To Scrapbook or Not To Scrapbook?

That is the $1 Million dollar question right now.

No I don't mean should I get all my stuff out right now and go and do a page LOL No i'm talking more than that. I'm talking about whether or not I should become a Scrapbooking Consultant again.

I have an opportunity at the moment to become a consultant with the same crew that I did back in 2002, but this time I don't have to pay the upfront fee that is required. But it comes with a condition, that I have to have booked a certain number of demo's within a certain time frame. If I don't, then I have to pay the upfront fee.

Now I have no worries in doing the actual scrapbooking. I LOVE it. I LOVE the product that they sell, I think its the best stuff out there, but my problem is do I know enough people to get to come to demo's etc. to make it all worthwhile?

The reason why I stopped doing it last time was at the time I was not well, I also had pretty much zero confidence level and was flat out even talking to most people let alone actually telling them about the scrapbooking. It was good though as I was able to get all my products for both myself and Mum at the wholesale price and saved us a lot, so was definitely worth it.

But, can I do it again? Can I make it work this time? I'm excited and yet terrified at the same time LOL Damn this brain of mine and the way that it worries. I REALLY have to work on that. Heck sometimes you just have to jump right? I've certainly got a lot more experience these days with scrapbooking. Last time I'd only been doing it for maybe 12mths before I became a consultant.

Maybe this is my time to jump?

Since this blog is my therapy session LOL here is my list of pros and cons:

PRO'S:

• I LOVE to help people. If I can help teach people to make to get their precious memories into photo safe albums, and make them look good at the same time, whilst having fun doing it then that is definitely a pro!
• I would be able to make new friends, meet all sorts of different people
• The products I need to do my own albums, i'd get at a reduced price (wholesale)
• I'd be passionate about it because I do love scrapbooking. It's easy to do something that you actually love :)
• We have the space here now to be able to hold classes here at home. I've got a big tressel table, chairs, plenty of room, good lighting, nice and cool, enough space that if Mum's had to bring their kids there is plenty of play areas/toys etc. (have I told you how much I love our house? LOL)
• I'd be able to do it around the kids and their needs. It's not full time work, but i'd still be able to bring some income into the family.
  

CON'S:

• Do I know enough people who would be interested to get started? I know it only takes a couple of people, who know a couple of people, who know a few more people who would be interested. But it's still that initial fear of 'who do I ask?'
  
• I have to make a certain number of sales every month (or could be every two months I cannot remember right at this time) to be able to continue being a consultant. What happens if I have a quiet month or what happens if I don't find anyone who is interested?

Really that is it with the cons. They are my two biggest 'fears' if you want to call them that, becaue at the end of the day I have no problems getting up in front of a group and teaching. I know the products, they work really well and i'm only too happy to tell people that when i'm not a consultant LOL. Heck I even have some ideas of what I could do/teach/offer already. The actual business side of things, well i've got enough people around me that if I don't know how to do something i'm sure there would be someone to ask. Otherwise i'm a lot more wiser now when it comes to business that it wouldn't be a problem at all.

So. Why is it so hard to jump?

Hello, my name is Mrs Grumpy Butt!

LOL well its good that I can have a laugh at myself today, cause boy, it's been one of those days that started so well, then dissolved into crap not long after.

We had a little sleep in here this morning (well, Mr B didn't, he left for work before 7am ;) ) but the little boys and I did. It was 8am that I was awoken by 4 little eyes staring at me with smiles on their faces. Awww what a lovely way to wake up. Then not long after, whilst I was laying in bed talking to the gentlemen's, I hear a little 'Mummm' and sure enough Master P was awake. How I LOVE it when he wakes up in a good mood like that, and not awoken abruptly by a noisy brother that makes him cry.

Anyway, we got up and got breaky going, had some music on (Kings of Leon for those playing at home LOL and no its not 'Sex is on Fire' its 'Six is on Fire' in our house ;) ) and we were all happy and laughing.

Until I made a phone call. I rang up to find out about a little kids basketball group for Master L. We really want to get him into a team sport as he is having a few confidence issues and this would be great for him. Anyway, on their website it clearly states for 4-8yr olds, COOL I think :) So I rang to find out what we need to do, when it starts etc only to be rudely told that Master L is too young (4 1/2yrs). Geez people, if you don't want kids who are 4yrs old then please, don't put the starting age as 4 on your website! Anyway, we are going to go to the open day to see more about it, talk to the actual coaches rather than a rude admin person and hopefully we might have some joy.

