Welcome to USANA!!!

Here is a copy of an e-mail that I have already sent to my personal e-mail lists. As I want all of you in cyberspace to know what is going on I have decided to share it with you.

Hello!!!

We hope that everything has been going very well for
you.

We wanted to take a moment to let you know what is
happening in our lives. After a VERY rocky start to
our year we have decided to sign a contract with USANA
Health Sciences!!!!

USANA was introduced to us through a fellow Mrs. Ohio
and Mrs. US International, Lisa Moser. And we thank
her for introducing us to this opportunity.

What is USANA Health Sciences?

USANA Health Sciences is a company that is focused on
Health and Wellness. Check out our website for more
details:

http://eclayne.usana.com

Our first challenge: We are currently looking to
improve 30 lives in 30 days. Please let us know if
you are interested in being one of our initial 30.

We have heard many amazing stories about how USANA has
helped people and have seen many incredible results.
Especially with the weight loss program they have set
up.

We look forward to hearing from you. Please feel free
to forward this along to any of your friends who may
be interested in improving their health through USANA.

Sincerely,


Carrie & Eric Layne
USANA Health Sciences Associate


Please let me know if you have any questions. I would be thrilled to help you!!

Four Year Old Frustration

Will four year olds EVER be normal?

My son is in a phase right now where he is retesting his boundaries. And it is driving me absolutely nuts. And he is in the negotiation phase. Where every "no" is challenged with an explanation as to why it should be a "yes".

For example:

B - Mommy, can I have a drink of water?
Me - No. It is too close to bedtime.
B - But mommy, if I do not have a drink of water my tummy will be very angry and hurt.
Me - I said no. I do not want you to wet the bed.
B - But mommy, I will not wet the bed. I will get up and go potty. I promise.

Here is another one:

B - Mommy, can I go outside and play? (this is after he refused to clean his toys)
Me - No. You did not clean up your toys therefore you cannot go outside.
B - But mommy, if I do not go outside and say hi to my friends they will be very sad.
Me - I said no. You did not clean up your toys and it is getting colder outside.
B - But mommy, I will wear a coat so I do not get cold.

And another one for the books:

Me - B, I need you to go upstairs with me and take a bath.
B - No mommy. I already took a bath.
Me - You did not.
B - Yes I did. I took one yesterday. I do not need a bath.
Me - Yes, you do. If you do not take a bath you will get stinky.
B - That's okay mommy. I have no problem with that.
Me - Yeah, but I do.
B - I only take baths when the sun is down and you can see that the sun is still up. So I do not need a bath.

And it can go on and on and on. My nickname for him is Donald Trump. He is the master negotiator. And it is insanely crazy.

Are there any support groups out there for this? Sigh.......

Rollerblading Fun

Last night I had a fun outdoor date with B. We were left to fend for ourselves so we made the most of it.

While E was at his second job, B and I decided to have fun. So we ate our dinner quickly and went outside. Figure that since they were saying that the weather would be getting bad later this week we would take complete advantage of what we had now. So B hopped on to his new bike and I put on my rollerblades. I have not been on rollerblades since my junior year in college (about 10 years ago) so it was a sight. Good news is I did not fall down and I managed to burn some good calories.

We biked/rollerbladed to the park around the corner from our house. B played at the park for 20 minutes and we headed back. On the way back we ran into our neighbors kids playing outside. They wanted B to stay and play but I told him we had to go home first and drop off his bike and let me change to normal shoes. Once that was done, we jogged to the neighbors house down the street and the kids played.

But my neighbors got quite a kick out of watching me rollerblade. I guess you are never too old to have fun on rollerblades!!!!

Parental Control

While getting ready for work this morning I was watching the MTV show "Parental Control". And it got me thinking....

For those of you who have not seen it, it is a show about parents who cannot stand who their child is dating and tries to set them up with two guys or two girls that they feel would be a great fit for their child. These two dates are videotaped and the parents and the current significant other have to watch the dates together. Once the dates are done, the child needs to figure out who he/she wants to be with. The one that mom picked, the one that dad picked or the one that they are currently with.

