaking the days up. On the 4th we barbecued out with our neighbor who DH enjoyed chatting with. The chocolate cake was sinfully delicious and the coffee included in the recipe really brought out the chocolate flavor. I think I'm going to have to limit myself to making that cake only on my birthday as I just have no willpower against chocolate cake!

A couple of weeks ago I made some banana oat muffins that turned out rather healthy and tasty. Here's the recipe for BANANA OAT MUFFINS:

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg, bananas, brown sugar, buttermilk and melted butter. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.Coat muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray; fill two-thirds full with batter. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Yield: 1 dozen.


I enjoy cooking biscuits, eggs, waffles, muffins etc. at breakfast. But things can get pretty busy with everything that needs to be done. It was about two babies ago that I got a bit tired of spooning in bite after bite of baby food in the little mouths three to four times per day. So now I've become a bad mom and have come up with a way for Kabe's to drink her baby food at breakfast! I take her defrosted cubes of oatmeal/banana/avocado and mix them with some kefir and juice. Then I put it in a special sippy type cup and she's good to go! Here's a picture of her with the concoction. She really does like it though she has a slightly sour look on her face in this picture. I think I might have gone a little too heavy on the kefir for her liking! :)
Time for this week's menu plan! More of my meals will be coming from the freezer as we will be busy with more moving prep (we move at the end of July) and appointments. Remember you can find more menu plans over at I'm an Organizing Junkie's blog!

Monday: Honey Rosemary Chicken, Herbed Swirl Bread (both from the freezer)

Tuesday: Noodle Heaven (from the freezer)

Wednesday: BBQ Salmon, Barley w/ Mushrooms

Thursday: Chicken Burgers (from the freezer), Tray of Health

Friday: Chicken Veggie Packets


Have a wonderful week!!

Pics

I had some random pictures to post for the family, but can't change to order- so I'm just going to leave them on. Here's K-Babe in a box that Em put her in. Obviously she's delighted to be in a box getting attention from her big sister that she adores.



Here's I-guy jumping at the park. I think Em took the picture.


Here's K-Babe driving for the first time! She must be driving or else why would she be in the driver's seat of the van?

Back in the box.

Nut with one of his favorite toys: Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story.

Tall girl in the box one more time.

MENU PLAN MONDAY 6/18

I'm so excited!! Last week I decided I wanted to make a healthy homemade whole-wheat buttermilk biscuit. So I seached out the internet and came up with this recipe. It was SO GOOD! The second time I made them I doubled the recipe and mixed the butter in using the food processor. Thanks to the Barefoot Contessa, I've learned that one secret is to use really cold butter and only process it until the chunks are pea-sized. I've always mixed the butter in too much, but this time I followed her directions. I could see chunks of butter and thought, "uh oh," but I shouldn't have worried. The results were heavenly!
The reason I wanted to find a good healthy biscuit recipe is because I've been wanting to make my own ham, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwiches. We've been known to get the ones from various fast-food establishments every once in a while. Recently DH has been keeping better track of his eating and nutrition and has even lost 20 pounds in the last couple of months. He's the one who pointed out to me how bad some of these sandwiches were from the fast food places. Here's some stats I found off of the web.

Hardees Ham, Egg & Cheese Bisuit (the worst offender)
Calories: 560
Fat 35 grams!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Do they stock extra lard just for the purpose of adding it to these??
Carbs: 37 g
Fiber: 0 g

McDonald's Biscuit w/ Bacon, Egg and Cheese (I couldn't find the ham one)
Calories: 440
Fat: 25 g
Carbs: 36 g
Fiber: 1 g

Burger King Ham, Egg and Cheese Croissawich
Calories: 340
Fat: 18 g
Carbs: 26 g
Fiber: 1 g

Anne's Homemade Ham, Egg and Cheese Biscuit (pictured here)

Calories: 275

Fat: 13 g
Carbs: 20 g
Fiber: 3 g

Wow, you could eat 2 of mine for every one from Hardees! I'm planning on making mine up in batches with just the ham and cheese on them and (that's right) freezing them! I'll toast them in the toaster oven and cook up the egg fresh. I'm thinking it will be perfect for a quick morning breakfast! I don't think I'll ever be getting one of those from Hardees again! And McDonald's is off the list since I haven't been to one for over three years and don't plan on breaking my record now. If I have to cheat, I'll probably stick with Burger King as theirs weren't as horrible as the others though I know they aren't natural and wholesome like mine.

