Christmas Gifts not bought!

My last post from a holiday was my Easter Gratitude's and boy that was a day of gratitude's for sure! So very grateful then and even more grateful today! Christmas is defined in many ways, for me it has always been about the production! Throw it all together and tie it in a pretty bow so the kids, my husband and whoever else was peeping in at the moment could see what a great job I was doing!

Since Kirk's passing however I have taken a more low key role, a mellower approach that is not so much about the show but more like about the love I can show and receive and I really find my joy through my cooking! Its rather cleansing for me to prepare food these days and feed my children, grown and otherwise!

With a lean budget and Kirk's voice in my head I think I pulled off another Christmas miracle! Last week I made the rounds to a few food banks and with that I was able to get some great gifts for Aaron, my now 11 year old. Each food bank was so nice and so welcoming it was a blessing to get help from people who really just wanted to help!

At the end of the day we all could use some help and it is truly a blessing to be in a place where help comes with a smile and even a hug once in a while!

So the Salvation Army does so much to help in the community in the way of food and many other monetary assistance. This year I have relied heavily on them, thank goodness they were there this year! I wasn't thinking they would have much of a present for me to pick up from them but the bag was quite full of goodies for Aaron. There was a Bronco's pullover, a Wilson football,  and a sweater hoodie thing, there was the book Old Yeller (great book for an 11 year old boy) and some other little stocking stuffers.
It was the food box for Christmas that had me kind of confused. In the box there was a box of Mac&cheese, 2 big cans of peaches, some white beans, some re fried beans, a box of toasted oats and two cans of green beans. Grateful to have it but an odd choice of food for a holiday box. They also gave us a $10 gift cert to King Soopers. Good that will buy half the turkey!

Another one of the food banks gave me some great Lego stuff and a light saber so that was a great score for him and yet another gave me a nice first baseman glove and more books.

So all in all Aaron had a really nice Christmas and I was so happy for the gifts!

Back to the food, so the challenge was cooking a massive amount of food with out using the stove and very little of the stove top, propane in an RV is like gold especially in the winter. I knew I wanted to try to BBQ the turkey again (since Easter did not work out so well) so out of the little cash I had I bought a big bag of mesquite coal. I learned how to brine a turkey from the Internet so that was the first task, get the turkey to soaking, set it in the ice chest and bury the cooler in the snow!

Next, I needed to make a pumpkin thingy without having to bake it, so I looked that up as well. Found a no bake pumpkin pie that used gelatin and I threw together a crust from brown sugar, rolled oats and butter. In the frig that went and we were ready for the next day of cooking on the grill.

Christmas morning was nice, everyone slept in (nice break from the excited impatient kids at 5am days) but with them all sleeping in so did I. So I didn't get the turkey on the grill until 11am. Oh boy dinner was going to be later than I planned! It was ok though I had plenty to keep me busy.

It was all of 40 degrees outside so it was hard to get the grill much higher than 220 degrees, it was hot though and would have to do! I put together the southern style mac and cheese and set that in the crock pot and went about making the stuffing! Hmmm? All I had was stovetop and no fresh veggies to put in it. Quick open the canned food cabinet (hope nothing falls out and hits Cheryl in the head)
in there I find a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, hmm could be interesting, what else?
OK so I found a can of Anne's Organic sweet corn and veggie soup, now we're talking. OK throw together the stuffing on the stovetop then put in a baking dish for the grill top.

Next, the peach cobbler, those two big cans of peaches had to be good for something. I found a quick recipe online for fake peach cobbler using canned peaches and yellow cake mix, throw some cinnamon and nutmeg on it and you've got Christmas cobbler. So the question of the day is can you grill a cake? Well, Im here to tell you, YES yes you can! The yellow cake cobbler cooked perfectly on grill and it really tasted good too!

 Traditional green bean casserole but instead of cream of mushroom soup I used a can of turkey gravy, I was going to make the gravy from the turkey drippings anyway so why not!

One rule and note to self is that if you are going to BBQ your turkey, get it on the grill way earlier! My turkey was 18lbs, had sat in a brine for 18 hours and still needed 7 hours of  grill time. Oh but was it a perfect one, nice and juicy!

Time was ok though, as I said I am taking my holidays a lot slower and with more purpose instead of rushing around pleasing everyone and trying to make a perfect day!

We all sat down and enjoyed our meal and I knew I was grateful for many gifts that had been given to me! The gift of my children was first and foremost, forever am I grateful I had them and forever I am grateful for their loving smiles.

The food I cook for them on these holidays that are representative of my gratitude's, food has and always will represent love and warmth to me and I do have a gift of making something out of nothing every time! I do not have to have the commercialism of the holiday to make it a good day, not do I need to shower anyone with expensive gifts to make me feel good! All I need is some heat and love and I hook it up!

