Some Pretty Scary Stuff Out There!

There seems to be a real problem with the new small laundry detergent packs.  There are plenty of reports that state that kids see these new laundry pods and think they are something fun to either play with or eat.  They look fun because they are colorful and squishy, think of bubblewrap, my kids would be all over that.  With other detergent poisonings it takes a little time for symptoms to occur and are not as severe but not with these new packs, symptoms come on quickly and ferociously.  Some of the symptoms are vomiting, drowsiness, wheezing and gasping among some other pretty terrifying things.  Here are two fact sheets from the American Association of Poison Control Centers:  (when I went to these files I got a warning from my security you can go to the aapcc.org site and they are there)

http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/Portals/0/Laundry%20packet%20factsheet%205.2012.pdf

http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/Portals/0/Laundry%20Detergent%20Packs%205.17.2012.pdf

Pretty scary stuff!  That’s just external too, what about the chemicals left on our clothes?  Our skin is the largest organ in our body and it absorbs those chemicals.  But my question is Why do manufacturers NEED to put such harmful ingredients in the products?  Will it not work if they are not there?  Obviously that can’t be the reason because there are other products that do not have the harmful ingredients and they work wonderfully.  Are using these harmful ingredients cheaper to use?  Well, yes we know that but there are again safer alternatives that are sometimes less expensive than other brands. 

Now there are arguments for and against using the chemicals and not using the chemicals but for me I have to take into consideration how it affects my kids.  I’m just so thankful that 4 years ago I did make the decision to switch because it paid off big time when Buddy got a hold of the bathroom cleaner and decided to spray himself in the face.  I just think, what if I didn’t switch…  I’m just thankful I did!

What if the companies that made these products cared about the people that use them and the environment that they ultimately end up in?  Well I think I would probably be a customer for life!  What are your thoughts?

I started a Storenvy store with handmade bracelets and I am teaching myself how easy it is to blog about it.  As if I needed another iron in the fire but my 7 year old daughter wanted to do this and to be honest, I love doing things creative like this so a store was a logical thing.

Here is one of my hemp handmade bracelets with handmade recycled paper beads.  Also has a loop and button closure.  This particular bracelet is 8 inches long.
http://cobblestonecottage.storenvy.com/

I was thinking of doing an online craft show for a bunch of different store owners, what do you think??  I'm not sure if once a month would be good or maybe twice a month.  I don't think I could keep up with once a week, Yikes!  But it would have to be a group effort.

So do you have a creative outlet that you would like to share??

Did You Ever See Something That Just Made So Much Sense?

I've held so many jobs in my life that my complete resume has become more of a coffee table book.  LOL  Some of the positions I've held are, housekeeper, grocery cashier, frozen foods manager, toy merchandiser, blow molding factory floor supervisor, produce manager, floral department manager, graphic designer, babysitter and a lion and tiger trainer.  That's just a portion of my jobs.

What that told me was I did not want to work for someone else, but what else could I do?  I knew others were working for themselves, Steve Jobs, Warren Buffet and Donald Trump, ok, well I'm not THAT ambitious, but others that I knew were, so I started doing what they were doing.  It went really well and I loved it.  I worked for 13 years and I was happy and doing good but it wasn't really work, I never had to ask for business so when the economy went south (in our area about 9 years ago) so did my business.  Since I never had to "Work" at it I didn't know how to make it grow, so I went back to the corporate world.  HATED IT!!  I felt terrible since I now had children I felt so sad everyday I had to leave them.

Then my dear friend invited me to come over and hear this gal talk about a business.  Now, I was right in the middle of post-partum depression and didn't have the energy or want to go but my husband reminded me that I had promised I would be there.  UGHHH!!  Talk about a guilt trip!  But it was just what I needed.  I reluctantly went and at first I was totally not going to "buy" anything but as she talked she was making some sense.  I listened further and this was actually making perfect sense to me.  The concept of residual income was exactly what I was trying to get from my last business, but the company didn't have anything in place for residual income.  I was excited, yes I said excited even with the depression.  But I remembered later that I actually heard about this before but I just didn't "SEE" it.  I was so kicking myself, how could I have not seen the potential, but I now realize even if I had started then it would not have worked for me.  I so dislike that statement, any business does not work for anyone we work for our success, but that's another post all together.  I would have fallen by the wayside like a lot of others have.

