Our Very First Yard Sale!!

Today was monumental - we had our very first yard sale ever. We girls, that is - lucky (?) Terry had to work today. Two of our neighbors joined us & we did pretty well, I think. Although, I'm surprised that more clothes didn't sell! I'm afraid nice, cheap clothes would have been a BIG weak point for me (maybe that's why I don't go to yard sales!). But the icing on the cake was The Blom Girls' Stand. They sold lemonade & Rice Krispy Treats and Morgan did a fantastic job asking customers if they'd like to buy some. They made nearly $20!! And some very sweet friends also came by to show their support, which the girls loved.

I have to tell you - we didn't sell any toys. And the reason why is because the girls didn't want to. Instead, they REALLY want to give their toys away to children who don't have any. Isn't that sweet?! If you can think of a good place to bring them, let me know.

Well, my sit-down break is over. Now I have to put away all of those little girls' clothes - again - until I come up with a way to sell them!! Ugh...

Halloween

We had such fun on Halloween! Morgan was Sleeping Beauty, Allie was Tinkerbell & Alexis was a pumpkin. First, we went to our friends' house for a little Halloween party (complete with "brains" & "eyeballs" for dinner!!) - they took pictures (my digital camera is broken!) so hopefully I'll have some to email soon. Then, as it started to get a little bit dark, the group of friends took off for some major trick-or-treating! Morgan literally ran from house to house with her buddies! One very thoughtful mom offered to take Morgan home after they were done trick-or-treating (she didn't have two little kids in tow!!) - so Allie, Alexis & I could take our own sweet time. We skipped half of the houses and had such fun visiting the neighbors we know. Terry stayed home & passed out candy (we had a lot of trick-or-treaters - the streets were lined with cars from non-neighbors!). We had some pretty groovy jack-o-lanterns that Terry carved out with the girls. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of those. :( And what a haul of candy we got! We have Tupperware after Tupperware FULL of candy!! It's going to take a year to finish it off. Probably just in time for next Halloween...

I need your opinion...

As many of you know, I have been a beauty consultant with Mary Kay for about 10 years now. I love being a stay-at-home mom & I have an increasing desire to build my Mary Kay business. I don't care for recruiting, I'd just like to have a strong customer base of people that I can take excellent care of. But because I dislike asking people to have facials and hostess skin care classes, I have come up with a different idea - The Loaded Look Book - a Mary Kay catalog that I've filled with samples so that women can have a facial at home at their leisure. Mary Kay has excellent products and these books give women the opportunity to try the product in an unpressured way - then they can contact me if they like what they use. My hope is that if people are impressed, they will be willing to give The Loaded Look Book to their friends more willingly than if I asked them to hostess a skin care class.

A couple more "perks" I offer are free shipping for clients I can't deliver to, free gifts with purchase, discounts for clients who bring me new sales, & quarterly mailings of The Look (at which time I contact my clients for orders). I also now have a website - www.marykay.com/jenniferblom - where you can have a free virtual makeover, learn beauty tips, shop, & so much more.

So, tell me, what do you think of my marketing idea? I'd greatly appreciate any feedback. I'd also be happy to send you The Loaded Look Book if you'd like to check it out.

Terrific Quote

Wow! Two blog entries in one day - CRAZY!!

I found this quote on a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) email and it made me laugh. I have to admit, though, that I don't blame my in-laws for my children's "quirks" because I have the best in-laws ever!! However, I'm sure there are some of you that can relate!! :) Here it is:

"All good qualities in a child are the result of environment, while all the bad ones are the result of poor heredity on the side of the other parent." (Elinor Goulding Smith)

Happy Halloween!!!

Another Smarty Pants!

If you read the comments left on my previous blog entry, you'll find that Lorinda thinks it is Allie who is the smarty pants - after all, the behavior chart went missing... Aaah, I think that is entirely correct and I have further evidence to prove it. When Morgan and Allie are sent to bed, they are supposed to stay in their room (otherwise Mommy gets quite annoyed!!). So, when Allie wants something, she usually just yells & yells until I respond. Sometimes, though, Morgan will come out of their room to tell me that Allie wants me. Okay. Well, the other night, Morgan comes out of bed to tell me that Allie wants me and that she sent Morgan to tell me so that Allie wouldn't get in trouble for being out of bed!! Terry & I got a huge laugh out of that one. AND! It is proof that Allie is a thinker - though possibly a bit devious... :)

The Problem Solver

As I've mentioned before, Allie whines & cries a bit too often - apparently my singing "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina!" didn't work as well as I had hoped. However, big sister Morgan may have just cured the problem (okay, not entirely - but any improvement is better than none at all, right?!)! One day, Morgan informs Allie that she has made a behavior chart with 7 flowers on it (one for each day of the week). If Allie cries during the day, Morgan will "X" out the flower. And if Allie doesn't cry, Morgan will circle the flower. Talk about instant success!! Allie was VERY concerned about whether her flower would get an "X" or a circle! If she started crying during the day, I'd mention Morgan's behavior chart & she'd stop crying immediately. Unfortunately, the chart went missing so I'll have to see if Morgan can make another one for me. Obviously, the chart only works when Allie can see it! :)

Is my Morgan a smarty pants or what?!

My little reader...

I just have to take a minute to brag on my wonderful, little student - Morgan!! I'm so proud of how she's doing in school and she just loves to read! Every day, as part of her homework, she brings home a book filled with stories. Technically, she only has to read one each night, but she ends up reading 4 or 5! Her teacher told her that she only needs to read one, but Morgan says, "but I want to read more!" She reads to me, Terry, Allie, Alexis - anyone who will listen. And if there's noone to listen, she reads out loud to herself.

I love to read! So much, in fact, that I often have to avoid reading because I can get so into a book that I can't put it down (& then get nothing else done...) - and have always felt bad for people who don't like to read - like there is an entire piece of life they're missing out on. I guess that's what makes me so happy about Morgan's early love of reading - I know the fun & wonder she's going to discover through books and I'm excited for her.