Motherly Law

The Sign Said to Take a Chance: Well, Here Goes.... {A New Business}

A Chance

The sign said, "Take at Least One." At the bottom of the piece of paper were little tabs to rip off that usually have contact information listed. This one had little tabs with just two words... "A Chance." I don't know who pinned this sign up on the Caribou Coffee bulletin board, but I thought it was clever and it got me to thinking.

Was this a sign I should be paying attention to? Have I taken many risks lately? Am I putting myself out there enough? What's too risky? What's not risky enough? Does it mean I'm not taking risks if I have to ask these questions?

Risky Business    

Honestly, I feel like that the last two years have been one risk after another with the start of launching Motherly Law in March of 2010. I have put myself out there, utterly exposed and vulnerable, in cyberspace and in the tangible space too. I have tried this and that. I have strived to grow as a writer and thinker and doer.

Then, after Will found himself in search of a job, under circumstances not of our choosing, we decided to pursue entrepreneurship and grow a business in social media consulting. Now, recall that I'm an independent contractor for a legal publisher and a freelance writer.

This is no life for the weak. This is a life of no regular paychecks; no benefits of any kind. There is little assurance of anything.

Well, I have decided to take another "chance." I am launching a new business today {in addition to everything we are doing}. I am now......hold onto your hats....this is going to surprise you....a Norwex Independent Sales Consultant. I know, I know; I, myself, am still shocked when I step back and think about this statement. Now, wait, bear with me. I'm going to answer your questions: 1) What the Heck is Norwex? 2) Why this Product? and 3) Why Now?

What the Heck is Norwex?

Norwex's mission statement is this: To improve the quality of life by radically reducing the use of chemicals in personal care and cleaning.

Norwex cloths are an antibacterial microfiber. To use the cloths for cleaning all kinds of surfaces and spots and stains, simply add water. Nothing more is needed. How is this possible, you ask? Well, the microfiber cloth goes beyond surface clean because there is a silver-based inorganic antimicrobial agent physically and chemically bonded to the fiber of the cloth. The microfiber picks up and locks in the odor-causing/illness-causing bacteria into the fibers and the silver agent destroys the bacteria.

These cloths eliminate cross-contamination on surfaces or hands; are easy to use, launder when needed and use again; will reduce the amount of chemicals your family uses and absorbs; and cleans really well.

The cleaning products are enzyme-based and continue to work on a surface until all material to be cleaned away is gone and then the cleaner itself breaks down to Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen. These enzymes are naturally occurring and are not at all harmful to humans, pets or plants.

Additionally, there are personal care cloths for the bathroom that gently exfoliate your skin and clean makeup {including mascara} from your face without the use of soap and softer, gentler cloths for kids and babies. There are even cloths for your pets and much, much more. For additional information {and believe me there is additional information} go to the FAQ page on my website.

Why This Product?

I am passionate about these products. Norwex has already changed the way I clean; and more importantly it has changed the way I think about cleaning solutions filled with chemicals.

This sounds trite and canned, but it's the absolute truth. Since getting our Norwex products, Will and I have not wanted to stop cleaning and trying Norwex products out on various stains, spots and hard to reach grime; cleaning counters, floors, toilets, appliances and skin {there are bath towels too}; you name it. Our Norwex products have stood up to each task presented and have not let us down.

The first thing I cleaned with my Norwex Envirocloth was the dining room rug below Darling 1's chair. Bless his heart; he is the messiest eater no matter how hard he tries not to be. There are always spots and stains beneath his seating area. I have tried to get the spots up with various cleaners. I took the Envirocloth, got it wet, wrung it out and started scrubbing the spots on the rug. Every last one of them came up with ease. The rug looked brand new; and I was sold.

And that was just the start. I think it will revolutionize the way you view cleaning your home, your clothes and your body as it has done for us.

Why Now?

To be frank with you, and you know I always am, we need to increase our income so that we can focus on building Will's business and my writing portfolio; our passions. But I also look forward to the challenges of improving my communication skills and presentation style. I am excited about gaining business acumen. And I honestly believe these products will save time and money, promote health and better the environment.

The Scoop {This Part is Important}

So, here I go, starting the New Year with a Clean slate, so to speak, and taking "A Chance." If you love me or even if you just slightly tolerate me any and all support and encouragement is much appreciated. One way to support me is to Like my Anna Berend – Norwex Independent Sales Consultant Facebook Fan Page and/or Follow me on Twitter @AnnaBerend. Another way to support this endeavor is to check out my Norwex website: annaberend.norwex.biz.

