Kids Say the Darndest Things!

Whenever the kids say something that make me giggle, bust up laughing or stop me in my tracks and say "wait WHAT?!"  I will share them with you. My kiddos are my world and I love how their little brains work.

ASA

While Greg was getting ready for bed after his bath he went into his room and told him "ok buddy time to get in your pi's" Asa responded with "daddy I sleep in my body" Greg said "Well of curse body you can not sleep in your body but we have to get in your pjs."Asa responded with "No daddy I sleep in my body" Insert hand movements to show off his naked body. Greg figured out what he wanted and busted up laughing. He wanted to sleep naked. Oh boys! HAHA

Jaelynn

New Adventures

Every year we encounter my changes and new adventures. Whether it is with our children’s activities, education or in our own personal life maybe it is a new job, or responsibilities.  We as humans are always changing, evolving, improving and challenging ourselves right?! Well for me this year has been about making a difference. I have taken many steps to do this both in my personal and family life as well as in my professional life. Let me explain.

So within my family life I have taken on the role as a homeschool teacher. This is something that I have grown passionate about and I look forward to this crazy journey. This decision has also impacted my personal life.  I have made the conscious decision to give up that free time during the day to spend more time one on one with my kids. Help them to grow and to become the amazing little people that I know they can be. In return I have made a deal with my husband that I will get to have one night a week to myself or with my girl friends outside of my “work”. This is a big move for my family and I am so excited about it. I know I have shared some about the HS journey and I really cannot wait to dive in and share it all with you!

Now for my professional life I recently was asked to volunteer my time to help a charity that means a lot to me. This charity is called Hackers For Charity.  They are amazing, and I am truly blessed to be a part of the home front team. HFC is located in Uganda, and is truly making an impact there. Here is a blurb from their website “Picking on charities is just plain rude. Thankfully, that’s not what we’re about. We’re about proving that hackers have amazing skills that can transform charitable organizations. We support the organizations that step into the gap to feed, educate and provide for the world’s most vulnerable citizens. We are virtual, geographically diverse and different. We are Hackers for Charity.” How amazing is that?! So what is my “job”? Well it is to ship orders out to people in the USA. Orders of hand made leather goodies made by the men and women in Uganda. They are making beautiful wallets, journals, business card sleeves, key chains, bracelets, iPhone covers and so much more. So WHEN you buy one or ten of these amazing and beautiful products they will be hand made in Uganda shipped to me in the US and I will ship them off to you. How cool is that! My goal is to eventually make it out to Uganda and Meet these talented men and women. 

My professional life will continue to be busy as I am looking to start a Girl Talk Chapter in my area. Girl Talk is a partner with Thirty-One Gives and is an organization that every girl needs in their life. Girl Talk is here for girls in Jr. High to find the strength, comfort, love and support they need to be themselves as they move into high school. They get this from a high school senior and myself. High school is a hard transition for anyone but especially girls.  Girls in this day and age are looked at and judged in so many ways. Add in social media and it just makes it harder to be the true you, be accepted and to learn to love yourself. Girl Talk’s Mission “To help young teenagers build self-esteem, develop leadership skills, and recognize the value of community service.” I feel very strongly about this organization as I have a daughter and I remember how hard it was to be a teen.  I want girls to grow up viewing themselves as amazing and beautiful inside and out! I cannot wait to touch the lives of these girls and to see how the new GT Chapter gets started and grows.

I look forward to these new opportunities and being able to touch the lives of so many.  I pray that everyone takes on new adventures this year (I know it is not the new year but it is never to late). God has put it on my heart to touch the lives of others and I am excited to do that. If you follow me on Facebook you may see me talking a lot about the things mentioned above as well as some powerful fundraisers I have either set up or in mind through Thirty-one. Keep an eye out for these!

Thirty-one has opened many doors for me and has introduced me to many amazing people. I am excited to return the favor and open the doors for many people and make a difference in lives!

Please take the time now to check out my new partners and the new adventures I am going on.

Hackers For Charity (HFC): http://www.hackersforcharity.org

Girl Talk: http://www.mygirltalk.org

Thirty-One: https://www.mythirtyone.com/jennicaA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennica1

If you would like to get involved with either of these amazing organizations, learn more about what they do and what I do with them, Or would like to make a change for your personal life please contact me and I will be happy to help you and point you in the right direction! Thank you and God Bless!

Dream It BE It!

When you think of conference what do you think of? Do you think of long classes, cold rooms, a lot of people, hustle and bustle; or do you think of inspiration, love, friendships, growth, challenges, amazing speakers and classes? If you think of the first group then you have never been to a Thirty-one Conference!

I just got back from a three-day amazing adventure with 15,000+ women and men from our consultant field and our Home Office team. These three days where filled with so much support, love, compassion, laughter, tears, inspiration, and amazing speakers and facilitators. It is impossible to truly express everything that I experienced but I will do my best to try.