About 2 minutes after I got off the phone, it rang again. Now this was the one that blew the day away. Turns out the money that we had secured for our new car, wasn't so secure after all :( So, for now, no new car :( :( *sighs* I will stay positive though as we WILL get another car and it will be soon.

So because of those 2 phone calls I was officially Mrs Grumpy Butt for hours later. The boys also seemed to bounce off this and became 'precious little darlings' too but it took me a while to realise they were only doing it cause I was. So, we shook it all off, picked ourselves up, cleansed the house and the place finally started feeling better again.

But it truly amazes me though, how a day can start out so great, and then a couple of things happen and it just goes CRAZY!

Tomorrow WILL be a better day :) :)

I'm Bored

Yes, like the title says, i'm bored. How sad is that?!? I've got plenty I could be doing but i'm so tired at the moment that I just can't be stuffed doing any of it, so now I sit here with my brain going 'blah' cause it doesn't like not doing anything LOL

The brain is active, its a pity the body just wants to curl up in the corner and sleep for about a week.

Not having the best of days today. I'm an old hormonal cow again, got to love that, so mix crazy hormones with someone who isn't sleeping well and oh boy have we got a great combo! So far today i've been happy, sad, depressed. I've yelled, laughed, had fun. I've cried, moped, let everything get to me. And now, at 9:51pm, i'm bored.

Please tell me i'm not the only one who has crazy days like today? And no, just before anyone asks me, i'm not pregnant LMAO That seems to be the usual questions these days when I have these hormonal crazy moments! Heck i've been so busy in the last few weeks I have no idea where the heck i'm up to with my cycle!

Right now, my main obsession is finding us a new car. I've been doing preliminary searches for 'the one' for a few months now, which has been great. I've learnt lots, built up my car language repitoire to a point where i'm not scared of the dealers (they have always intimidated me in the past!!), and I know what cars are selling for at the moment. So why is it now, when we have the funds to actually buy one of these beasts is it that they have all fallen off the face of the internet? The ones that looked good, priced right are now trying to be flogged off for a few thousand more than before. *sighs*

And the dealers, ugghh so why is it that because I don't have that extra bit that hangs between my legs i'm not good enough to deal with? Yes, my husband is with me, yes he does know stuff as well but mate, I'M the one that will be driving the car 99% of the time. It's ME who needs to be happy here, not him! If I like the look of that car over there, it's in my price range, I'd like to give it a test drive, then don't look at Mr B and say 'you don't want that one mate, it's this one you want', and disregard what I'm saying.

Hmmm venting there, sorry about that, but geez it gets my goat sometimes why some men think they are better than women when it comes to things like car knowledge.

Anyway, after much discussion with a few people now we currently *think* we are going to persue either a Chrysler Voyager or a Toyota Tarago. If any of you lovely lurker's out there have any reviews on these sorts please let me know!!

Tomorrow will be a better day.

Won't it? LOL

It's Friday Again!

And another week has gone by that I haven't sat down and blogged! I must say, it has been a bit crazy around here, but still there is no excuse since I have been online (alot, but sshhh LOL).

So, where did I leave off? Ahh Mr B and work. Well i'm very pleased to say its all going REALLY well and he is enjoying it :) :) He is also enjoying being out of his 'black hole' and getting back into the world again. We have seen such a different side of him over the last 2 weeks that we are all amazed and astonished!

Last Saturday I spent the afternoon/night at a scrapbooking workshop. It has been years since i've been to a crop this long and boy did I have a GREAT time!! I went with a friend 'M' who is only new to scrapping and she had heaps of fun too. I love watching how people go when they first start out scrapbooking. It sure wet my appetite to do more, and now i'm hoping to be able to get to one of the weekend getaways this year.

Monday, ahh yes, my birthday. My 30th birthday to be exact. It was a quiet day, the 2 bigger boys were at kindy so it was just Mr B, Master P and myself at home (well, once Mr B got home from work anyway LOL). We did go out for dinner with my folks and grandmother which was nice. I didn't get drunk, make a fool of myself, go crazy or any of the other things that I 'could' have done LOL Maybe I am growing up?