Anywho, it was fun researching and comparing this. It's pretty silly that I get so excited about finding a tasty and healthy recipe! Now on to the menu plan:

Sunday: Parker's Beef Stew

Monday: Chicken Burgers (from the freezer), Corn on the Cob, Fresh Cherries

Tuesday: 40-Clove Garlic Chicken, Steamed Broccoli

Wednesday: Steaks w/ Mushroom Sauce, Baked Potatoes, Green Salad w/ Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing

Thursday: Smothered Chicken Italiano, Tray of Health

Friday: Oven-Fried Fish Nuggets (X2), Oven Fries

Saturday: Triple-Mushroom Stroganoff (X2), High-Enzyme Salad

***Dessert of the Week*** S'Mores (Em's pick)

Go over to I'm an Organizing Junkie's blog to discover lot of great menus!

MENU PLAN MONDAY 6/11

I accomplished last week's freezer meal cooking in two sessions and now have about 20 frozen meals waiting to be eaten! This week I am going to try tripling a few of my recipes and freezing the two extras as well.

One of the other books I found at the used bookstore last week was The South Beach Diet. I decided to buy it to see what all the hoopla is about and was pleased to see that it includes several recipes I would like to try including the dessert of the week.

Sunday: Out

Monday: Mini Meatloaf X3 (Barefoot Contessa's), Mashed Potatoes X3, Steamed Cauliflower,

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Tuesday: Pepper Rice, Fresh Veg w/ Dip,

Wednesday: Garlic Lime Chicken X3, Rice, Corn on the Cob

Thursday: Old-Fashioned Beef Stew X3

Friday: Crockpot 40 Clove Chicken

Saturday: Chicken and Bacon Ranch Salad X3

***Dessert of the Week*** Individual Lime Cheesecakes

Last week's dessert that I-guy chose was yummy. I-guy enjoyed making it and Nate enjoyed helping to sample it!

Men vs. Women

DH emailed this to me from work. I'm not sure whether to be offended or not!

MENU PLAN MONDAY 6/4

It's Crockpot Week here! I decided to try out a couple of new crockpot recipes and fix a couple of oldies this week so I can have some extra time to do some outdoor work and freezer cooking. I'm planning on doing 1 or 2 freezer-cooking half-sessions where I'm going to double 8 main dish recipes, for a grand total of 16 meals!

I checked out the book Frozen Assets Readers' Favorites: Cook for a Day: Eat for a Month from the library this week and it's really gotten me motivated and helped me in my actual planning as it has worksheets. Since I wouldn't be able to do a whole day session, I love how the author talks about breaking freezer cooking up into mini-sessions. She also claims that freezer cooking can save you lots of money (she saved $400 per month) and time! Since I am interested in saving both of those, I'm looking forward to trying this out!

I am also trying a recipe out of Frozen Assets called "Noodle Heaven" and it looks like it has lots of other good recipes that don't use lots of convenience items like chemical-laden cream soups and such.

I was going to order it from Amazon, but I-guy, my 4-yr.-old, found it for me at the used bookstore/coffee shop yesterday! It was so sweet! I was sitting there drinking my coffee and he comes up with the book saying "I found this book for you. It's the same as your library one." I was so surprised! What a thoughtful and observant boy he is.



So here's the menu and freezer plan! Go to I'm an Organizing Junkie's site for more good stuff!


Sunday: Sandwiches, Chips, Carrots and Celery Sticks, Fruit

Monday: Crockpot Italian Beef, High-Enzyme Salad

Tuesday: Pepper Rice, Tray of Health

Wednesday: Portobello Mushroom and Almond Pesto Lasagne (make double and freeze 1)

Thursday: Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore, Steamed Broccoli

Friday: Crockpot Meatball Soup, Sourdough Bread, Kiwi-Smoothies

Saturday: Crockpot 40-Clove Chicken, 7-Grain Bread

***Dessert of the Week*** Hot Fudge Sundae Cake (I-guy picked out a couple of recipe booklets to purchase from the used bookstore. One of them was all desserts, so he selected the dessert of the week and is excited about the fact that he is responsible for preparing it. (I told him I'd only help!) He's so excited!


