Having more fun with the Holidays!

I am running a great enrollment special right now!  If you join my team from November 1st through December 31st and qualify (get $1,000 of sales) in the first 45 days, I will refund your enrollment kit fee ($99)!  You could easily reach this $1,000 with just a few parties!  It could even be a catalog or online party.  If you have questions about the special or anything else about becoming a consultant shoot me an
e-mail and I would be glad to answer any questions. I would love to have you on my team, the Bowers Bombshells!! Thats right we are Da Bomb!!!

Leadership and my WHY?!

I have been taking a leadership training, nothing too major, just something that my team offered and I joined. I was excited to receive the email asking me to participate. I have lots of leadership roles in my short career time and being given another opportunity is exciting. One of the things we talked about alot was building and taking care of the team our on way and which way would it be. I have to say my team is relaxed, I dont try to tell them how to run their business, however I do give them ideas, share what I am doing with my business, and try to reach out to them to make sure everything is running smoothly.

It's not my business, just my team. I am here to listen, guide, share, and talk to them. I am not sure to tell them they are doing something wrong or should do it another way. The guidance we have received from our own leader, our Director, has been wonderful. I want to lead by example, I do not want to micromanage or try to put someone down. My team is awesome, one is a great lady I met in May and the other is a co worker that has become a really good friend. They are growing their own teams and I cannot wait to watch them in their roles as leaders.

During our leadership training, we speak alot about our WHY? Why did we want to join Thirty One? Why did we decide to sell totes, purses, bags? Why did we contact the person we did to sign up?

Well when I first started it was really to try to help things at home, my husband has always worked 2 jobs for extra income and had started thinking about a 3rd. This full time position allows him the possibility of that but I didnt want him gone all week long just to have some extra and try to pay our debt down all on his own. I work full time myself and have the girls to worry about. But when speaking and emailing my director Thirty One seemed like a good fit. I make my own hours, choose the days that I can work, choose how much I want to put into it, and get to be home still most evenings with the girls. Also I LOVE the bags, I have alot of them now and my collection keeps growing. (Learn how in my next post!!)

So my WHY started out to pay off debt, then in early April, we decided all my commission would go to our beach fund. So we went to the beach with more than enough because of my parties. Then it went back to debt and now it is on to Christmas. We will be using my commission and Kenny's other jobs to pay for a CASH ONLY Christmas. I so hope that this is realized and happens. I believe it can. I believe that it will.

Now I am counting down until my November parties. I am so excited for them. And once all my commission is paid, I will be shopping for all the wonderful people in my life. So excited for the holidays. So my WHY changes every couple of months, it just depends on my families extra needs, but it comes through, it happens, and my family is always taken care of.

Celebrate and Connect

One more benefit of being a consultant for this great company is our Celebrate and Connect meetings. They give us a chance to meet up with other consultants on our team and to get some one on one training with our director. There may be a day when I am holding these meetings myself. Also at our C&C meetings, we get an item to help our business. Thirty One is always about making it easier for our business to grow.

At this C&C meeting, we were given an item that will be revealed in our NEW spring Catalog in January 2013. This item was given to us so that we can start promoting and booking into the spring months. The item is AWESOME and that is all I can say if you are not a future hostess.

My hostesses in November and December will be presented with a Thirty One Challenge from ME. The bag that I was given is a value of $65, and I would love to share this item with my hostesses. If their parties close with a certain number of bookings I will celebrate my hostess with the same item. This challenge will also be extended to me, can I get people excited enough to want to throw an awesome 31 party? Can I present a good party where they love the products as much as I do? And what gift can I present them with for booking?

One of the best things about the way I run my business, is that since I get items for FREE I love returning the favor to my customers.

I will be doing the same with myself when I host my 3rd Open House in December. Can I get the required number of bookings? Maybe have someone join my team? Extend the love of this great company with anyone that wants the opportunity.

So contact me to host your own home or book/online party and I will share with you the item thats in all of our hands. It is a super great item and I cannot wait to use in my home!!!

 

2 sick kids, no sleep, and teething

This past week has been horrible. We have had plenty of bad nights in our household since having Ava 3 years ago, but this past week ugh! Both girls went down pretty fast with colds. Runny noses. Coughs. Attitudes. Clinginess. Whiny. All of it times 2!!!

Hailey has had a runny nose for about a week or a half, she had a bottom tooth pop through, and now she has a terrible cough.

Ava started with a fever last week, diagnosed with an early ear infection, runny nose, and lots of attitude from not feeling well.

Their days havent really been too bad, its when the sun goes down that all heck seems to break loose in our house. The lack of sleep has made me a bear right along with them. I can usually run off little/no sleep pretty well, I like to think so anyways, however I have my breaking point.