Night we got in: Greg and I got registered and then met up with some of my best friends, support system, and team. I cannot tell you how excited, sad and happy I am to see some of these girls. I only get to see a couple of them once a year and trust me, that sucks! The sad part is that I know I will have to leave them in a few days.  We had dinner at a local restaurant then went and got settled in at my brother’s home. Greg and I got the privilege of spending the nights with my brother and sister-in-law. So not only did I get to see my girls I got to spend extra time with my family.

Day 1: Day one is known as Director’s Day. This is an opportunity for Directors and above to come together and share their love for this amazing company, learn statistic, get some advance training and get a special gift from Cindy Monroe herself. This year we got a beautiful round pendent that says “Dream It” (with a sapphire gem) on one side and “Be It” with “2014” on the other side.  Afterwards many ladies gathered for Super Day where they receive additional training from some amazing speakers. I did not attend Super Day this year however I plan to attend next year.

Day 2: We all gathered for General Session. Here, we got to hear some amazing tips, tricks, and gain some awesome inspiration from Home Office Staff and Cindy Monroe. We also got to hear Leigh Ann Tuohy speak about how we have to look past the surface of people and see the inner beauty. She spoke about her experience stopping the car and picking up Michael Orr without thinking twice. They gave him the opportunity to succeed and to be loved for the first time in his life.  This was a great message of love and opportunity. We also got to see the BRAND NEW CATALOG! Which I have to say is stunning; I am so excited to share it with everyone.

After General Session we went off to our classes. The classes offered at the conference are both fun and informative. There are three classes in total that we attend. It’s so cool to learn from leaders just like us. =) Greg also got to attend a class led by Scott Monroe This class was a great opportunity for Greg to learn a little more about what we do and why we do it.

Day 3: We started the day off with Praise and Worship lead by Scott Monroe and his awesome band. I truly loved this time because this company was founded and runs on faith. I am so blessed to work with a company who is faith based and loves to give back.  Its an awesome feeling to know that you can praise the Lord for all your accomplishments among your fellow team members and the Home Office Staff and not be looked at funny or get in trouble.

After Praise and Worship we had another General Session where we got to learn a little more from our Home Office Staff as well as fellow consultants. We also got to hear from Bridget Brennan Author of "Why She Buys". It was fun to gain insight into how women think and see the world. While I am a woman, we don't always view ourselves properly. Oftentimes others see us differently then how we see ourselves and can provide us with valuable insight. So it was cool to learn a few things from her.

After general session we rushed off to get dressed up for awards night dinner. This year we got to celebrate three Senior Directors, and three Directors from our team Upline, Downline, and Sideline. I am so proud of each of these girl’s amazing accomplishments! All six of you are amazing. We also got to celebrate that our SED and a Fellow Director on my sideline are both in the new CATALOG, which is a huge accomplishment. Additionally,  we celebrated two ladies getting to be on Leadership Council which is another great achievement. There are so many rock star ladies on our team and I am blessed to work side-by-side with each of them. Way to rock it!!

These three days were much more then just general sessions, classes and speakers. It was friendships, shopping, sneak peeks, laughter, connections, and celebrations. We got to party, dance, sing, praise, meet home office "celebrities", and just have an amazing time.

I never in a million years, would have thought that I would work in direct sales and love it as much as I do. Thirty-one has changed my life in many ways and I can't wait to help others experience this amazing journey.

I would like to share some photos from this magical trip to National Conference in Columbus Ohio 2014! Maybe next year YOU will get to join me!

Awards night with my Director Jenna and my girl Amanda, Our husbands came out to show their love and support. Jenna walked the Stage for SD and Amanda D!

My SED Kristen Brininstool. Look for her beautiful Face in the new Fall Catalog! Love this girl!

Rachel and I got to finally see the catalog and look who we found; our girl Oakley!!!!! Way to go girl

All the directors on Inspiring Teams. Our ED couldn't make it so we brought her along =) 

My two BFFs  Awards night silliness.

Look who earned their Pink Weekenders and crystal plaques! Jenna, Rachel, and Kim!!

Anthony from Home office. He is our numbers guy. WOOPWOOP! 

Look who earned their Cindy Totes. Our directors Amanda, Heather, and Paula! Way to go ladies!!

Mike Clouse (I think he is the best Lead Coach there is!) 

Erin, Alexis Spence (girl we miss you!), Jenna, Paula, and me The five of us are together again. 

Rachel and I right next to the stage with Scott on stage! 

Our SED team. 

The girls on my team who made it to conference (minus Brandi) Love you girls

Anna Schuler, Executive Director of Product and Merchandise. Thank you for all the amazingness you and your team design!