Wednesday was the anniversary of Mr B and myself getting together. Nine years! Gosh time flys doesn't it. It's our 5th wedding anniversary in April which is scary too!

The most exciting news of the week though is that we are getting a new car *insert Mandi doing a MASSIVE happy dance here*. We are keeping the old one, which is going to turn into Mr B's car while I get the new one. Ok, so it won't be brand new, but it will be bigger :) :) We are off to test drive a couple this afternoon.

Did I mention i'm excited? Why? Well, for a few reasons. One, more room. I'm kind of over being bitten on certain areas of my body whilst trying to do up Master L's seat belt. No its not him who is doing it, but its Master P who I have to lean over to do up the belt. Cheeky child he is!

Two, I love cars and getting a new one is always a highlight. I've wanted a Carnival for a while now, and although we are looking at another one as well (Trajet) it is very similar to the Carnivals so i'm not going to be picky LOL.

Three, well we have the bigger house, and now we are getting the bigger car and you know what that means right? Yes, an extra car seat ;) LOL i'm ready!!

Fingers crossed that both of the cars are wesome and it just comes down to which one we like the best. I've already got the guy to drop the price by $4000, just over the phone, so here's hoping that I can get him to go a little bit lower ;) Haggling here I come!

2009 is going to be FINE!

That is my motto for the new year. Not sure why I felt I needed one, but it just seemed right. The year seems to be starting off on a good grounding, which I think goes to pave the way for how the rest of the year pans out. Yes, there is room for change in there, but well take last year for example, we had a death in the family from a long term illness right at the start of the year and the rest of the year was filled with yucky illnesses!

So far this year we have had a great time as a family. Mr B (one day i'll share more about him, but for now i'll just say that his 'issues' cause more problems then not) has been really great. More social than usual, happy to do things with the extended family, been playing with the kids heaps and at his discretion, not just from me asking him too or the kids asking him to play. We have even been out for dinner just the two of us, which was lovely!

Having said that though, the biggest and best news out of all that has happened so far (LOL makes it sound like we are about 3 months into the year, not just 5 days) is that today, he started a new job *insert Mandi doing a MASSIVE happy dance here*.

What's more is, he has come home from his first morning and is happy and looks like he is going to be ok with it all.

Sure, what's the big deal you all say? Well, he hasn't been able to work properly for a while now. A few years ago now he had a massive breakdown and has been suffering major depression ever since. We have also found out that he has Asperger's and also extreme social anxiety disorder. Mix all those 3 together, and basically you get a shell of a man who at times cannot even talk to his wife or children, let alone speak to anyone in public.

Anyway, i'm not going into all the other stuff now, but just had to post to say how proud I am of my darling man, and that this year IS GOING TO BE FINE!!! :) :) We both have great plans for this coming time, and to start off like this, well it just puts us in the right direction for the future.

LIFE IS GOOD!!!

:) :)

Confession Saturday...

Just before Christmas Mr B and I decided to finally give into temptation. Yes, we purchased a Nintendo Wii. We have wanted one for ages now, and after much deliberation, umming, ahhing and you know all the stuff that you do when you want to make a purchase like this, well we gave into our want.

Now, i'm not entirely sure it was a good thing. Why? Cause i'm ADDICTED!

I am LOVING it. The kids are LOVING it. Even Mr B, amidst his frustration at getting the controllers to do what he wants them to do in the fighting games, loves it too! The only problem with all this love that is being thrown around, is that we want MORE!

Yes, addiction is a nasty thing, especially when you need more to satisfy that craving LOL At the moment, to satisfy my cravy I NEED a WiiFit. I'm not asking for much, just the funky little balance board that will in turn help with exercise and fitness. With the 40 different exercise functions to make it varied and fun. Yes, i've seen the video clips, i've heard the stories, i've felt that fun oozing through the laptop screen.

But, do you think I can buy one? Oh no, not now! I think i've run just about every gaming type store in the Greater Brisbane area to locate one of these babies, and I keep getting the same line 'Sorry, we have sold out'. AGGHHHHH!!

Before Christmas I had my choice of stores to buy it from, all ranges of prices. But we thought we would wait till after Christmas to see if the shops had any good specials. Well it would seem that every man and his dog bought a Wii for Christmas and had the same idea as us.