What made me think about it was this. If this show would have been in existence when E and I started dating, would the Witch-In-Law and Drunk Boy tried to do that to us? Put us on a show like that to try to separate us? Then I thought again. It would have required Drunk Boy to think of something besides the next beer or rum and Coke he was about to drink and the Witch-In-Law would not have had the strength to do it on her own.

So for us and our little family, I am glad the show was not in existence. But if there is a show where you could hand pick your new in-laws I would be first in line to be on the show. Let's see, the opportunity to choose a couple that you could trust, rely on and allow for extended family for your children and not have to worry about anything.

Where do I sign up?

Dress Happiness and Exhaustion

Yesterday was an exhausting day.

We were jam packed in the afternoon with appointments. There was not one free moment from 2 PM until I left. I was spinning so hard that I was beyond tired. And I still needed to meet Catwoman at David's Bridal to help her find the right bridal gown and bridesmaids gowns.

Finding a bridesmaid gown is definitely not the easiest thing to do. Especially with a blonde, a brunette and a redhead in the bridal party. Sounds like a bad joke but it is the truth. What may look good on one will most likely look hideous on another. And since Catwoman has little pageant experience (that will change when she is a Mrs.) it is harder to see that.

After looking at racks of dresses we found one that will compliment each persons coloring and figure. And since I am the only bridesmaid here to help I got to have the fun of helping to pick it out.

Catwoman's gown that she will most likely be getting is breathtaking on her. She is still in debate with her mom on it. But that is typical for a bride to go through. The only thing she needs are boob pads that are ever so famous in my pageant world.

Does any of my pageant pals have any they can share?

The bridesmaids gowns are a latte color. Very light coffee colored brown. They go around the neck, dip down in the front to show cleavage (since I have enough we might as well accent that. LOL!!) and are very simple in the front. The back has the poof that her gown has all around it. Luckily none of us bridemaids has a big butt so it will be flattering.

Now to convince her that clear acrylic shoes are the best choice for all and we will be set.

Sunshine and Subway

That was the main highlight of my day.

I had the chance to meet with Flexigirl for a bit for lunch. Since we work near each other we had time to meet and eat. Also gave us time to catch up which we needed.

We decided to eat out in the sunshine and talk. It was nice to have that simple pleasure in the middle of the day. I went back to the office refreshed and ready to go and tackle cold calls.

Which reminds me. I have found a good way to motivate myself and MDP, my co-worker. She and I love sweets. Our goal for today was to leave at least 20 voice mail messages from our cold calling. Whoever won got a small package of cookies. She beat me by about 5 messages but I got a better treat. I got to write my first Hospital Income policy in Ohio. That was brilliant.

Maybe some sunshine during the day for at least one hour is a positive thing in productivity. I may have to consider more outdoor lunches....

A Little Note On My Desk.....

This is what crossed my desk yesterday. Thought that I would share it with you.

YOU'RE IN SALES
YOU'RE PAID FOR RESULTS
NOT FOR STAYING BUSY
DON'T CONFUSE ACTIVITY WITH ACCOMPLISHMENT

That ticked me off. I have been plenty busy getting into the groove of things and prioritizing my time appropriately. I am still adjusting to this book of business and I feel it is completely rude to call people for marketing in the morning. I rather get other things taken care of in the morning and do marketing calls in the afternoon.

I take this as a slap in the face.

"Motherhood is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."

I received this quote from Catwoman today and wanted to share it with you. Because it is the absolute truth.

As a parent, it is so hard to see your child in pain or sick or hurt. It was not fun to see B not feeling well and running a high fever. He is usually very active and to see him laying on the couch all day was hard. He wanted me next to him the entire time which made it hard for me to get anything done but felt good to be needed.

He is still running a fever today so no day care and no zoo trip for him. He is staying with our friend and her children today so E can get some hours in at work but he will most likely be taking him to the doctor today. There is a virus going around so they said if there is still a fever today to bring him in. He has no ear aches nor does he have any problems with his throat. Just a fever.