The past 4 nights have gone down like this: girls asleep by 830, Ava back up by 1030 needing water, 1230 Hailey wakes up coughing, 1 or 130, Ava is up for water, 230 Hailey screams for 2 hours or so, Ava in the middle of this screaming wakes up one or more times for more water. We are all up for the day by 6 or 630 and they are off to daycare while I go to work. My hubby, god bless him, is up then goes to work a long shift where he may not sleep there either.

Ava is on day 5 of her medicine and actually woke up smiling like her old self. Hailey's nose is no longer running. Both girls seem happy. However this was at 630 in the morning. Lord only knows what this evening will bring.

I am hoping for a good couple of nights before Hailey has any more teeth come through. It seems like she is good then a tooth really bothers her until it pops through. Ava's ear infection seems to not be bothering her anymore.

So we go from here. I am only wishing for good moments. We all want good moments. The bad ones are okay too, just want my girls to feel better, to play, to not be lumps on my couch. I have enjoyed the snuggle time. But they both snuggle when they are well. I would rather have them playing than on my lap most of the time. I love hearing them laughing together. I love it when Ava yells "come look at us mommy" and they are doing something silly. I am sure it will all be back to normal soon enough. I will be then pulling my hair out wishing that they would just sit for a minute so I can get a break. But life with these two will never have a dull moment, they are already partners in crime together, looking out for each other, and getting into trouble every day with each other.

She's 1!! Our baby is no longer a baby!!

Hailey's 1st birthday was awesome. I took off work and we spent the whole day celebrating her. We had one little hiccup, Ava had come down with a cold and had to be seen by the doctor. Her story ended with ear infection and a cold. So most of our plans for the day disappeared. But Hailey had a good time. She got a good nap taking Ava into town and then riding home with her daddy.

This year has gone too fast. It feels like yesterday we were bringing her home. I went through the whole day telling Kenny what I was doing at that time. I think I remember it all because it was supposed to be my last day of work, then a day of rest, then my scheduled c-section. Since we were having the scheduled c-section, I wasnt prepared for her at all. No bags packed, nothing done for Ava's weekend at Nanny's. I had thought all along, she would come early, my calculations said her due date was October 14th, which meant my c-section on the 21st was 7 days late. But by the doctors numbers she was marked as being born at 38 weeks 5 days. I still argue that she was wrong. Anyways, on the 19th I totally was NOT expecting her. I felt horrible all day, which I did for all 9 months, I had a team lunch at Warm Springs, my team was saying goodbye and making sure I had all my ducks in a row before leaving for 6 weeks.



So when I got home that night and my water broke I was absolutely shocked and unprepared. I called my sister in law, thank goodness for her, she immediately stopped what she was doing, left her family and came to my house. She helped me pack my bag, Ava's bag, yelled at me for not being prepared, and waited with me for Mom/Robbie and Kenny to get here. Kenny put the carseat in mom's car and loaded it up with her bag, toys, and everything under the sun. Erika wished me luck and went home. Kenny and I were off to the hospital.

At 11:44 pm she was taken from me and announced BORN. She came out screaming and screamed the whole time she was in the room with me. By 1 am, we were all in our room and life began with another newborn. So thankful for her to be healthy and no issues.



Home with us


















She's grown so much, so fast. She's saying a few more words, "ice", "momma", "out", "no". I will update her weight/height once she goes for her wellness check. She's been walking for 3 months, off formula, and sometimes sleeps through the night. She loves her chocolate milk.

Now a household with 2 toddlers, running around the house, and having a great time.

My Promotion, Senior Consultant

At the end of September I became an "Independent Senior Consultant" with Thirty One Gifts. How proud am I?? LOTS!!!! This is a huge thing, a surprising thing, something I never expected when I began my career with them in February of this year. My only goal was to get cute totes for the discounted price and try to stay 'active' by submitting a $200 party every 3 months.

Now in October I have a team of 3 ladies that are awesome to work with and the team spirit is awesome. The positivity with this company is unreal. They just pump you up, there is no negativity, there is no 'you didnt do it the right way', its just 'way to go' and 'WOOT WOOT'. Its a nice change. Most companies are about numbers and no doubt so is this company however if you have a bad month, oh well, theres always next month.

My direct is awesome and has really answered every question I had and gotten back to me in a good time frame, there is no 2 week wait, usually a day or two and I have some kind of email or call from her.

I started 'Leadership' training. This training is to help me become a better leader within the company, learn how to train my girls, learn how to grow my team, and learn how to take care of my business the way that I want it.