Peace and Love my friends!
Merry Christmas and the Happiest New Year Ever!

The First Step in Walking

The First Step in Walking: Network Marketing for toddlers just learning to walk!

I have read a few books and listened to a few “proven plans” including the map laid out by my own MLM company, and the one thing I hear continuously is to become the expert in the field. Brand yourself as the all knowing power that people automatically come to you when they want to know more. On whatever subject it may be to whatever demographic you choose. Just be the “go to” and you will create a following. Successful branding of whatever product you represent can only happen when one finds a passion point that excites them about their product, and that passion shows through their efforts when promoting their chosen products.

After reading “The Attractor Factor” by Joe Vitale and "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill it became apparent to me that having a passionate why is really the catalyst to arriving at your WOW! Taking the time to really narrow down your “why” and having that “why” be backed with emotion and a definiteness of purpose can be the key to attaining success in any revenue seeking endeavor you choose to take on. So it is important to get focused on your “why”, Joe Vitale begins the process in knowing what you do not want, but most of us already know exactly what we don’t want. We see it every day, we don’t want to be broke, we don’t want to lose our house or be without a car and we certainly don’t want to end up homeless and on the streets! So I think most of us have the “don’t wants” down pat! What is important as mentioned in the book and other MLM marketing plans I have encountered is “what you do want”. What are your wants and your whys?

This process of eliminating the don’ts and finding the wants can help you in creating that passion you will need to carry with you during your journey to success. Every great leader of this country and other countries has taken their journey to success through an unstoppable passion. Their desire to spread their message or service was never self viewed as futile or impossible, they simply kept moving towards their dreams and their “why’s”. Your why must be powerful to you and not necessarily powerful to anyone but yourself, because it will be your key to success, it will lift you up when you feel beaten and it will make you surge on even when you feel defeated. Remember defeat only occurs when you give up!

So lets say you found your “why” and you are all excited about the latest and greatest MLM opportunity out there, what’s next? Well Im not quite sure of all the details yet because as I mentioned before I am just an infant in this industry. But I do know that if you hear something more than 5 times the universe is telling you to listen and pay attention. That next step I keep hearing is using social media and the internet to your fullest advantage. Take advantage of the global market that is at your fingertips daily, and if you want to get specific then focus your efforts where they will get the most attention. You know the ole saying “find something that millions of people want and get there first”. Through the branding of yourself you are taking that shortcut through the woods and placing yourself ahead of the field behind you.

What do you mean “branding” you ask? Well as I have had it explained to me; it is the action of putting your name out into the vast world of cyberspace and pulling together from many online avenues one lane to “you”. What you put out there is up to you though, are you wanting to fill the world with purple flip-flops? The you’d better be ready to search for every outlet and distributor of purple flip-flops and be able to tell your followers where to get them and at what price. Or are you passionate about pig farming (don’t laugh this is a serious profession)? Sharing with other pig farmers what the best feed is and where to go for medical assistance should be your focus. Your ability to give useful information to your followers on a specialized field is of the absolute uppermost importance. I guess you could call it finding your niche! Whatever that is? Your niche is up to you to find, but you better have passion and purpose behind it or you will struggle to develop a strong and faithful following.

So I guess the first real steps taken in network marketing is a process by which one must ask themselves some serious questions, then one needs to be able to answer those questions with brutal honesty! Find your why and give it passion and purpose. Write it down and read it night and day until your brain comprehends the pattern and is able to translate it into an energy so powerful even you will be amazed at what the universe will bring you. After you are well acquainted with your why and have decided what it is you truly want and how to get it, then you can go after your passion with clear and definite goals. Create your following by becoming the expert, the go to in the field, find your niche and pursue it with passion.

I will leave you with the power behind passion, it was explained to me at a recent convention break away session by a very passionate speaker. The word PASSION is broken down as an acronym, with each letter representing what power the word really encompasses  when operating your network marketing business.

P stands for Plug In, plug into the team training available. If your company lacks in this arena then plug into a generic system, but be sure to stay plugged into your team, as they can provide you with an invaluable energy and spirit.

A is for Answers, get answers to all the questions you have about the company and their products. If the company is open and transparent then the answers you seek should be readily available. Know your policies and procedures and ask questions if you don’t understand something. A can also have another meaning and that is Action, taking immediate action to pursue your goals with a sense of urgency that is driven by a fear of loss. Fear of losing your lifestyle or just fear of losing your purpose should scare to you to the point of clear and definite action.

S represents Share, be open with your gift, be willing to share it with everyone you care about and everyone you don’t. Your passion should be based in purpose and your purpose should be to share your knowledge with everyone, because you never know who is reading or who is listening.

The next S represents Script, competence breeds competence and so the more you rehearse your “script” on the product or opportunity the better you will get at being able to enable your business partners to duplicate the “script”. Re-inventing the wheel is usually not a necessity as most MLM companies have a prewritten run down of the service they offer. Learning to put your personal twist might be necessary but not so much that you end up vomiting all over you audience.