Hope that he can feel better by this weekend as we have a fun filled weekend planned.

We Are So PO We Can't Even Afford The "OR"

Yesterday was an extremely rough day. And it fell into today. Sigh....

I went to work as usual. Upbeat and ready to take on the world. I had worked a few hours when Big Mama came in. She is the wife of Mr. Micromanage. She had just had lunch with Mr. Micromanage and wanted to come back to report to me that he was impressed by me. YEAH!! Now maybe he will get off my back. But to be fair, he has not been over my shoulder since Friday so I think that he gets that I know what I am doing. And that I do it with gusto.

Then came the blow. Big Mama asked me if I knew that they hold the first check back. I did not know this nor was I prepared for this. All of the money we set aside for the move has been used and we do not have any left in savings. E got paid last Friday but it was only for two days. Part of that for groceries and the rest for bills.

So I will not get a paycheck until the end of the month. E's next payday is not until next Friday so we will be extremely tight and in a bit of trouble. The middle of the month is when majority of my checking account is hit for bills and there will be no money there. That is not good.

And to add insult to injury, B is sick. He is running a 101 degree fever and I will most likely have to take him to the doctor. One of the little kids at the sitters has strep so there is another test that may have to be done. And I am the one who gets to stay home. It makes sense since E will be getting paid before I do that he goes into work and gets a full check and I will get a shortened check at the end of the month.

I need a sugar daddy. Any applicants out there?!?!?!

Senior Carjacking

I got this e-mail from E and thought it was funny. I have decided to share this with all.

Enjoy your Monday humor.

This is a true account as recorded in the Police Log of Sarasota,
Florida...


An elderly Florida lady did her shopping and, upon returning to her car,
found four males in the act of leaving with her vehicle. She dropped her
shopping bags and drew her handgun, proceeding to scream at the top of her
voice, "I have a gun, and I know how to use it! Get out of the car!! "


The four men didn't wait for a second invitation. They got out and ran like
mad. The lady, somewhat shaken, then proceeded to load her shopping bags
into the back of the car and got into the driver's seat. She was so shaken
that she could not get her key into the ignition.


She tried and tried, and then it dawned on her why... For the same reason
she did not understand why there was a football, a Frisbee and two 12 packs
of beer in the front seat! A few minutes later, she found her own car
parked four or five spaces farther down. She loaded her bags into the car
and drove to the police station to report her mistake.


The sergeant to whom she told the story couldn't stop laughing. He pointed
to the other end of the counter, where four pale men were reporting a car
jacking by a mad, elderly woman described as white, less than five feet
tall, glasses, curly white hair, and carrying a large handgun. No charges
we! re filed. If you're going to have a Senior Moment, make it a memorable
one!

Beautiful Dreams

More vivid dreams. Yet this one was so cool.

I had a dream (sound like MLK?) that I was traveling with friends to see Rome. I could not make the faces out of the people I was with but we were sightseeing and it was spectacular. I had never seen anything like it in my life!!! We went out to eat and had the most wonderful food and had plenty of laughter. It was a beautiful dream.

Went to dreammoods.com and this was part of the interpretation:

Traveling

To dream that you are traveling, signifies the journey toward your life goals and a journey through life in general. that you enjoy what you do and find much pleasure in it.

Dinner

To dream that you are eating dinner with others, signifies your acceptance or others. It is a time to reflect and share past experiences. It also suggests that you see everyone as an equal.

Laughing

To dream that you are laughing, suggests that you need to lighten up and let go of your problems. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Laughing is also a sign of joyous release and pleasure.

I think that it may have to do with one of two things. One is my current work situation. It is enjoyable work but there are a few bugs to iron out. The other is that E and I are considering very seriously embarking on a new business adventure. It is the one that was introduced by Mrs. US Int'l 98 when we met in Dallas in January. She has been involved in this business for over six months now and has been extremely successful. She has NEVER pressured me to become involved in it but she has presented me the opportunity and I have had it in the back of my head for a few months now. Tomorrow is a meeting at her house that includes all of her associates and I am looking to use that opportunity to learn more and see what is the best decision for me.