Did you ever see something that just made so much sense?

Raw Kale Chips...YUM!

Well, we are incorporating some more healthy foods in our lives and I came across this recipe and thought I'd give it a try.  I know it's a far cry from last week but we are incorporating slowly.  I think these are an acquired taste but I can't eat just one!

sunflower seeds (chopped)
1 bunch of kale
1 red, orange or yellow pepper
2 stalks of celery
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1/4 - 1/2 c tahini
seasonings you like (I use italian mixes)
2-3 T honey

Puree everything except sunflower seeds and kale.  Wash and devein kale, tear into palm size pieces.  Pour puree over kale and transfer kale to dehydrator trays, sprinkle with sunflower seeds.

These are deceptively filling but Oooooo so good!!  Maybe next week I'll share a Raw Oatmeal Cookie recipe.  Yup, Raw!!

"I'll Start My Work At Home Business As Soon As My Life Settles Down"

I said that to myself over 3 years ago and I've heard it from a lot of others. But you want to know a secret? ...My life still hasn't settled down, in fact it has gotten busier. I looked at others who had success and thought, "Wow, how do they do it? They must have help or something." When in fact they don't have help and didn't when they started their home based business. So what is their secret? They must know some magic that helps them be so successful. Of course not! But how can they be so successful?

It doesn’t matter when you start, you just have to start.  Now think of it this way, if you took on a job at a corporation you wouldn’t tell them, “Well, I have so many things going on in my life right now so I’ll let you know when I am available to work for you.”  How long do you think you would have that job?  Probably less than a minute, well the same is true for a home based business.

     Decision

     Commitment

     Be Constantly Involved

The first thing is to make the decision that this is going to be your career.  It should be a no-brainer, you will be successful because you believe you will.  You need to be 100% sold on yourself, there should be no doubt that you have that faith in yourself. 

Next comes the commitment.  If your “why” for choosing this path is strong enough then again there will be no thought about IF you are going to do this or TRY to do this. What is your why?  If its money, then think again it has to be a strong why and money is just a means to an end.

Then, be constantly involved in your business.  No action leads to fear and self doubt, the best way to squash that is activity.  Schedule your activities as if it is your job because it is.  If you treat it like a job then you will find the time to work it.  And always remember that you are the only one who can fire you.  Are you the type of employee you would hire?  If you are then you will be successful.  Build your business on a daily basis and there will be no room for fear.

These are just three observations, I know there are many more but I've learned as I went along.  It’s funny, one day I just decided that if I didn’t start building my business I never would and wouldn’t you know, I made the time. 

What do you find challenging in your business?

Fridays are Fabulous Mexican Night

Tonight we had tacos and those are probably self explanitory but the recipe I want to share is out of this world, well at least our world. 

An unnamed Chicken Recipe

3-4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can of black beans (drained)
1 can of corn (drained)
3 cups of salsa (your choice mild, medium, hot)
1 medium onion chopped

Put the above in your crock-pot cook till chicken is done.  I set it on high for about 5hrs (unless the chicken is frozen then about 6hrs)  I tend to cook things longer, so use your own judgement on length to cook it.

The chicken will have to be shredded (I take it out and use 2 forks)
Add 1 8oz. pkg. of cream cheese

Add shredded chicken and stir until the cream cheese is melted.

I serve it with Doritos or tortilla chips.  YUM!!  My kids really love this recipe.  Or take soft corn taco shells fill and put in a pan cover with cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and browned.

So what would you name this?

New Format!!

So, since my business is rocking and things are getting busier I've come up with a schedule for myself.  Let's see if I can stick with this.  I'm going to do a business blog on Mondays, on Wednesdays a Green, Eco-friendly tip blog and Fridays a Helpful Family Recipe blog.  Now since I've got this out there I feel a sense of responsibility to keep it up. 

I've read that blogs should be longer than I'm willing to spend on them.  My thought is I have a home business hence the business blog and the business is built on eco-friendly science proven products (Wednesday's blog) and Friday is a freebie.  The length will be what it will be.

What is your thought on content and length of blogs?