My new job

I guess I like to stay busy.

I wanted to write a little bit about an opportunity that was presented to me back at the beginning of the year.  My new job!

My friend Christina had started posting pictures of these wraps back at the end of last year.  I was in.  I've always hated my belly, even back in high school (looking back though, I wish I would have appreciated my body more back then!!).  I have always tried all the craziness- the ab roller, the ab-tronic, the body wraps where you get wrapped up like a mummy, 8 minute abs.... you name it!  I contacted Christina about the wraps and if they were safe for nursing moms and she recommended that I wait till I was done.  When I saw the end in sight, I contacted her again and signed up as a Loyal Customer to get my wraps at a discount.  I told Nic, "I know she's going to try to get me to sell and I'm not a salesman!"  Sure enough, Christina brought up selling.  I told her I was really busy with the kids, working and my pottery business and I didn't think it was for me.  She said, "okay."  Okay?!? Ummmm... you're not that good of a salesperson if that's how we are going to end it!  I thought about this for a few days and then contacted her back... tell me more about this selling thing.  It didn't take me long to decide this was something I wanted to do because it was right up my alley.  Health, wellness and beauty products.  The wraps clearly sell themselves.  Extra income.  I googled bad things about the company and couldn't find anything.  Sign me up!  On February 4th, I signed up as an Independent Distributor for It Works. 

I was overwhelmed at first, to be honest.  I didn't really know how to start and how to introduce this business to my family and friends.  A week later, I found out I was pregnant. 

I got sick, exhausted and a little depressed from the pregnancy pretty much the week I found out.  I was also just coming off of having a really bad cold and a big fundraising event for the preschool in which Nic was the co-chair.  Now the shock of being pregnant was too much.

I was so tired.  I can't describe how tired I was, but it took everything I had to get up off the couch to change Ryane's diapers.  I cried when I had to get up and make dinner.  Taking care of everything felt impossible.

I put my new job on the back burner and thought I would quit. 

I talked to Christina and told her that I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do, but I didn't see how this would work.  She told me that I could do it on my own time and she'd be there to help me when I was ready to get started.  Nic told me not to quit.  I stuck with it.

And I'm so glad I did.  I love this company!  There is a great sense of friendship, team work and the opportunity and potential are unreal! 

First of all, this company is great.  It started in 2001 by Mark Pentacost and Pam Sowder.  They went debt free in 2009.  In 2012 they were projected to make $100k but they made $200k.  In 2013 they made $550k.  This year, they are projected to be a ONE BILLION DOLLAR BRAND.  Talk about growth!!  They company is named one of the top 500 privately owned companies and was listed at #26 in the top 100 MLMs (1 below Advocare). 

Here's a bit of an overview of the business opportunity:

To sign up is currently only $99 (normally $199.00). With the $99 you pay, you will receive a kit. Your $99 kit will include one box of applicators (4 applicators in each box) that you will sell for $25 each, OR use personally so you have before/after testimony to run with. Your kit also includes a product catalog, 5 blitz cards (coupons for the wrap), loyal customer sign up sheets, distributor sign up sheets, an official It Works! organizer, and a dream board.

-Your goal is to sign 4 loyal customers in your first 30 days to receive $120 in free product. This is easy- everyone wants to try these wraps!

-For every Distributor you sign on your team that wants to sell the product, you will get a $100 bonus when they sign 2 loyal customers in their first 30 days.

-You will make 15% commission on every loyal customer directly enrolled under you. You will also make 5-15% commission on every distributor you enroll (and their loyal customers!) based on where they are beneath you.

As a Distributor you need:

-An 80 BV auto ship each month. This is the equivalent to approximately $80-120 worth of product each month (mine is usually around $95). This auto ship is what qualifies you for your commissions and bonuses. In other words this order is for any products of your choice, I always recommend getting wraps because you will need them AND you can turn around and sell them for cash. This is an optional autoship, if you can maintain your volume above 400 each month to maintain your qualification for commissions, you don't need to run it.