I am so thankful that Thirty One has come in my life, I have met a great group of Ladies, a family of sisters that are there for me and my family when I need them.

Now on to my goals with Thirty One, maybe one day a director who knows. I would love the opportunity and this company will give me that. I, of course, will be trying to build my team, bringing on more sisters and working with them to become the leader that they would like to be.

This promotion has shown my family one thing, this isnt just a 'hobby', it is building into a nice career that will lead to lots of great opportunities including free trips around the world, gift cards to places like Best Buy, and rewards of free merchandise just for having a party or two and enjoying the company of ladies around my area.

Sooo if you have thought about joining a direct sales company and want to join a great one, a faith based one, a positive one, one that rewards you, and one that will become a family, contact me to join, visit my website and join. It cost me $99 for the beginners kit, and I will never look back, I have already earned that and more in this experience.

Thirty One Gifts Mystery Hostess Party!!!

Join my Mystery Hostess Party

           **for every $20 spent you will receive a chance to win the
Hostess FREE Credit from the party**

Just log onto my website www.mythirtyone.com/kmbowers and order from “Mystery Hostess Party” once the order is received then I will make sure to enter you in the contest

The winner will be selected randomly.

All prints and personalization will be chosen by YOU.

(Any amount OVER the Credit will include tax and shipping fees)

Kristin Bowers

kristinbowers83@gmail.com

www.mythirtyone.com/kmbowers

****If you are not within 20 minutes of my location please make sure you mark ship directly to you, $4 shipping fee, so that you will receive your items quickly****

Big Birthday Party!!!

So this year, I decided to go a little nuts and do A WHOLE LOT for their birthdays and to SPOIL them as much as possible. Ava is a great age, 3, and learning so much and able to do a lot more now than even this time last year. Hailey will be 1 this monh and we celebrated both at one time. We have a huge guest list and I was NOT going to do this twice.

Last year we went to her friend Cari's party and they had face painting and a balloon guy there. They were really awesome.

not happy with strangers but liked her painting
2011

2011 party


So in January or February I emailed and asked a few questions and ended up booking the "Glitterbugz" company. They worked with our date, so glad I booked them months in advance, and I had one thing marked off my list early.

So all year I had been working on ideas and how I wanted everything. This past weekend it went into action. I think everyone had a good time. If they didnt, no one is telling.

The kids all had a great time I am sure, they had a line for the facepainting and balloon guy the whole time they were there.




with her BFFs


Emily


he was a busy man


blowing out her candles with daddy







Cant wait to see what I do next year to make them happy!

I love birthdays, they are a special day, as long as I am living the girls birthdays will be a special day filled with anything and everything they could have dreamed of.

Bottle Free, Formula Free

So after what has seemed forever, we are done with buying formula and bottles. Hailey has only slept through the night 3 times since coming home from the hospital. Most babies by 6 months are sleeping through the night but not our Hailey. It hasnt really bothered me except those couple weeks here and there that I am just flipping exhausted, on the run, work is crazy, and I just want a few hours uninterrupted...well....



Last week she was waking up about 4 times a night, I was switching between formula and water. I would try to give her water first but she wasnt satisfied and would scream so she would get a little bit of formula and go back to sleep. She was also going to sleep her normal time but waking up extremely early. I was getting to the point that something had to change and change quick.

Friday night we were up 3 times and up by 5. She did manage to go back to sleep for a little nap so I got a little shut eye before starting the day. Saturday was their big birthday party (post to come) and she went without a bottle all day, which she had been doing for us for about a week. That evening, I decided, she had gone 18 hours without a bottle or formula it was time to just try the night.



She did okay, up at 330 then at 5, got her back to sleep around 530 and she slept until almost 8. No bottle, only sippy cup of water in the middle of the night. Sunday morning, Kenny and I talked and thought 'cold turkey' is the way to go. We were out of formula anyways and I really didnt want to go get another whole container for her to not want it.

So we are on day 4 of no bottle and no formula. She is sleeping 10x better, getting more food since she is not being supplemented by the formula, and she doing great with milk.

Its been two months!

So Ava has been potty trained for two months now. All I can say is "Yippee" for only having one in diapers now. She has been doing great.

It amazes me how quickly she figures something out once SHE wants to do it. We have not really been pushing the issue because we wanted to give her time but once she realized what she was doing and decided that she wanted to do it, she has been potty trained ever since.

I will say it has taken adjustment from us as well. Remembering that we have a little one in panties and will have to potty before we leave for a trip, find a restroom in a store (which is disgusting but when she needs to go she needs to go), and making sure she goes before naps/bedtime.