GOIN' CAMPING!!!

School is almost out and Memorial Day weekend is quickly approaching! As I awoke yesterday morning 20 minutes earlier than my alarm was set to go off, to the wailing sounds of Kiss on my husbands bedside radio (why does his alarm only seem to wake ME up?!), I found myself thinking that this weekend would be the perfect one for our first family camping trip of the season. Which of course led me to immediately begin composing my mental to-do list! Generally, it is me that gets the wonderful task of packing and shopping and food prep. Somehow Ken manages to find other things that keep him from helping me with these tasks, but I guess it's for the best. Knowing us, packing together would just create chaos! So I thought it would be great to blog about the family fun to be had camping and how to ensure there are no tears (from kids or moms!) on your wilderness getaway! First of all- understand that camping to me does involve a tent (no cabins here!) but I draw the line at toilet paper in the woods! There must be bathrooms! Maybe I could handle it if it were just myself, but with an 8, 4, and 2 year old, bathrooms are a must. To save space on my homepage, I'll continue this as a "page". Just check out the right hand column of my homepage and click on the "Family Camping!" for more on making your weekend camping trip a blast, even for mom!

Rainy Day Fun!

Rainy Days are scary for me. I'm not gonna lie! With three boys and nannying after school for 3 more, being stuck indoors is NO FUN! But as it is with everything in life, one must learn to adapt to even the most severe of conditions! That is always my challenge. Yes, I could take the easy way out and head on up to the Monkey Joe's or to the mall, but I like to reserve those occassions for emergencies! lol! I've come to realize that by getting my boys involved and creatively planning, we can still get some things accomplished, have a little fun, and hold on to our sanity! Check it out- Yesterday, in my attempt to actually fold the overflowing pile of laundry that has been growing in my bedroom, I put my children to work. I gave each child their own colored dry erase marker (I stress, DRY ERASE!) and let them feel like they were "breakin a rule or two" by decorating mommy's bedroom window! It needed to be cleaned anyway, the boys had a blast coloring and wiping and Logan even practiced learning to sound out a few new letters in his attempt to be ready for kindergarten in the fall. When my laundry was completed, the boys were able to each get some windex on a towel and erase their creations, cleaning my window in the process! This was such a hit, that we actually moved the activity downstairs to the large sliding glass door in the living room while I mopped the floors! Granted, this is not going to be an every day activity, as then it will lose it's luster very quickly, but I learned that having a few "emergency activities" to pull from when I REALLY need them will help shed a bit of sunshine on an otherwise cloudy day! Happy Drawing!

Desperate Prayers Needed!

Please pray for Pastor Brent Carpenter! He is my former Pastor, dear family friend, and a truly wonderful man. Following a surgery he had last week, he was just admitted back to the hospital for pnemonia, kidney failure, and due to a pulled stitch internally, his body had become septic. Currently he is in critical condition and on dialisis for his kidney failure. I'm asking that anyone catching my blog would please, please say a prayer of healing for him today! He is in dire need of God's miraculous touch. Please say a prayer for his family as well. They too are close friends, and also my church family whom I love dearly! I'm devestated with worry right now and know the power of prayer is the greatest power we have as Christians. Thanks to all!

Thirty One Gifts and St. Jude's Children's Hospital Fundraiser

How You Can make a difference in a Child's life and be a part of a wonderful cause!



Your generosity will help many children get the treatment they need to someday see their dreams become a reality. Consider checking out my online catalog today! This month I will be donating 20% of each order placed to St. Jude’s. (That’s basically my entire profit). You enjoy great products and gifts, while giving the most important gift of all – TIME. Shop now at www.mythirtyone.com/csever and choose “St. Jude’s Fundraiser”

To Read about this young man pictured here, Chase, please check out http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=fceb251de6fc7210VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD&vgnextchannel=3c9213c016118010VgnVCM1000000e2015acRCRD

Why I love this Company I work for...

People ask why I decided to work for Thirty One often. Don't I have enough to do with my nannying, 3 kids of my own, etc, etc.. and is the extra money really worth it? Well, let me tell you-it's not ONLY the extra money that makes it worth it. This is a way for me to provide extras such as music lessons for my son when our "regular" paychecks won't cover the added expense. This is a way to me to meet other women and share a fun afternoon or evening laughing, shopping, and enjoying ADULT company for a change! This is also a company that DELIVERS the best it can to both it's consultants and its customers. I'd like to share a story I recently heard from another consultant that really touched me and attests to the character of this company.
This consultant had recently held a party in which a pregnant woman ordered a tote to use as a diaper bag, and personalized it with her child's initials on it. She went ahead and submitted this order to our company, at which time NO changes or corrections are able to be made to the order. A few days later she received a phone call from the woman's husband begging her to stop the order from being delivered. His wife had just lost the baby and he felt she would be devestated to see this bag arrive at her door bearing the initials of the child she would never have. The consultant informed him that she would do everything she could, but that once an order was submitted, it couldn't be changed.
She called our Home Office and spoke to a customer service rep. there, explaining the situation and what they were asking. He then offered to take it to his manager, and he to his own manager above. She was told at that point that though it wasn't "policy", this was a Christian based company, a company that was willing to go above and beyond for it's customers and that the order would be halted. But they didn't simply stop the order. They replaced the diaper bag with another tote (a neutral, non "mommy" style) and filled this bag with well wishes, other "pampering" type of products, and she was able to call that husband back and inform him that his wife would be taken care of as much as possible.
Thirty One is a company that CARES. It's a company that truly does want to uphold the standards of quality and promise of "celebrating, encouraging, and rewarding" women, not only when it will be profitable to the company, but even when it will COST the company.