-You will also need an eOffice, which is your personal website and "back office." This is $20/month and truthfully, I don't know how you'd run your business without one. It is all set up by the company however you do get to choose a business name. This is how you will enroll your customers, distributors, and where you will send anyone interested in your products so they can order. It really is a necessity to run your business and it also has all of your training videos to help you begin your journey. (Again, you can do everything by paper - but that might limit your out of town customers)

It will cost about $100-140 (not including shipping/taxes) per month to run your business (depending on what is ordered for your autoship). However, remember most of that is in product that you can turn around and sell and/or personally use for your own health!

What we commit to you as a Distributor:

■Training videos and aides to help you reach your goals.

■Weekly conference calls that will help you understand and grow your business.

■Money! I promise you that if you work hard and follow the steps to success outlined in your kit and training, you will make money. When you reach the level of diamond, you will begin making approximately $1,500-2,000 the first month, with residual income building each month. Once the diamond bonuses start kicking in, this number will grow substantially.

■We have a facebook page where you can go and post questions, get suggestions, tips, etc... to help you run your business.

■There are also periodic training sessions all over to help you understand the business and products more.

We work together to meet our goals. We have a lot of fun and I NEVER feel like I am on my own. I will be there to help you along the way... we will bounce ideas off each other and succeed together!

The company also has a $500/month guarantee.  How much would $500 extra help each month?!?

My website is www.lisamillerwraps.com. Please feel free to contact me through Facebook Lisa Miller's Skinny Wraps; Instagram lisa_millers_skinny_wraps; my blog; or email lisamillerwraps@gmail.com

I wanted to write all this because this opportunity is life changing and I want to share this with everyone! 

 

Baby on my brain

Thinking about how this baby will fit into our already busy family of 5. This picture makes me believe that Kaden probably thinks this is a normal event every 2 years!

Cam was a little bit more hesitant about holding Ryane after she was born, where Kaden asked all the time to hold Cam.  I have a feeling Ryane is going to be IN LOVE with having a baby in the house. 

 

This pregnancy has been really different to me than the other 3.  I'm 30 weeks and I'm over it!  I'm not exactly sure if it's the pregnancy or having a busy, busy, BUSY 20 month old at home.  I hate to say that I'm over it because there are parts of pregnancy that I absolutely love with all my heart.  Feeling the baby move is a miracle.  It's beautiful, even when it's a hard or unexpected punch in the gut. 

• This pregnancy obviously started off very differently from the others!  Finding out 2 weeks after my others, in my doctor's office, at my annual exam, by myself.... versus waiting till the first possible second to take a pregnancy test!
 
• I was sick with a pretty bad cold when I found out I was pregnant, but my stuffy nose NEVER went away!  My mom googled it and it's fairly common to have pregnancy rhinitis!  I can't breathe out of my nose at all, and I haven't been able to since I got pregnant. It's crazy!

• I had sciatica really badly at the beginning to middle of the pregnancy.  It was a pain I never experienced in my life and literally felt like a fire in the back of my legs.  I started seeing a wonderful massage therapist and it's much better.  This, on top of a flare of up my herniated disk made the beginning of the pregnancy seem impossible.

• I felt mostly exhausted in the first trimester versus nauseated.  I attribute this to not being able to smell!

• I have allergies.  I have never, ever had allergies.  But there are so many days that my eyes and nose are so itchy I can't stand it!  Also, I ran out of my face soap and started using Neutrogena and I broke out in a rash on my face!  I have never been allergic to anything except fire ants!

• I'm carrying much lower this time compared to the other 3.  I have never once had to push him out of my ribs like I felt I was constantly doing in my previous pregnancies.  In fact, when I'm walking I feel like I have to hold him up!

• I'm also carrying very similar to how I carried Ryane (all out in front,  but very differently from how I carried the boys (big everywhere).
  