If you are interested in hosting a party {there are really great gifts involved, plus it's a fun gathering of your friends} or you just want to learn more about these products and why I love them so much, please email me at acberend@gmail.com or leave a comment below. I would love to talk to you. I am hosting a launch party on Sunday, January 15^th. If you would like to attend let me know {evites will be going out soon to those whose addresses I have}.

As soon as I get my URL approved, I will launch my accompanying blog that will regale you on achieving a new State of Clean with Norwex product reviews and the philosophy and science behind these products, etc. So, stay tuned for that information in the near future.

Ready or not, here I come 2012. Oh, and Katy, stop laughing. I know; I'm eating my words. Over and out....

Anna

The List: The Social Media Addict’s Christmas List

You might be a Social Media Junkie if you have any of these items in your or on your Wish List. If you don't understand what these gifts are or why anyone would want them, you aren't a key Social Media Player {sorry to break it to you}. Either way, if you or someone on your Christmas List is Social Media Consumed then you're going to want to check out this List. If for nothing else, it's worth a chuckle. I, for one, think these items are Fabulously Social Media Geeky Chic, which is the look I'm going for these days!

Check out these ultra cool finds: 

1. "Follow Me" Tights by tattoo socks. These cool tights come in several shades and lengths and each with the familiar tweeting bird and "Follow Me" request are good for a laugh and probably a few follows on Twitter too. The other tights on this site are really cute too {in case you haven't been bitten by the Social Media Bug}, but my heart belongs to Twitter.
2. Twitter Handle & Hashtag Jewelry by Survival of the Hippest and Blend Creations *See Discount Code Below. Find necklaces in several styles at these links. I like the SATC "Carrie" style the best, but it all depends on your style. Use @ plus handle or # plus handle, word or phrase at both sites. Hmmmm....let's see simply @MotherlyLaw or @Motherlylaw <3 @Will_OpenDoorSM, perhaps or maybe #PhoneDownEyesUp...
3. QR Code or Emoticon Cufflinks by Blend Creations. So debonair; so dashing; something every #SM gent should have. To me, the QR Code links offer a more sophisticated look. These tiny barcodes are actually encoded with a secret message of your choosing too. *See Discount Code Below
4. Social Media Icon Throw Pillows by Craftsquatch. I love these colorful decorative pillows. Whether outfitting your office, game room, bedroom or play room I would think that every Social Media Addict would have a room for these soft icons.
5. MiFi from Novatel Wireless. This handy gadget allows you to have a wireless internet connection anywhere you happen to be. In fact, you can connect up to 5 wireless enabled devices at one time, including cameras, computers, music players, game players, etc. It's small; it's safe; it's great for travel; working remotely, etc.
6. Tec Touch Gloves found at Dick's Sporting Goods and other locations. For those of us in the colder regions of the planet, these warm gloves allow for tweeting, phoning, texting, game playing and any other touch screen application necessary for smartphones and/or tablets. The special "pods" on the thumb and index finger of these gloves allow for easy operation of touch screen technology without taking glove off. Nice!
7. EatTweet, a Twitter Cookbook (in photo above) available locally at Kitchen in the Market or at eat-tweet.com. All recipes are in the form of tweets; that is, 140 characters or less and were originally tweeted out by the cookbook author, Maureen Evans who goes by @cookbook on Twitter. Very cool and a bit challenging; one must be careful not to get lost in the translation.

What's on your list?

*UPDATE: This just in...Blend Creations is offering Motherly Law readers 15% off orders of $50+ until 12/31. Use the promo code: MotherlyLaw (not case-sensitive); Crazy Cool!

I just had to get this posted even though I ran out of time on Sunday, cuz I like this stuff, but I will be posting a Recipe from my #VirtualCookieRecipeExchange later today. Over and out...

Anna

 

A Mother’s 12 Days of Christmas Tidings of Comfort & Joy or Something Like That {with Liberal Use of Christmas Carol Titles}

Where are You Christmas decorations? I thought I remembered where I stored all the delicate baubles, homemade macaroni angels, and maimed and repaired ornaments of Christmases past. I hear the Silver Bells ringing in some forgotten corner of the basement, as the Jolly Old St. Nicholas sits high on the shelf laughing big belly laughs at me.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow 'cause Mama found the decorations and we're gonna Deck the Halls while I hum fa la la la along with Frankie and Bing streaming through Pandora. This will drown out the tinkling of breaking glass as the Boys argue over who gets to hang Mommy's Favorite, Special, Very Old Ornament on our O Tannenbaum.

