I was invited to join thredUp over the weekend and have just now found the time to check it out.

 thredUP is a  Kids and Moms Clothing Swap - where parents exchange gently worn, second hand & used kids clothing online.  The Average Family Saves $569/yr  swapping Kids Clothes on thredUP according to the website and it's Free to join!

Sounds Good!

 I'm very excited about this option because lately, I'm feeling just a wee bit cheated at my local brick and mortar Consignment store.

Why?

Because in March,  I brought in a large Trader Joe's grocery bag full of no-stains, really gently used, name brand,  stylish girls clothing in the much needed sizes of 7/8 and 10/12 and was given $ 4.87 store credit for the bag.
  Really? There was at least $ 100 dollars worth of Aeropostle, designer dresses, tees, blouses, etc. in that bag! This was my best bag yet, I'm thinking and I get that much?
 If I'd wanted cash it would have been even less. Hey, I know it takes alot to run a store, but still. Yeesh...

Has this ever happened to you? What are you supposed to do? Make a scene and ask for all your clothing back?

 I decided not to use those options, however appealing they seemed at the time and least see what my girls had found. There wasn't much to choose from, so it was a rather disappointing trip all around.
Always one to look for the good, I assured the girls I would find a better option.


I'm hoping thredUp will be that option. I'm going through my girls closets and will be listing items over the weekend.

I joined thredUp using a friends link. If you would like to join, I would love for you to use my affiliate link below. Thanks!

thredUP Kids Clothing Swap

Do you like consignment shopping? Have you used thredUp? I'd love to hear from you!

I wanted to share this article by Jim Rohn today because it has such a powerful message.
 It helped validate my efforts to date and put me back on course.
 My Plan has always been to earn a part time living from home while balancing the work/family dynamic.
Over the last few months I've been trying out additional income streams along with my direct sales business.
While I won't call them failures, I will say I didn't get a good return on my investment. For the most part, I felt I wasn't working at optimum levels on any project.
 I found this saying, recently used by the Co-Founder of Willow House to be very fitting:
"You can't ride two horses at the same time".
So what's a WAHM to do? Live, learn, laugh, and pick one horse to ride! My choice?  Willow House! Afterall, I did receive a commission check from them this week!  Lesson learned.

I hope this article inspires you as much as it did me. 

Four Words That Make Life Worthwhile by Jim Rohn
Over the years, as I've sought out ideas, principles and strategies to life's challenges, I've come across four simple words that can make living worthwhile.

First, life is worthwhile if you LEARN. What you don't know will hurt you. You have to have learning to exist, let alone succeed. Life is worthwhile if you learn from your own experiences-negative or positive.
We learn to do it right by first sometimes doing it wrong. We call that a positive negative. We also learn from other people's experiences, both positive and negative. I've always said that it is too bad failures don't give seminars. Obviously, we don't want to pay them, so they aren't usually touring around giving seminars. But that information would be very valuable. We would learn how someone who had it all, messed it up. Learning from other people's experiences and mistakes is valuable information because we can learn what not to do without the pain of having tried and failed ourselves.
We learn by what we see, so pay attention. We learn by what we hear, so be a good listener. Now, I do suggest that you should be a selective listener. Don't just let anybody dump into your mental factory. We learn from what we read, so learn from every source. Learn from lectures. Learn from songs. Learn from sermons. Learn from conversations with people who care. Always keep learning.

Second, life is worthwhile if you TRY. You can't just learn. Now you have to try something to see if you can do it. Try to make a difference. Try to make some progress. Try to learn a new skill. Try to learn a new sport. It doesn't mean you can do everything, but there are a lot of things you can do if you just try. Try your best. Give it every effort. Why not go all out?

Third, life is worthwhile if you STAY. You have to stay from spring until harvest. If you have signed up for the day or for the game or for the project, see it through. Sometimes calamity comes; then it is worth wrapping it up and that's the end. But just don't end in the middle. Maybe on the next project you pass, but on this one, if you signed up, see it through.

And lastly, life is worthwhile if you CARE. If you care at all, you will get some results. If you care enough, you can get incredible results. Care enough to make a difference. Care enough to turn somebody around. Care enough to start a new enterprise. Care enough to change it all. Care enough to be the highest producer. Care enough to set some records. Care enough to win.
Four powerful little words: learn, try, stay and care. What difference can you make in your life today by putting these words to work?

Read more from Mr. Rohn here



Which of these four simple words resonated most with you?
My choice? Care.

 Sure, we could all use a little more of this and that ( money, time off, new shoes, peace of mind). BUT, this glass - is- half- full lady is counting her blessings and doing a happy dance because of my blessings and this lil' blog that could!