  30 week selfie

• With this pregnancy, we had the ultrasound scare with the CPC but have never had any concerns with the other 3 in any of our ultrasounds.

• This baby is AVERAGE size, according to our 28 week sono.  The doctor thought Kaden would be close to 11 pounds... (he was 7 lbs 7 oz) but they all measured in the top percentiles during my sonos. 

We are getting anxious!  I have A LOT on my to do list that I haven't started on, which puts a little pressure on me for the next 9 weeks.  But I work best under a deadline, so I'm not worried!  This baby is sweet, I can tell already! Can't wait to meet him!

20 months

 

20 months old. And suddenly, she seems like a toddler!  She looks so different than she did even a few short months ago. 

 

Ryane wears size 4 diaper and 2T clothes.  She probably needs to wear size 5 diapers or get potty trained.  I can't decide where I want to go with this.

Ryane naps around 12:30-1:00 and she falls asleep pretty quickly. She has been sleeping 1.5-2 hours.

 

Ryane goes to sleep around 7 and is sleeping better at night.  She usually puts herself back to sleep if she wakes up crying. Waking up crying has been rare (but now that I type it, I'm sure we will get right back into that stage)

She wakes up around 6:30.

Ryane has started talking in 2-3 word sentences but it's hard to remember everything she says but a few examples include:

*This is Kigi's (She calls Kaden Kigi)

*I ba badu (I want water)

*Daddy work

*Kigi is?

 

She is a bit obsessed with Kigi.  She adores him, truly.  She gets so excited when we pick him up from camp!
 

She is babbles and talks all day long.  She is always talking.  I am thankful for this!!  If you don't know what she is saying, she has no problem showing you.

She loves holding Kaden or Cam's hand when we are out running errands.

Ryane has been digging veggies lately!  She loves "broc!" And mixed veggies.  She ususally eats those up before she starts on the main dish.

 

She's still so so so SO busy.  Like she doesn't stop moving all day.  She moves things from here to there.  She puts things inside of things. 

Ryane started a new way to come downstairs which is sitting facing forward, leaning back and sliding down each step.  Oy!

Her favorite book is Moo Baa La La La and she reads the last line on each page. She alternates between that and wanting to read Waddle.

She requests "Bus" to sing before nap and bed.

 

She points to the left side of her neck and wants me to kiss her. After I do, she points to the right side.  Back and forth. 

 

When I say we are done with something, she holds up her index finger, gives the sweetest little look and then babbles something that sounds like one more time.

Ryane has only peed in the potty twice, but I truly think she is ready for potty training.  I just need to get her some undies and start the process.  Last week at Lowes she lifted her dress and said pee pee over and over.

She has spectacular dance moves which includes twisting her body left and right and lifting and shaking her arms.

Ryane loves horses and asks about them whenever we are in the car. 

 

She finally lets me do her hair!  She backs up so her back is facing me and stands relatively still.  She likes to go to the mirror to look at the final product.

 

She is a little bit girly and a lot tough.  She can definitely hold her own against her brothers, especially Cam.  I've seen her hit him on top of the head with Legos when he takes things away from her!

Love this sweet, silly girl!  Happy 20 months!

Perfect baby

I had been anxiously awaiting today for ten long weeks.

When I was 18 weeks pregnant, we had a sonogram. Before we left, the doctor told us that there was a cyst on the baby's brain, a Choroid Plexus Cyst and that it is not common but not uncommon. He said that in 99.9% of cases it disappears before the baby is 28 weeks. 

That didn't sound too terrifying, but then he told us that there is a link between a CPC and trisomy 18. 

That's when I started to get upset. 

He did a very thorough exam of the baby and said there were no other signs that the baby had trisomy 18 but if we were concerned he could do an amniocentesis. He then said the chances that we would lose the baby during the amnio were much higher than the chances that anything was wrong with the baby. 

So, clearly, we chose to wait ten long weeks to have another sonogram. 