I stands for Invest and Inspire, invest yourself 100% without hesitation or limitations. If you are not willing to invest an incredible amount of time to develop your business then you will not be able to attract and inspire the same like minded people into your business. Invest time into gaining knowledge and take the time to give that knowledge freely so that your investment touches others and moves them to action as well.

O is for Own It, if you don’t own it then no one is buying! Words to really live by are “control your own destiny or somebody else will”. Seriously they will and in fact they do it all the time, your boss determines when you take a break and what your role in the company is, your insurance company determines what procedures you are entitled to and which ones are considered frivolous and unnecessary. How great would it be to take ownership in your company and determine your own hours and your own timeline for getting the money and abundance you so desire. Love what you do and the money will follow, chase after money and it becomes elusive. Go forth with a passion and a purpose and own your own destiny, then offer to others what you have learned only giving what they need to fulfill their “why” and not offering any more or any less!

Finally, N is for “Never Give Up”, NEVER! Your why is so powerful that nothing can stand in your way of achieving it. Naysayers will hound you with all the reasons it won’t work! The pessimist’s club will send you nasty hate messages on your facebook page and twitter accounts begging you to cease and decease! But under no circumstance should you ever GIVE UP! If you have done your homework and got all the answers to your questions and have a strong “why”, then you owe it to yourself to keep moving forward with your action and keep on attracting what you want!

The universe is powerful and omniscient, it works with your energy whether it be negative or positive. The universe certainly doesn’t operate in the realm of accident nor is it optimal in the haphazard. There is a quote that comes to mind and Im not sure who said it but it states; “Success is not a result of spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on fire!” Having a clear and definite purpose with passion and power will bring your desires to you, but be careful what you wish for and never, ever give up!

Visit my Opportunity Page: http://on.fb.me/mig6g1
Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Joanne_Bryant
Friend me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf#!/MamaJochacha

  

Mentally Cleansing

Along this journey to creating success I have stumbled upon a mentoring system that offers its members an opportunity to really get down to the crust of their reasons for wanting success. I have mentioned the importance of your "why" in previous blogs, but what stands in the way of your why may be your biggest obstacle to success and freedom. You must tear down the walls of doubt that are embedded in your mind and afflicting your heart. Creating your success and owning your life means you must also be accountable for the words and feelings you allow to enter your soul. Anger may give you power but its an uncontrolled outcome, whereas compassion and love can sustain your soul long enough to sucomb to success! Negativity will almost always bring failure and frustration and if you allow it to rent space in your head then there is no room for hopes and dreams. So set about exploring yourselve in depth, what is it you really want and what obstacles have you set in your way? Cleanse your senses and heart of the negative and embrace what it is you are deserving of! Remember "what you think of and what you thank of are what you become!!

Visit my Opportunity Page: http://on.fb.me/mig6g1
Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Joanne_Bryant
Friend me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf#!/MamaJochacha

With much love in my heart!
MamaJo

Easter Gratitutdes

This Easter I have much to be grateful for,  and since I am dedicated to not only posting things in regards to my career but also my life and my family, I am gracing you all tonight with the story of my Easter. Holidays are not the only days I find it necessary to pay my gratitude’s, in fact everyday I chose to pay them, because without my blessings I wouldn’t be who I am today. So today I woke up and thanked god for my eyes, hands, legs and feet. With my eyes I can see where Im going, with my hands I can feel where I’m going, with my legs I can stand up for where Im going and with my feet I can get to where I am going.

This was another one of those holidays that I managed pull out of a hat and I always amaze myself when I am blessed enough to pull it off with style. I guess all those years with small kids and small budgets paid off again.

This year I came into the Easter weekend with high hopes and big dreams, “I am a Network Marketer and I will be successful at it”, is my running dialogue with myself these days. The reality of it is that we had too much month left at the end of the money and I hadn’t even gotten my son an Easter Basket. I had been reading the book "The Attractor Factor" by  Joe Vitale he also wrote many E-books, his first one being Hypnotic Writing". Anyway this book is all about bringing the things you want to you through attraction and positive thoughts and feelings. So all week I had been putting out into the universe what I needed and really just forgot that come Sunday it would be Easter.

Friday before Easter it hit me and I knew I was going to need food, yes food is always good on Holidays, so we set out to the food bank. I was counting on them to have what I needed to make an Easter feast. I was right, as it turned out we were lucky enough to be one of the 17 families that got a whole turkey. Great a 12lbs turkey was plenty big to feed us, but when I got to the veggie table I was told I could have 3 potatoes, really 3? I clearly had a lil sticky on my badge that said I had to feed 6 people and I can only have 3 potatoes? OK that’s fine I will work with it, I grabbed a hand full of radishes some root looking thingy and some apples. We managed to snagged a whole cake, some Easter Cookies and a couple of books for my ten year old. We hopped back in the car, headed straight over to Aarons school to pick him up in a nick of time and prayed we would have enough gas to get back to Mama Mo (mama mo is our 27ft class A motor home that we live in).