For the Freezer:
Garlic Lime Chicken (double)
Cashew Chicken (double)
Chicken Supreme (double)
Chicken Burgers (double)

Noodle Heaven (double)
Mexicalli Pie (double)
Cabbage Roll Casserole (make 1 recipe and split in 2)
Meat Sauce for Spaghetti (double)

For my next freezer session I need to make crepes, soups, and baked items. I also want to try a mashed potato recipe from Frozen Assets and assemble some pizza kits. I think 2 more sessions will be in order.

Last week I made double of the Phyllo-Wrapped Tilipia and froze them. I also made double of the Honey Rosemary Chicken and Swirled Herb Bread and froze those as well. The chicken turned out so unique and tasty! I loved it!

I also got the kids to help me make the bread and that was a huge success. Em and I-guy kneaded their dough for the whole 8 minutes and made the cutest little mini-loaves that turned out really well. I wish I would have remembered to take pictures. Hopefully next time!

Have a great week!

The Lie-Bee

Blizzards are a part of life in North Dakota. When one is on the way, I always check my supply of food, bottled water, supplies, and... library books? Part of my blizzard-readiness checklist is making sure we have enough fresh library books to get through the storm. (I-guy dubbed it the "lie-bee" when he was two and couldn't say "library" very well). There's nothing cosier than snuggling up on the couch and reading together.

On our visits to the library, I am always amazed that we are often the only people in the whole children's section. I know I can't be the only one that gets ready and loads up the stroller with a towering stack of books (there's not usually room for a kid in there)!

Lately, the kids and I have been reading about medieval times. Yesterday I-guy was showing me what he's learned by "reading" me a book about how to become a knight. He got to the page showing the weapons a knight used.

He pointed to the mace and said, (in I-guy speak), "dat one's for bappin' people on da head."

The he pointed to the lance, "dat one's for knockin' 'em off "dare" horses."

Finally he pointed to the sword, "dat one's for choppin' 'em up into mincemeat!"

(He got the "mincemeat" part from another book... some of those fairytale versions are a little violent).

I tried not to fall off the couch laughing while at the same time wondering if I should be concerned! :)


***This is my entry to win a camera in the "Capture the Educational Moment" Contest sponsored by Spunky and Academic Superstore.

I've never entered a blog-constest before- fun stuff!

Starby's Map

One of my blog friends, JettyBetty, stays busy jetting all around the country on fun trips and has visited almost all 50 states. (She may have checked off all 50 by now). DH and I have the goal of visiting all 50 states, but with a slightly different twist. We like to visit Stabucks coffee shops in each state and city we pass through. To keep track, I made a map:

It was really fun to make. Some friendly Omaha Starbucks baristas generously provided me with the colorful stickers, and I glued coffee beans to a cheap frame. Alas, some of the beans have come off. I had to pry them off one-by-one when I was out of my own espresso beans and desperately needed a latte one morning. ;) The map came out of an atlas.







We have a ways to go to check off all 50 states, but so far we've been to Starby's in AL, AZ, CA, CO, KS, NE, ND, and SD.

I've never been to Texas, but would LOVE my first visit to include sitting in a Starbuck's with JettyBetty, chatting over a latte! :)

20 Random Things MeMe

Tulipgirl tagged three Anne's with an "E"- and I'm one of them! Thanks! :)