Gretchen Manmiller,NED.

Rachel and I up front with 15,000 ladies behind us =)

Jenna, Heather, Amanda and John Tongol (Lead Coach)

My 31BFF Rachel, Home Office Kate Hannum-Rose,  my life long BFF Amanda, and me at Awards Night. Rachel and Amanda Got to walk the stage!

So who is going to join us next year?

National Conference will be in Denver and Columbus in 2015! Hope to see you there. =)

#31nationalconference  #thirtyone #share31 #partyoftheyear 

We went to DC for the 4th!

So my husband I got this crazy idea, that we would head to Washington DC with our two kiddos for the Fourth Of July. It was for our 5 year old daughter. She LOVES to learn anything about the presidents. So we decided that this would be the perfect trip for her, and it was!

We expected it to crazy, packed full of people, non-stop craziness and over crowded. This was not the case. It was very enjoyable trip and one we will take again.

Our trip began on the 3rd in the afternoon. We headed from our home in PA towards DC. We decided to take a little detour and stop by the memorial of Flight 93. This has been on my list of places to vist for a while now. It was breath taking, emotional and well thought out; and it's not even completed yet! The kids asked us a bunch of questions and were very respectful. It was a great start to our weekend getaway. We can't wait to vist the site again in the future when it is completed.  If you ever get the chance to stop by and check it out please do so. Take the time to pay respect to these fallen heroes.

On the 4th we got up early enjoyed our breakfast then headed down to Constitutional Ave. we walked up and down the street enjoying that sites. When we found the perfect spot we hung there with the kiddos. They played on the grass until the parade was about to start. We enjoyed the parade however we felt it was a little long and will probably not attended it again in the future. We felt it was a bit lack luster, it was made up of mostly high school marching bands. But we can now say we have done it =)

After the parade we headed over to the Washington monument. The one thing about this that made me mad was the fences. You had to go in to a check point (which was a joke) and then you are trapped, one way in and one way out. Made for way more walking then necessary, which is hard on kids. But we enjoyed seeing the Washington monument, Lincoln memorial, The Vietnam War, WWI and WWII memorials. The kids eyes lit up when they climbed those steps and saw Abe. This one the one thing they really really wanted to see! The highlight for them was seeing Abe then at the base of his memorial was a big huge long puddle. And they ran back and forth in that for 15 min and got soaked.  From there we went back to our hotel, we and to make a pit stop to pick cherries from the trees in front of the hotel, then we got cleaned up and went to dinner at Fogo De Chao. Jaelynn was in meat heaven lol. She tried everything they had and some of it she tried twice. Asa however was more into the salad bar (good things kids 6 and under are free). We wrapped up the night with the amazing Fireworks. I have seen a lot of fireworks in my life and these are the best I have ever seen. The even beat the Disney Fireworks (not the light show)

Do you feel like you are Failing?

Have you ever felt like you are failing, falling, going a little crazy, or that you are the worst mom on the planet? Well you are not alone! I am pretty sure every mom has those feelings at one point or another. The trick is to give it to God. Chances are you are not failing your family at all!

We have days when we wake up and it is just a bad day. Nothing seems to be going right. We have days when we want to quite, need a break or just want to get away. If you have not yet felt this way then you are a a truly magical person and I need your secret. =)

Here is the truth. Being a mom/wife is HARD. I don't care what anyone says. This is a job that demands you to be so many things. A cook, a maid, a taxi driver, a nurse, a counselor, a friend, a companion, a magician,  a performer, and they list goes on and on. There are days that we would like to do nothing, call in sick or have a day off. We don't get that luxury. We don't have sick days. So let me tell you something you are NOT failing! You are amazing! You are beautiful! You are a rock star! You are a daughter of God!

Growing up when I had a bad attitude or was just grumpy, my parents would tell me to head back up to bed and lay there then get up and start the day all over agin. We as adults (moms) need to do this at times as well. When you wake up with that chip on your shoulder, when everything seems to be going wrong, the kids are at each other and you can't seem to make the day go your way, climb back into bed lay there, connect with God, then get up and start your day all over again. It doesn't matter what time of the day it is, just take that moment to reconnect. Give yourself a Mommy Time Out, go ahead you are aloud.

Embrace each day as a gift, take each challenge as a growth challenge. Give your heartache, your feeling of failing to God. He will lift you up and give you the joys that are all around you. Your positive energy will rub off on your kiddos and your hubby. The atmosphere of your home will change. Enjoy this ride called motherhood. YOU ARE AMAZING!! xoxo

Proverbs 31:10-30

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.  Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.  She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.  She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.  She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.  She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.  She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.  She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.  She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.  In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.  She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.  When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.  She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.  Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.  She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.  She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.  She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.  She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.  Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:  "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."  Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.