Sunday morning came early and I remembered I had seen a sign up at the college saying they were having an Easter egg hunt and free food, "Sweet" I can get my neighbor Tammy to take us up there and Aaron can at least hunt for eggs. Tammy was happy with that idea, so with her son and my son we were off to the hunt. Or so we thought, when we get there it seemed awfully empty, then  Tammy's son said "hey the sign said April 23rd and its April 24th. At this point I was glad I was in the company of people with a laugh out loud attitude, cause laughter was the only thing at that moment I needed.

OK so at this point I could have just sat down and cried and gave up on creating a great day but I didn’t. With the help of my wife and her infinite I came home and proceeded to TIISG. What’s that you ask? "Turn it into something good!" We came home and my son and I took our puppy out for a walk. We live along a nice creek with an even nicer walking trail and it was a little chilly but a great way to connect with my son and get some exercise at the same time. The puppy had a blast and so did we.

No onto the holiday dinner, all I knew was I had a turkey, now keep in mind that the oven in a 27 foot RV is not very big but I have a huge BBQ. So I googled "how to BBQ a turkey with coal", simple enough I found a nice 6 minute video on YouTube that showed me exactly what to do, perfect! So my older son and I pulled out the grill and arranged the coals how the video showed and tried to light the coals. Well this did not work out so well, the coals had sat out in the weather for a few weeks and would not light. Really? How am I supposed to cook a 12lbs turkey with no heat? Urgh! Don’t panic seek solutions, OK so I send my daughters friend to the store for charcoal fluid. When she returns we get the coals lit and set the turkey in it. Now onto the sides, well I combined a box of pistachio pudding with a box of vanilla pudding, threw in a can of mandarin oranges and whala Easter pudding. Next I had to figure out how to make a dressing with no bread crumbs, so I set out a loaf of wheat French bread to dry out in the sun. I then cut up the 3 red potatoes, the radishes, a can of water chestnuts, some green onions I had in the fridge and a lil bit of that root thingy. Oh and two apples! I mixed some water and Italian seasonings together but I didn’t have any broth from the turkey to work with yet so I pulled out a can of cream of chicken soup and used it for base. I mixed the dry bread bits with all the cut up ingredients and added some margarine and the broth base I had made, covered it with foil, put in the oven and  prayed it would taste good. I also chopped up some broccoli I had and added it to a can of broccoli soup to give it a fresher taste. Now to check on the turkey, by now it was raining so I braved the wet and went to check on the bird.

Now keep in mind I have had no luck today but my TIISG attitude was pushing me along with a positive outlook and I accepted my mission of the day with a smile at every turn. I kissed my wife and told her I loved her, I laughed with my kids and watched a few movies with them. The day was more about what we had to share as a family and not about how big was the Easter basket and what cool toys I bought for them. It was simply about being a family.

Back to the turkey, well the coals just didn’t have enough heat to cook it so I had to switch plans again. It was cooked enough to where I could cut through the breast plate and spit it in halves, this way I could fit it in the oven. By 7:30pm 4 hours after I had planned to eat it was finally ready. I was able to serve a half way decent dressing, a great tasting turkey with broccoli soup and green beans and a very tasty pudding. Not exactly a planned feast but a feast none-the-less!

Lesson of the day was, never let circumstance beat you and TIISG, (thank you to Joe Vitale and his book "The Attractor Factor"). This Easter I had plenty to be grateful for and I can only hope I remember this at every turn in my life!

Thanks for reading, I hope you gained some enlightenment if not at least gain some knowledge of cooking with little or nothing.

MamaJo

Toddler learning to walk..

Hi all,

I am so new to all this online and offline network marketing that I really feel like a toddler just learning how to walk. Its like I see people walking upright all the time and they dont seem to fall down, then everytime I stand up to take that first step I seem to fall down, reminding me to be grateful for my padded rumpass. I have always been an outgoing person and found it easy to make friends, but now that I have a purpose to network and a goal to make a living at it, is like going back to being that toddler wobbling around the coffee table reaching for all the shiny objects the big walking people put in the middle just out of my reach.

With this toddler perception of the netwrok marketing world I am determined to stand up and walk with the big people. I have figured out that without a doubt I will inevitably fall down, but if I am willing to be teachable and learn to mimic the big people then in turn I will pay it forward and hopefully teach the next toddler how to walk!

Grateful we live in a technology based world where anything and everything you ever wanted to know and some things you never wanted to know are at your fingertips 24/7.

More to come.....
Joanne Bryant