Baby, It's Cold Outside; you can't go outside without your pants on. Well, at least put your boots on and shut the door, or we'll be having a White Christmas in the house.

No, you can't keep Frosty the Snowman's heart in the freezer until next year.

Joy to the World! That super terrific, gotta-have-it, on-the-top-of-the-list toy is still available on Amazon, and if I pay just 19.95 in shipping, it's almost guaranteed to make it by Christmas Eve.

Do You Hear What I Hear? That's right. Nothing. It's a Silent Night at last! Mama's the only one awake. Now it's time to whip into action and clean the house, pay the bills, send the emails, wash the dishes, wrap the presents, bake the cookies and.....

Santa Claus is Coming to Town and when he does, he'll be riding 6 white horses. Oh, wait...That's a different story. Well, Santa Baby is keeping a list and he's checking it twice!

Oh, I'll be Home for Christmas and spring break and Easter.... Who can afford to escape to some exotic location or even get away to Grandma's House with these prices?

My Little Drummer Boy has been drumming for 2 straight hours now, and now his brother is ringing the Jingle Bells. What about giving the gift of silence?

What Child Is This? This child putting away toys, sitting at the table and quietly eating while seated in his chair, clearing dishes from the table, going to bed the first time and not arguing with his brother; could it be my child? Impossible, but no, it is my child! Why, it must be The Miracle of Christmas!

Here we come a wailing..uh, I mean a wassailing. Ah, the unpredictability of a 3 year-old!

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear that mama remembered she hadn't bought the teacher a gift yet with only few hours left before the start of the last day before winter break. Hopefully, she won't mind a little re-gifting and maybe she won't notice the box of chocolate is missing 2 of the 6 pieces. If she's a mom, she'll understand.

We wish you a Merry Christmas season from our house to yours as we begin the countdown... Don't worry I still have something to rant about on my soapbox...maybe tomorrow. Over and out...

Anna

 

 

 

A Fine How Do You Do: Theft or Slip of the Mind? {On a Soapbox}

Where to Draw the Line

It's against the law to take anything you haven't paid for from a store. It doesn't matter whether the item cost $2 or $20,000; it's still a crime. Some people do steal. And when they do they should be punished. But sometimes people make a simple mistake. Sometimes it's just a slip of the mind.

Should that person still be punished? Or should that person be able to pay for the item that he or she forgot to pay for, but meant to, and go on about his or her business?

Before you answer that question, let me tell you a story.

Welcome to Hawaii

A family moves from CA to HI, after a few weeks, they are still trying to figure out their new surroundings. The mom, dad and almost 3 year old daughter take the bus to the grocery store, getting lost in the process, finally arriving at a Safeway.

The mom is 30 weeks pregnant. She is famished; the whole family is hungry since they got lost and their trip to the grocery store took much longer than expected. As they shop, they pick up two chicken salad sandwiches, open the packages, saving the wrappers for the checkout line, and eat the sandwiches in plain view.

The family finishes shopping, pays for their groceries and exits the store. At this point, store security approaches them. It is at this point that the couple realizes they forgot to pay for the sandwiches they ate. They offer to pay the $5 for the sandwiches, but are taken to the manager's office.

Again, they try to pay for the sandwiches, explaining what happened. The manager refuses to allow them to pay for the sandwiches, citing store policy regarding theft. Instead, the store manager called the police. Four hours later, the police arrive.

The police arrested the mom and the dad, and child protective services arrived to take the almost 3 year old into custody. The mom kept her composure until her little girl was gone. At that point, she became hysterical, got sick and threw up due to her concern for her child who had never spent a night away from them.

The police booked them, took mug shots and then released the two on a $50 bond each. The parents walked back to Safeway, retrieved their groceries and walked home. At this point, it was almost midnight. The couple sat up that night waiting for the first minute they could get their daughter back. Eighteen hours after their little girl was taken from them, she was returned.

They retained an attorney. And at the attorney's advice went to the media about this. Safeway's corporate office is backpedaling fast.

My Take

Where's the humanity? I got sick to my stomach and tears welled up in my eyes as I read this account. I placed myself in this mom's shoes and I know that could have very well have been me. My heart went out to her thinking about her child being taken away from her by a person who her daughter did not know, having never spent the night away from mom and dad.