1. I'm left-handed.
2. I used to wish I had long, wavy, auburn hair. Now I wish it was long, thick, straight and light golden blond with highlights.
3. I used to get up on Saturday mornings (when I was 12 or so) and type out notes from astronomy books I had checked out from the library.
4. Coke or Pepsi? Neither one- I HATE the taste of ALL pop (or soda, if that's what you call it). Give me an Evian.
5. I'm claustrophobic.
6. DH and I want to both get pilot's licenses after our kids move out.
7. I play the piano, flute, and love to sing in choirs.
8. I am 50% Danish.
9. I met my husband in the college marching band. We both quit after one year as we both felt the best thing about college marching band was getting together.
10. DH and I also want to attend adult Space Camp.
11. I used to pick up trash and sweep breezeways for a rent-break at some apartments we lived at. (Note to smoker's- the world is NOT your ashtray!!!!)
12. I find going to the laundromat very relaxing.
13. I loved going to college.
14. I've dissected a worm, frog, cow's eyeball, sheep's brain, cat, and also worked in a human cadaver (we didn't dissect it though- the grad assistants did).
15. I love moving, running water (fountains, washing machines, jacuzzi's, the ocean... but hate going swimming.
16. I hate raccoons.
17.In high school, I had a crush on classical pianist Christopher O'Riley after seeing him play at the symphony.
18. I listen to NPR.
19. I love being married to my husband, and wish he never had to leave to go to that pesky, but necessary thing called work.
20. DH and I love to go bike-riding as a family.

Let's see, I tag Jeannine, Weathertopmama, and Princess Ruby!

Caffeine Dreams

I don't smoke. I don't drink. I do drink coffee. Actually, caramel lattes are my caffeinated drink of choice.

My hometown has a wide array or coffee places to choose from. My favorite is a hometown chain that I used to work for called Crane Coffee. I've been making a daily outing each morning to get my 20 oz. cup of warm and sweet goodness. The robust flavor of the espresso combined with the sweet syrup and whole milk just rolls over the tongue. I even got a re-chargeable card and now save 10% on each purchase. :)

At home, I make my own lattes using a Swiss-made Solis SL-90 espresso machine with a pre-infusion cycle and non-pressurized basket. I grind my own espresso too with a Maestro grinder. Oooh, that fresh-ground coffee sure smells good.

I love going to coffee shops. One of my favorites here is called "Caffeinated Dreams." It has such a cool vibe going on with brick walls, funky furniture and an outdoor garden area. My DH and I had one of those perfect dates a couple of years ago where we cuddled on one of the sofas and watched a great Celtic/Irish band play in front of the cosy fireplace.

St*rbucks is usually a good and consistent experience. I like discovering those unique places, like Caffeine Dreams better, though they are rare. Many places don't have a clue about making good espresso. I always thought it would be neat to be a consultant and help independent places with espresso bars develop a good training program.

Once we went to a place in Fargo that served the worst lattes! The shots were just totally bad and the milk was scorched. I'm the type that will return things whereas my DH will not. He likes to see me "in action" as he calls it. I'm always polite of course. If I'm going to pay 4 bucks for a latte, I expect to get a good one! St*rBucks is usually great about exchanging a bad drink since they are usually friendly and trained well.

When my kids get a little older, and my DH has a job with consistent hours, I think I'm going to go apply to work at St*rbucks a couple of times per week. I really enjoyed my 5 years working in and managing coffee shops and would like to get back to it.

My "failure" in the world of Multi-Level Marketing

I used to sell Mary Kay- started when I was about 20 or so and quit after a couple of years. I then tried again while pregnant with my first child because I thought it would be a good way to replace my income from working outside the home. Again, quit after a year or so. Why didn't I stick with it? Well.....

I like meeting new people and am not shy, but didn't like the way I was to think of and relate to people in the MLM world. Mostly as prospects. I felt like I was imposing on friends and family if I asked them to have a class, or come to a meeting, or talk to my director about the "opportunity." I didn't want them to feel obligated because they knew me. And then strangers or acquaintences- well I felt like I would have to be pretty bold to approach people I had just met or barely knew! But as my director taught us, Mary Kay said that to be successful you had to follow the 3-foot rule: tell anyone within three-feet of you about the "opportunity." I did do this a few times and felt extremely uncomfortable with it. I thought that if I was going to be so bold with sharing something with others- it should be the gospel of Christ and not the Mary Kay opportunity!

Another thing that MLM companies are big into is what I now think of as propaganda. There are meetings, tapes, training, seminars... all designed to pump you up and get you excited about the company and the opportunity. Sure, it was fun for a while, but I never really totally bought into it. At first, the promises of unlimited income potential, flexibility, getting to stay home with my famiy, recognition, rewards sounded enticing. Who wouldn't want these things? But, I realized that to get there you have to be willing to do what I wasn't. I wasn't a totally committed convert.