I was upset but he reassured me that it would be fine. We have had many sonograms in the past seven years, and we have been very blessed to not have any scares. No we-need-to-keep-an-eye-on-thats. We have been completely blessed with normal pregnancies and healthy babies. 

I woke up today pretty anxious. It wasn't something I thought about every day in the last ten weeks but it was on my mind, especially in the past week. 

The tech came in first and preformed the sonogram. I knew she couldn't tell me anything so I didn't ask. This cute boy will not let us see his sweet face! We hadn't even seen his profile yet because he was facing the wrong way last time. Today he has his hands over his face the whole time! We got a few pictures and waited for the doctor. 

He came in, started the sono and checked a few things before he checked the baby. He started with his brain, said it looked brilliant. Then he started looking at something else! I asked him of we could go back to the brain... He said the CPC was completely gone! So nonchalantly! 

Relief. Thank you, God. 

He said the baby couldn't look more perfect. And I agree. 

Immediately Nic said that he looks just like Cam. Check this out! 

We are lucky and very blessed. Can't wait to meet you, sweet love! 11 weeks...

Oh! And he is measuring in the 49th percentile! What?! One of MY babies?! 

Omaha

We drove to Omaha in June and had a great time! It's always nice to get away from home and see family. We also planned our trip around the College World Series so we could go to some games! 

Here we go!

First stop, Kansas City!

Fun at the park on Father's Day while Daddy and Grandpa played golf! 

CWS! 

Cam was into the game...

Zoo

Just a couple of monkeys 

Someone liked the train

Back at the game

Love this picture!

G-pa's pool

Caught her saying "cheese"

Childrens museum

Thanks to everyone for making it such a great trip! Kaden was so upset when we left, he cried on and off for a couple of hours. His favorite part was going to buy fish with Grandpa for the pond. Sounds like someone likes some 1:1 attention... May have to send him back for more of that later this summer! ;)

19 months

(Ugh.  Hate it when my blogs are way past due.  I started this awhile ago and never finished. Ry turned 19 months on the 12th)

 

At 19 months old:

Ryane wears size 4 diaper and 2T clothes.

Ryane has been napping at 12:30-1:00 now that Cam is out of school. She has been sleeping 1.5-2 hours.

Ryane is sleeping better at night and usually puts herself back to sleep if she wakes up crying.

She has been waking up more consistently around 6:30.

Ryane has a lot of new words:

*Mommy is? Mimi is? or Mimi is here?

*Bax (Baxter)

*Mampa (grandpa)

*Mahma (grandma)
*Ba Ba Badu (I want water)
*Heaby (heavy- said with a deep, struggling voice)
 

She is babbling full conversations with great intonation. When she pretends to talk on the phone she says, "Hi. Yes. Ummm."

She says "take tu" {thank you} when you give her something or when she hands you something.

She requests to give Kaden, Cam, Roxy and Harley a kiss before nap and bed. 

Ryane picks up something, not belonging to her and says "Keegee" or "Am" to tell me if it's Kaden's or Cam's.

Ryane can eat.  For breakfast I have to cut her off at 2 eggs and a piece of turkey bacon.

In the mornings she gets out a bowl from the drawer and takes it in that pantry and points to what she wants (mostly raisins).

Ryane is INTO EVERYTHING.  Everyone that sees her says, "Wow, she's busy!"

Ryane likes to walk up the stairs holding on to the rail.  She slides down backwards, fast! 

She screams "Mommy, mommy, mama, mommy, mamaaaaaa" all day long.  Whew. 

Her favorite book is Moo Baa La La La.

She requests "Bus" to sing before nap and bed.

She knows how to work it around people she doesn't know.  She acts shy at first, but then hams it up.  She is a total ham.

Ryane loves to wear Kaden's baseball hats and Cam's cowboy boots.

She still loves carrying treasures around with her all day.  She gets mad when she has so much in her hand and can't hold it all at once.

 

 She loves to hug, hold hands and give kisses.  She is a sweet little one.

 

Love you to pieces, little girl!