Who among us, especially while pregnant, has not opened a package of food for us or our child while shopping? And who among us, especially while pregnant, has not had a slip of the mind while running errands, particularly with a child?

I am all for punishing crimes; crimes of any degree. But there was no intent here; there was no crime here.

Safeway, have a heart; have some decency; listen to your paying customers. They may have a valid explanation. I don't have any Safeways around me, but you can bet your beans that if I did, I wouldn't give them any of my business ever again.

Safeway, this is the kind of debacle people remember. This kind of thing makes me fighting mad! Let me tell you another story, with a different flavor.

Several days ago, I saw a tweet from someone that said her aunt in MA was having back trouble and had phoned her local grocery store and asked if they could help her out. They took her list, shopped, checked out, bagged and delivered her groceries to her; all just because they value their customers.

I tweeted this woman's niece to ask her what grocery store it was. She said it was a small, local store and they didn't even have a website, but she was volunteering to create one for them since they had been so nice to her aunt.

Now that's good customer service. Trust others; give people the benefit of the doubt; have some humanity! You just might be wearing the other shoe one day and need human kindness yourself. Now, how would you answer the question? Theft or slip of the mind? Over and out...

Anna

 

Layaway: Strapped Shopper’s Good Deal or Stealing from the Consumer?

When I think back to my childhood, I recall saving up for things; I recall collecting points for items; and I recall putting things on layaway. It was a way to make sure you got the toy or piece of furniture or coat or whatever it was that you wanted without paying for it all at one time. Credit cards weren't used as freely as they are now, at least not in the world I grew up in.

To put something on layaway, you had to pay a small amount d own and perhaps a small fee and then you could make payments on your items in small increments or in a lump-sum payment. I don't remember layaway lasting more than a couple of month for each item. It was great for Christmas gifts, school clothes and larger ticket items. I even used layaway during my second year of college when I got my first apartment and needed to buy some items like a vacuum cleaner, bar stools and such.

As credit cards gained in popularity over the last 20 years, layaway began to fade away. Instead, people were able to have instant gratification when purchasing with the almighty credit card. Oh, yes, we were paying for it in interest, but we were able to live the lives we wanted rather than what we could afford.

While we still live in a world ruled by credit, people have been forced to live more within their means due to our sour, stagnant economy. This is not a bad thing. In fact, it's one of the few good things about our economy. However, there are also many who are just barely getting by, living paycheck to paycheck.

Those people still want to be able to buy their kids Christmas gifts or a new, warm coat or a new table for the dining room or a bed or other item they need without charging up credit cards. This is where layaway comes in. They can pick out the items today, pay a little from each check and be sure that in a few months they'll have paid for their holiday gifts or have outfitted their family for the winter or replaced old, broken furniture with new, etc.

Well, layaway is on the comeback with a number of large retail stores offering it to customers in this pre-holiday season. I recently read an article in The Week with excerpts from Mr. Hyman's NY Times article stating that the financing of layaway is much worse than using credit cards. Here's the example he gave, paraphrased by me:

A mom goes to buy Christmas gifts for her kids which total $100. She puts them on layaway, paying $10 down bringing her total owed down to $90, but then she has to pay a $5 service fee. She has basically two months to pay off the $90 remaining and has spent $15 already; paying just $5 more than what it would have cost her if she hadn't put it on layaway.

Mr. Hyman complains that the rate paid by this fictitious mom could be considered "predatory." Mr. Hyman equates this $5 fee for a $90 two month loan to a credit card with a 44% annual percentage rate. He complains that companies like Wal-Mart, Toys R Us and Sears are taking advantage of shoppers who are low on cash and credit.

I don't see it that way. I am in no way a fan of extra fees or high interest rates, but if by paying $5 extra dollars, it meant that I could afford the items my Darling Boys were dreaming of Santa bringing them for Christmas, then I would happily put the toys on layaway and pay the measly $5.

If the alternative was waiting until the last minute when I had saved up enough money to go shopping on Christmas Eve praying there would still be choice toys available, $5 is not a big price to pay. Additionally, if and when credit cards are used, often times a person uses it over and over and racks up so much debt that the fees and interest paid greatly exceeds $5 in the end. I would always choose layaway over a credit card.

What do you think? Are you a fan of layaway or do you side with Mr. Hyman? Is paying the $5 fee better than racking up more debt on credit cards; debt you may not be able to pay off right away, which means paying much more in interest? Over and out...

Anna