I believe that I will follow MissOhio92's thought of head, heart, and gut feeling. If it all aligns, it is right but if it does not it is not the right decision yet.

Bring on the Fertility Gods, I am so ready!!!

Last night was the first time in a while that I have held a newborn. And I completely miss it.

My neighbor, Nik, had a baby girl on April Fools Day. Her somewhat husband was to come down on the first to help us unload stuff but got sidetracked due to the birth of their fourth child.

We have been down to their house every day for the past three days. Their middle daughter, Nae, is a friend of B's and she has been dying to have a playdate since we have returned. She came down with her big brother Jar to come get us to come over.

I have not held the baby the first two days because she has always been asleep. I asked if I could hold her yesterday and after a hand washing I was allowed to hold the precious little bean.

My maternal insides stirred and I long for the chance to have a baby again. E and I have been trying for a while now and no luck. I know that God will bless us when the time is right but it is hard. I got pregnant with B so easily and now it has been a full blown challenge. We thought there was a possibility this month but no such luck.

We will be seeing the doctor in July for my annual appointment. If there has been no success by then we are going to ask about Clomid. We have the desire to expand the family, just not the luck yet.

I am hoping now that everything is settling down that we can have some success. So please pray to the fertility gods for some success. Thanks!!

Find A Happy Place.... Find A Happy Place......

I heard this on my first day of work from MDP, my new co-worker, but I did not realize that I would be doing this so fast at the new job.

Don't get me wrong, my new boss is very nice. He has sort of a grandfather type role but he is very set in his ways. And I am very different to this. I have a quirky sense of humor and it does me very well in my industry. But his new name is officially dubbed Mr. Micromanage.

I am a person who cannot be micromanaged. I work better once I am left alone to do what I need to do. BossLady learned that. After she let me go to do what I needed to do, the results came and they came very well. In fact, I just found out that they qualified for the first part of the Las Vegas trip in all four categories. Which is incredible. And I am very happy for them. Today started the first of two cruises. Hope that HB is having a great time!!

Sorry, tangent.

I have had Mr. MicroManage behind me for the whole four days that I have been there. It has been an adjustment coming and not being certain of where my licenses stand. I turned in everything this past Tuesday and am waiting for my official letter. But I can conduct business as usual. But now it is just the matter of letting me get comfortable and adjust to our new clients. Since this is my third round at this I know what I need to do to get clients adjusted to my voice and personality. And I feel that cannot be done properly.

Looks like I will have to bring the wife in to put him in his place. I will give the benefit of the doubt and wait until next week. It may be his way to adjust to someone new. Who knows?

But on the good news side, E has gotten my new shelves up in the closet. I now have more space in the closet for my clothes and I am thrilled. The goal for this weekend is to get all of my clothes organized and in the closets. My goal per day is to get one more tote unpacked and put away. It is coming slowly but surely. It is not like we are moving anytime in the near future. LOL!!!

And for the zinger of my week. The Witch-In-Law wrote to my husband. I am still "and your family". She pretty much BS'ed for the majority of the letter but managed to stick it to me at the end of it. She is obnoxious. I just wish that she would learn the art of leaving us alone. Our lives would be so much better.

First Day on the Job

Sorry my posts have gotten boring. Just have not had a lot of time to have some excitement. Had enough with moving and unpacking tons of totes.

We are still living out of suitcases but I somehow managed to find a pantsuit to wear to my first day to work today. Got B dropped off at the siters. We all agreed that it felt weird. It honestly felt like we had never left. Maybe taken a long vacation but had not left.

Managed to make it to work on time with all of my papers and stuff from the last office. Got in and it was all hustle and bustle. We started out with a morning meeting and just some general housekeeping. Did find out that the office hours were changing. We will be open late on Tuesday and Thursday and half a day on Saturday. I will be the one to stay late on Tuesday and we will be alternating Saturdays. I get the first one which is okay with me.