This is why I love working for Thirty One...

Host a Party!! Why Not?!

You may think, “I’d like to host a Thirty-One party, but I can’t because…”a.) I don’t have the time.b.) I don’t know enough people.c.) It must cost a lot of money to host a party.Well, let’s examine these common misconceptions and see if they are fact…or fiction?a.) Time:- A typical party lasts less than two hours (½ hour presentation, ½ to one hour to shop); the rest is up to you and your guests!- April orders over $50 get free shipping to each customer’s door – you don’t have to deliver a thing.- Busy women don’t always make time for “girl-time” – a party is the perfect opportunity to give this gift to your friends and yourself!- There are many gift-giving occasions in the next few months: Mother’s Day, graduations, weddings. You’ll need to shop for these gifts anyway – why not do it in the comfort of your own home among friends and earn some of them for free? You’ll save time AND money! b.) Guests:- You actually know more people than you think! We like to use the “F.R.A.N.K acronym”: (Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances, Neighbors, Kid’s connections – babysitter, teachers, parents of their friends). Besides friends and family, consider how many people you come in contact with throughout your day. Your kids’ teachers, your hairdresser, that nice lady behind the counter at the dry cleaner’s, and many more. They’ll be flattered that you thought of them! (I can help you quickly develop a guest list that just might surprise you!)- Encourage each of your guests to bring a friend – you’ll have higher party sales and earn more free products while making new friends at the same time.
c.) Money:- You can keep your refreshments simple. Your guests are interested in seeing you and the products, not the food. Chips or veggies and dip can be just fine!- Schedule your party between normal meal times (after dinner on weeknights or after lunch on weekends) so guests won’t be so hungry or expecting large amounts of food. - Have a friend who rivals Martha Stewart? Ask her to share her favorite treat with your guests and celebrate her contribution at your party!
So go ahead and host a party…you’ve got nothing to lose, and you’re sure to have a lot of fun! And when you host a $350 or $750 party in April, you’ll get great deals on items that are perfect for warm weather (which may be FINALLY on its way)! Check Out the April Hostess Special
Just host and submit a $750 Party and earn a Picnic Thermal Tote AND Large Utility TOGETHER for $10! (That’s a $46 savings!) You’ll be prepared for all your summer trips, activities and picnics with both of these items.
And, if you host and submit a $350 Party, you’ll get the Picnic Thermal Tote for only $10! (That’s a $16.50 savings!)

OMG!

Ok, so maybe it's just me, but I LOVE handbags, purses, totes, whatever you want to call them! So it's fitting that I should have a Thirty One Gifts business! Well let me just tell you. I LOVE THE MINI ORGANIZER!!!! This is the most Darling little organizing bag! If you have a catalog or can view it online, it's on a few pages, but the one I purchased for myself is on page 9 of the catalog, shown here with scrapbooking supplies. This view is of the small pockets, but the other side has a larger pocket on the outside that you can put monogramming on. I got my initials in red and it is adorable. So now I need some suggestions as to how I can use this. I first thought Pampering Kit!! My nail polishes, files, manicure stuff would be great in here, but then it's just going to be tucked under a cabinet and lead a lonely, miserable life, especially since my nails hardly EVER actually get painted! So my next idea was a little knitting bag! So cute for putting your yarn in the bigger middle pocket and all your tools around the outside. Except I still have a baby blanket I started when my sister was pregnant, and now my nephew is almost 3 and I still haven't finished it. Scratch the knitting bag idea. Ooh! Mini diaper essentials!! I could keep baby products around the outside and dipes/wipes in the big pocket! But my baby is almost 2 and potty training already! hm...what to do. It's too cute not to carry around with me and show off!! I could use it for kid crafty items to take in restaurants and entertain them with, but then it becomes my children's bag and I want it for ME! My little Sarah Murray saw it yesterday and said she wants one for her birthday. She actually wanted mine, and I love her enough I might have given it to her, but it has my initials so that saved me from being guilted. Cheri, I'm buying you this with Addisons initials for her nursery. LOOK at it in the back of the catalog and tell me which fabric you like (organic flower, organic flower, organic flower...) and tell me her middle name so I can monogram it for you. You can keep in it the living room to hold extra diapers, wipes, creams so you have something small and handy around the house. Trust me, you'll get real sick of running her into the nursery and using that changing table every single time you need to change her. Right now I have a little basket in my living room with dipes and wipes for Dylan and I never ran upstairs to use the changing table! So this would be perfect for you! My treat! Just tell me what you like. We also have coordinating diaper bags and accessories (see page 28, 29 online catalog!) I would love to set you up! I don't have a baby girl to buy for!
So give me suggestions people! I don't want to dirty it up with gardening gear!
Love it!!