So now I have to wait. Oh dear, waiting is soooo hard LOL Most of the shops have no idea when they will get stock in either. Could be 2 weeks, could be mid February. OMG, do they not know that I NEED one now?

Yes, I know, pathetic isn't it. Off I go to play more bowling and tennis. Maybe the Universe is telling me to increase my fitness with Sport before the Fit arrives LOL. Patience is a virtue isn't it?

2008 - The Year That Was

2008 saw exciting things happen for us, but it also saw some not so exciting things too. So let's do a quick year in review...

January - Mr B's parents were still here on holidays after arriving just after Boxing Day. Mr B and I had our birthdays. It also saw us with a trip down to Sydney for Mr B's Grandad's funeral. Although it was a sad time, it was also a happy time to catch up with all the family. We were also able to reconnect with Mr B's daughter and her family, which whilst it was stressful to say the least, was also great to finally meet her!

February - we went through a big change within ourselves. We were considering a move down to Sydney to be closer to Mr B's family. After much consideration and deliberation, we trusted the Universe and what it provides for us, so we stayed in Brisbane. A decision that we are both very happy that we made.

March - Master L and Master H started at kindy! Although I am a SAHM, this decision was made as both the boys were starting to suffer major social anxieties, and with Mr B and his problems (Asperger's and Extreme Social Anxiety Disorder) we felt that the boys needed time in a different situation and around children their own age. We have seen such major improvements in both the boys, especially Master L, that we are VERY happy we put them in.

April - we had a visit from Mr B's folks. They came up so FIL could march in the Anzac Day Parade in Brisbane. Easter was a quiet one this year, which was nice. This month was a big one for me, as I completeled my Level II Reiki.

May - must have been a quiet month LOL I cannot for the life of me remember anything exciting happening! Not to say it didn't, just my brain is not working how it used to LOL

June - we celebrated Master H's 2nd birthday. He had a lovely day, and although we didn't have a party for him this year as he was sick, he had fun with NanNan and Grandad, and also Gi-Gi.

July - all of us sick once again. A major theme in 2008 was all of us sick. Usually we only had one down at a time, but as soon as one was starting to get better, the next one would drop. Vicious circle!!

August - Master L's 4th birthday! He had a lovely day, spent the morning at Kindy as they had a Pirate Party Day (how good was the timing for that?!?). NanNan made him an awesome pirate cake which we took to Kindy so he could share with his friends. I bought them home just after lunch and cake, so we could do presents and have a play before heading out to Sizzler's for dinner (his choice!).

September - It's house moving time!! YAYYYYY!! We went from a small 3 bedroom house with one batheroom and one living area to a 4 bedroom house, 2 bathrooms, 2 living areas and ohhh so much space!! To say we LOVE it is a massive understatement LOL The kids have a designated playroom now, and although it doesn't have a door, they still know that the toys need to stay in that area. The move was massive but so worth it. We also had another visit from Mr B's folks, and good timing as we had just moved into the new house, so they were able to see it.

October - well what a crappy month this was! My Dad was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. Luckily enough they found it early (PLEASE, get your husbands/partners/fathers/grandfathers and tell them the importance of having checks, even if its not a pleasant experience its better than having cancer!!). Dad had surgery to have his prostate removed as he wasn't risking anything. His results came back that it was a very aggressive cancer, so he is very glad he had it removed. He now has the all clear, which we are all VERY thankful for :)

October also saw Mr B in hospital. He had a massive gallbladder attack which landed him in hospital for 2 nights, then home for 2 nights before going back in to have it removed. He did really well whilst he was in there, came through the surgery really well and was home the next day! I've told both of them that they can stop now, no more hospital visits thank you very much LOL

November - Master P's first birthday!! Still hard to believe that our little guy, who was so impatient to get here, has been here for a whole year. After some trials, we have now triumphed and no longer do we have the massive long screaming sessions that we did have. He now goes off to sleep by himself, and early, and wakes after about 12hrs. He also has a big sleep during the day and due to all this we have seen such a remarkable improvement with him, its amazing!

December - CHRISTMAS!! Since i've only a few days ago posted about it I won't bore you all again LOL Nothing much else has happened worthy of note so I guess that means onto 2009!! Bring it on, we are ready and raring to go!!

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