Dream BIG!!! Believe and achieve!!! Anyone can do it!!! See this lady? She started out dirt-poor and now makes $5000 per month and lives in a big mansion. She's no different than you!! Think positive and you can do anything! Go for it!!!!!! -------These were all things I routinely heard in the MLM world.

What I NEVER did hear was (and my director was a nice Christian lady as were many of the other directors and consultants): Is this God's will for your life? Should you be doing this? The only reason I heard them give to not continue was if you just didn't believe in yourself and the dream. *Yikes*- New Age thinking alert!! But then you could just go to more meetings, get more training and listen to more tapes in an effort to get yourself all pumped up again.

I always felt slightly self-conscious and embarrased approaching others or sharing that I was in MLM. Traditional business always sounded more appealing and respectable to me. You know... like I make my own soap or jewelry and then sell it a craft fairs or online. I would be proud to tell people about that. Partly because I know that I couldn't sign them up for anything or "share the opportunity." And partly because it's something you build yourself.

Since quitting Mary Kay I've been approached by some and run into others who are part of other MLM companies. I actually did go with my husband to a Nikken meeting to see what it was like. Pretty similar to Mary Kay except no pink and more guys. But it had all those other same elements. I've also listened to presentations for Shaklee, Melaleuca and World-Wide Group. The last company really kind of threw me off because when I went to their site online, I wasn't greeted with their "great products." It took me a while to figure out what exactly they really did sell- at least physical product-wise. It was pretty evident right away that they were selling "the Opportunity" first and fore-most.

I have learned lots of good and valuable lessons from my experience with MLM's that I wouldn't trade in. God showed me that life isn't about "unlimited income potential" or the "opportunity" and everything else these companies claim to offer. It's about serving Him through whatever circumstances He calls us to. I want to get excited about Him and His word and not by some enthusiastic, appealing, positive-thinking training tape or seminar designed to hook you in.

A dear friend gave me a link to an article that I think anyone (especially Christians) considering MLM companies should read. I learned some new things about MLM and it also summed up some of my own personal problems with it. It's at: http://www.vandruff.com/mlm.html
And another one: http://www.mlmsurvivor.com/fitzpatrick.htm

****Disclaimer**** I don't judge or presume to know what God's will in regards to involvement with MLM is for others. I see lots of problems and flaws with MLM's, but don't have problems with any specific people involved in them. Do I think they should be involved in them?....I don't know! That's not my call to make. I know many wonderful Christians that I love and respect that are part of an MLM company. Does their involvement with one lower my opinion or regard for them- NOT AT ALL!! I'm sharing my own personal experiences, convictions and opinions on MLM's in general. :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Dizzy the Clown- Busted!?!?

In case you didn't know, we live on an Air Force Base with a security gate one has to pass through to get on or off the base. You'll be happy to know that base security (along with airport security) are detaining and searching the truly suspicious- looking characters among us.

I was leaving the base yesterday when I noticed someone trying to get on had been pulled over to have their car searched (this is not unusual). I noticed that this person seemed to have on an unusually bright and colorful outfit, but it wasn't until I got a little closer that I noticed the red clown wig and floppy feet.

It was Dizzy the Clown, our town's busiest entertainer of kids. The Clownmobile, an old, dirty, white, covered-in-colorful-polka-dotted station wagon was being thouroughly searched. Poor Dizzy! He was standing out in the 12 degree weather in full clown regalia with not even a clown coat to cover him.

My daughter Emma has had the privilege of seeing Dizzy in his balloon-twisting glory twice. I've seen him once as he has a standing gig at the Officer's Club for Sunday brunch. We all enjoy our sightings of the Clownmobile on the roads of our town. Dizzy is often out and about (always in clown-gear of course!)

I am one of those people who find clowns (even Dizzy) creepy, but I hope they didn't keep him out there too long!

I have my own BLOG!

Wow! It's amazing that these days any old person like me can have their own blog! I don't know what all I'll write or if anyone will read it, but thought it might be nice to refer friends and family to. I've never been good at keeping journals as I'm always losing them. I can't lose this one though! : )

I've always thought it would be cool to own a coffee shop in real life. However, this may never happen so at least I can have my own virtual cafe to hopefully connect with other people. (Hence the name). I just wish I could serve up some lattes from my espresso machine!