You see, My WAHM Plan has reached a milestone! Sometime in the last 24 hours I got a new follower that put me at 100!! I am so happy and excited and.... what?
 I can't actually see my followers on my blog? I see the magic number on my dashboard, but nothing on my front page. Can everybody else see my followers??

 Arrggh... So off to Blogger help I go, I do all they suggest:
Remove and re-install Followers, clear my cache, rub my stomach and head at the same time... okay I added that one for a bit of levity because according to Blogger help, this has been a HUGE problem for quite some time here in blogger world.

Arrggh... I love my blog, I want her to succeed, so should I move her? Probably.
Will I?
Eventually.
It makes my palms sweaty just thinking about a Move of any kind. House, blog... yuck. Then of course there is the money thing. Free is good for me right now!

Maybe I have overlooked the solution and this snafu will work it's self out. Or maybe I should just use another follower platform!
That might be the ticket because I don't like moving, period!


Do you use something other than Google Friend on your blogger blog? If so, please leave me a comment and I'll check out your link.

If you are my 100th follower, please comment with a link back so I can come say Hi and thank you.

Remember to smile, it makes the world a better place and when you feel you are at the end of your rope, tie another knot!

Happy Friday my Blogging Friends! I have been busy doing some much-needed work offline this week. Yes, you can be productive and in touch while spending the bare minimum of time online! I'll admit,  it did feel odd at first, this break from my routine but I'm am happier for it.


Speaking of productive: I came across a wonderful website a couple of weeks ago. I learned a great deal there and I just have to share Julie Anne's Direct Sales Formula for Success with you today. 





I've noticed that I write quite a bit on this blog about time and organization – how to manage your time so you have a successful business while still maintaining the harmony in your life. That's because it's the single most frustrating thing about working from home. I've broken down the direct sales time commitment into a formula for you. Hopefully, this will help you see where you're not on track (and where you are).

Here's my formula for a successful direct sales business:

60% Money Making Activities

These are things that have a high probability of producing income for you. We're talking the ACTIONS that will bring your business success. This includes (but isn't limited to) sales, bookings, parties, & sponsoring.

20% Preparation and Planning

I do yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly and sometimes daily planning. It's the most important time I spend on my business (but notice its only 20% of the time I spend). You should also include team management in this piece of the pie. This allows you to solidify the foundation of your business so your long-term outlook is more profitable.

10% Administrative Tasks

By administrative, I mean anything that you do in support of your business that does not directly make you money. Pay attention to this category. My guess is you struggle to keep this from eating up less than 50% of your time, let alone 10%. I know it's the biggest issue I face. Nothing pulls me down a rabbit hole quicker than things like banking, e-mail, my website, etc. All are important to my overall business success, but none are income producing.

10% Raise-the-Bar Service

These are those extra touches that make you stand out in the crowd in your community, company, and industry. Do you send handwritten thank you notes to your hosts or make customer service calls to your party guests once they receive their products? How about sending birthday cards to your hosts and customers? What are you doing to build long-term relationships with super service to your representatives, hosts, and customers? My friend Jennifer Fitzgerald has created an amazing program called "The Client Angel" that will absolutely help you in this area. Check out her free trial membership here.
( *Julie Anne Jones is direct sales corporate consultant, coach, and trainer, and the CEO of Julie Anne Jones, Inc. She is known for her authentic and easy-to-use scripting and specializes in specific language and tools for success in direct sales. To learn more about Julie Anne and her products and services, and to read her weekly blog posts, visit her at www.julieannejones.com.*)




So there you have it. A simple, do-able formula for direct sales success!


Do you have a direct sales business? Please share your tips in comments. 

I've been slowly ( and by slowly I  mean, I'm glad my Mom doesn't live close, slowly) working my way down my Spring Cleaning To Do List.
This is over and above my regular domestic chores, which for today happens to be bathroom duty.  I usually do all the wiping, swiping and scrubbing, turn around and smile at my handy work and my finishing touch: A Spritz of Lysol to make things smell ever cleaner!
After reading this article, I've decided I'll stop all my spritzing and just open up the windows instead.

Please take a moment to read:
Air Fresheners’ Real Impact On Indoor Air Quality Healthy Child Healthy World



I enjoyed my visit at Healthychild.org. It is full of helpful, easy to use tips to help us raise healthy kids.

I especially enjoyed these tips on Cleaning with 5 Basic Tools.  I didn't know Lemon Juice could be a cleaning agent, did you? Read the list and then please come on back and let me know which tool you will use.


Have a great day and remember to Smile! It's the best gift to give and receive!