Did get a few things at this office that I have never had. I got my own voice mail box and I am getting a key fab. How special am I?!?!?!

Now if we can get everything else straightened out with my licenses we will be in business.

I am still trying to figure out how I will fit into this office. I knew my place at the first office I was at and was guided into my place at the second office. Now I am on to the third office and I am trying to figure it all out. I hope that it will all come together soon.....

Back in Ohio and Exhausted as Ever!!!

It has been a long couple of days but alas we are back. And here is a recap of our time:

Wednesday: We finished up cleaning the rental house from top to bottom so our landlords would be pleased with the way that we left the house. We came in to a nice house and we left it in great condition. The landlord came over and walked the home with us. There were a few things that needed to be cleaned a little bit better but he understood what was going on in our lives. We were supposed to pay a reletting fee for breaking the contract early. However, the landlord was nice enough to let us use our deposit and asked us to pay the difference. That was extremely kind of him. Once that was complete, we were on the road. E in the Expedition and B, the cat and I in the Mazda 6. We drove for about 9 hours on the first day through a mix of rain and sunshine and via walkie talkie communication and stopped in Arkadelphia for the first overnight stay. Got a very restless sleep and were up early again.

Thursday: Drove for about 5 hours and decided to stop for a bit of sightseeing. We stopped in Jackson, TN at Casey Jones' museum and old country town. We toured the home and some of the trains that he had driven. The history there was incredible. We took about two pictures before the camera battery went dead. So much for road trip photos. We stopped in the old fashioned restaurant there for a buffet lunch. E was thrilled with the down home country cooking that they had. I found some stuff to eat and we had a nice lunch. B was starting to get tired and cranky so we headed out shortly after that. B crashed in the backseat for a few hours and we headed back on the road. Drove 7 more hours and only had one major pull over. That was when the tire on the trailer went low. So E had a tire to change. It threw us off a bit but we recovered our timing. We stopped in LaGrange, KY for the night and I crashed hard.

Friday: We were back up and on the road early after breakfast at the hotel. We were only an hour away from Ohio and we were excited. Once we crossed the Ohio border I was on the phone with my mom. Once she did her happy dance over the phone I got off the phone and concentrated on getting home. Called Flexigirl to let her know we were in Ohio and she was tickled. We finally got into Columbus and it started to rain hard. Got back to the house and came in to the place. B remembered the outside of the house and he started adjusting to the inside again. I thought that he would remember it but I guess not. The house was cold and there was still a bunch of stuff in the house that belonged to our tenant. We were greeted by Te Te and Lolo (our sitters and neighbors)and all the kids that B will be with during the day. The brought a small food package for us and we were happy to see them. Then we had visitors throughout the day. Our neighbors from across the street stopped by along with their children and my parents were soon to follow. We headed out to Vaquero's for some real Mexican food. Ran into Cuco (the owner) and he was happy to see us also. Felt good to be welcomed back.

Saturday: Since the trailer was dropped off on Friday we got a start on it early in the morning. E and dad started with the light stuff then Catwoman and Z-man came over to help. Shortly after Flexigirl, Coach Fogel, ALF and KaylaT were over to help move more stuff. We also had Megs, Grey & Cheyn over to move stuff too followed by Tam (another neighbor girl). We managed to have everything unpacked by noon and by one the pizza was here to thank everyone for helping out. We were blessed with all of the help that we received and the fact that they took the time to be there meant the world. Mostly everyone left by two o'clock and we had visitors stop by throughout the rest of the day.

It is very odd. We have been away from here for seven months. After yesterday it feels like we never went anywhere. Like it was all a dream. Or a nightmare. Take your pick.

The thing that got me the most was the activity in the house. In Texas, we had maybe a handful of visitors in the house at a time. We had all the kids palying in the living room and mass chaos going on and it was so welcome to hear it. For the kids in the neighborhood, our house was a hang out place. And it looks like it will be again. Now if we can get some good weather, we can hit our park.

It is good to be home.

Saturday: