Posts Tagged: Lifestyle

Published on July 18, 2012 by Samantha

Regret

    There are a lot of things I could say I regret in my life. That short haircut in college? Yup. That boyfriend from college? Definitely. The tattoos? Depends on the day. Giving up my life to move to a new state to be with my now husband? Not once.

    When he and I met in February, I had just gotten back from spending New Year’s Eve in Paris with three girlfriends because we could, and already had my tickets to go to Rome in April with the possibility of moving there. I had never been to Italy and thought it would be fun. I didn’t want to live where I was anymore, and thought Rome might be fun.

    After about a month of dating, we realized we had to figure out what was going to happen with us when I moved. He was very patient with me as I went back and forth for a while and finally decided that I liked him enough to stay together while I was gone. I had a return ticket and we decided we would reassess when I got back.

    So I went. And I had a fabulous time. I saw the Pantheon, tossed a coin in the Trevi Fountain, snuck pictures of the ‘gladiators’ at the Coliseum, and regularly hung out at the Vatican. I wandered Piazza Navona and the bars, became a pro at pointing out the tourists, spent afternoons people watching in Villa Borghese park, and had gelato at the top of the Spanish Steps. (To be honest, I had gelato almost everywhere. It was so good!) I made new friends, had once in a lifetime experiences…and missed my boyfriend the entire time.

    I spent my six weeks in Rome (with a quick stop in London), and came back so excited to see him again. But I kept hearing those little voices in the back of my head about what I would be giving up. Would I always regret giving up ROME for Havelock, North Carolina? What if things didn’t work out with this boy? We’d been dating three months! It was ROME!

    And me, being me, I over-thought everything. He was a Marine. What if we did stay together? What else would I give up? My home, my family, my friends, my career (which, to be fair, was on pause for my trip)…pretty much everything I had ever known. How could I do that? What if it didn’t work out? What if I regretted the choice for the rest of my life?

    And then I remembered what an old boss of mine told me once. If it’s the right choice, I won’t regret anything. So, after some more over thinking, I realized that Rome would always be there. This boy, and this chance, might not. So I stayed in the States. I gave up everything and moved to North Carolina. Two and half years later, and we’re married and in Hawaii – not quite Rome, but it’s sure not bad – and I just gave birth to our daughter. And you know what? I don’t regret it.

    But I’m already convincing our oldest daughter how amazing Europe is and can’t wait until I get back.

    With my family.

      Published on July 13, 2012 by Paula

      If These Walls Could Talk

        I am on the back end of my life as a military spouse.    I can see that we are going to have to live in the real world sometime soon.   My dear hubby keeps reminding me that 5 years isn’t really all that long.   Yea, ok my love, if you think so.  We have already been part of the military community for the last 25 years.  So ok really what’s another 5?    I am normally a “The glass is half empty” type of lady, but on this subject not so much.   I’m starting to have dreams about what life is going to be like in the “Real” world.

        First thing is the fact that I am finally going to have my own home.  And YES I am going to paint every room a different color.   I am going to plant whatever I want in my own yard.  Yes I said it MY YARD.   I have had so many experiences where military housing has come by and advised me that I couldn’t have the roses, which I had just planted, in my yard.   When I questioned this I was told that the thorns could be a hazard to others, kids included.  Ok so let me get this right.  If you are an adult coming to see me and they don’t know that roses have thorns, well sweetheart I’m going to worry about you.   As for the kids, well if they run into my rose bushes and get scrapes, I honestly think that they should be smart enough to stay away so they don’t do it again.   Oops just had a thought maybe there mom is the one that beat them to my garden.    The kids have no hope at this point.

        I think what I’m getting at is that while military housing is good, it has had its flaws.   When my husband and I married we lived in Midway Park.  I have never been back.   But I have been told that the military tore it down and built new homes.   That is great.  They were way too small with paper thin wall.  And who in the world told them that the homes should be attached to the master bedrooms.  And as I sit here I just now realized again that the master bedrooms in this house are attached too.  Men had to have designed these homes.  I’d rather have my neighbor look at me in the morning and tell me my dinner smelled great.  And not have him put his head down, like he can’t see me.  While running to his car.  Poor guy almost spilled his coffee.   This could explain why my loving husband leaves at 5 am.  I think tonight I’ll make meatloaf.

        Love and Light

          Published on July 10, 2012 by Ashley

          30 Days to a Better Life!

          Clean Laundry

            To say I have a lot going on in my daily life is an understatement. I am a mother to four small boys all under the age of 5 and the youngest only just 4 months old (Which means I am still waking up to feed him at one point in the night, boo!) I try and live my life to a certain standard and I have set the bar extremely high. With big ambitions for business and personal goals, as a mother and as a wife, I want to be successful in all areas.

            Clean Laundry

            I swear they’re clean!

            A few personal goals I have include my mental attitude as well as my physical shape. Having four children, especially in such a short span, has taken a major toll on my body. In between each son, my body barely had a break to get back to where I was comfortable with. I cannot say that I have truly been comfortable in my own skin in years. For me, this is sad and hard to handle. When you are not comfortable with your body it can affect you in many areas of your life. Confidence is a huge key in life and happiness. I know the cliche saying, “happiness is not a destination but a way of living,” but happiness is also, at least for me, easier to adopt when I feel confident. The better I feel about myself, the happier I feel in all areas of my life. When I feel confident, I can take on the world! When my weight is up, I am not confident. I find more excuses for laziness and poor eating. At times, I let the stress and overwhelming tasks in my life take over and I revert to an unproductive, unhappy person that I can completely justify and make excuses for.

            THAT ENDS TODAY!

            Messy Desk

            How can I possibly be productive in this messy workspace?

            Today, I am starting a new challenge for myself and invite anyone who reads this to join me in making a change. Even if today is Tuesday, we will not put this off until Monday (Why is the response “Oh, I am starting on Monday,” such a popular one?) I want to clean up and revamp every area of my life. I want a successful road to sanity, confidence and an overall balance in my home. As military wives, we need to be able rely on ourselves through hardship and separation. In order to make all of this possible, I will find tips and ways to make life easier, and share them with you. My new, everlasting mission is to prevent myself from losing control and confidence, day in and day out. Today, I start my “30 days to a Better Life”!

              Published on July 8, 2012 by Ashley

              How can Military Wives work from Home?

              Military Wives Work From Home

                Having four children and a constantly deploying husband doesn’t allow me to pursue a traditional career path. In fact, the last time I worked for a company was in 2007 as a banker for our local credit union. Fast forward to 2011, and I started wondering how I could keep the house together and the kids cared for while still adding to our household income.

                While there are many different ways that military wives work from home, I’m going to focus on some of the best starting points for newcomers! MLMs, or multi-level marketing companies, allow military spouses to market, sell, and distribute their products without the hassle of having to start from scratch. If you know anything about the top MLMs, you’ll know that there are many great options. I’ve found success with Scentsy because I enjoy their products, have a friendly team leader, and really like the company.

                Read below to find out about some of the top MLMs for military spouses, and how they’ve enabled other military wives to work from home.

                Avon Consulting

                Avon is commonly known as a reputable make-up company, however their product line includes skincare, accessories, bags, clothing, shoes and fragrances as well. Military wife, Missy Snyder, has enjoyed working as an Avon consultant.

                I can help people with a variety of things from skin care to fragrances to clothing and shoes. I keep myself in serious stock! It was only $10 to sign up as a consultant, so I signed up. Viola! I have a ton of make-up!

                According to MLM Rankings, Avon sits at #1 among the top companies for at-home consultants. Learn more about Avon or Contact Missy!

                HerbaLife Distributing

                HerbaLife is a supplemental diet and nutritional program made from all natural ingredients. Income can be earned by signing up as an independent distributor. As a distributor, you receive a percentage discount depending on your distributor level. The distributor pays the percentage price and resells to the customer at a retail price. Military wife, Kiesha Brown, chose HerbaLife because it helped her not only lose 36 pounds, but she now experiences a new-found level of energy and health.

                I wanted the chance to give other people the results that I have received from this incredible product.

                HerbaLife has a reputation for promoting weight loss while increasing energy. I’ve personally heard many success stories. If you’d like more information about HerbaLife, contact Kiesha Brown!

                Independent BeachBody Coaching

                Beachbody is America’s largest health and fitness company behind some of the best supplements and home-workout programs such as Shakeology, P90X, Turbo Fire, and Insanity. Working with BeachBody can be immensely rewarding. Camp Pendleton wife and Independent BeachBody Coach Maria Maciocia knows from experience. Once weighing over 210 pounds, Maria accomplished an amazing transformation to nearly 120 pounds! Click here to read more about her story.

                I chose this career path after finding a great passion for helping others through documenting my very own weight-loss transformation. The passion grew into a dream, and from there I just knew deep down that I had to coach. For me, there is nothing more rewarding than helping people transform their lives and bodies!

                Maria’s story alone is incredible, but visiting any one of her blogs, Facebook pages, or talking to her is a reality check on just how possible it is to become successful when military wives work from home.

                Thirty-One Gifts Consulting

                In my opinion, Thirty-One Gifts consulting is one of the more unique ways that military wives work from home. Thirty-One Gifts promotes stylish and creative gifts with the intent on simplifying and organizing your life. They also boast an honor system regarding the truthful reporting of their consultants’ earnings. Military spouse, Nyssa Bryant, has enjoyed her time working as a Thirty-One Gifts consultant.

                I basically do parties with them, some in home, some catalog and some online. At a party, we play a few games, talk about the products and exchange what uses we’ve found for each product. I decided to go with Thirty-One because I love their products, they have tons of training and everyone is very friendly. They also do a lot within the community to empower women and young girls.

                Interested wives may help by hosting parties or can become a Thirty-One Gifts consultant for $99, to include stock and training. For more information, contact Nyssa Bryant! or learn more about Thirty-One Gifts here!

                The Pampered Chef Consulting

                One of my favorite things about The Pampered Chef’s consulting program is that you do not need to buy their products for resale. As a Pampered Chef fan, the %20 discount is nice too! Arguably one of the longest-running home business enablers, The Pampered Chef has garnered a wonderful reputation for household and kitchenware. Like many military wives, Wendy Northrip has established herself as a Pampered Chef consultant.

                I chose it because I wanted all the amazing products that come in the consultant kit. I have been selling for over a year now because I love all the free product that I continue to get. They have amazing products that last forever. Very little effort required… the Pampered Chef name sells itself.

                With Pampered Chef you can earn a minimum of 20% off your sales. You also earn a percentage off of anyone who you recruit. To find out how to get started with The Pampered Chef, reach out to Wendy Northrip!

                It Works! Independent Distributing

                It Works! is a company that has all natural health and beauty products including detox wraps for tightening and firming problems areas, health products and supplements, and a skin care line. It’s easy to sign up to become a distributor and it only costs $99, which you make back in sales with the first set of wraps that you get for signing up. The compensation plan is the richest one out of the It Works! program compared to other home businesses. And like some, you get the opportunity to build your own team. Dana Crandall-Sparks was turned on to It Works! distributing after finding that she believed in the all-natural product line.

                I chose to be a part of this company because the products really work, the products are all natural with their ingredients, the pay is great, and I loved seeing the results people had and being a part of that.

                Dana is enthusiastic about being an It Works! Independent Distributor. To her, being a rep is fun and easy. She’s just sharing with others about the product she believes in and allows them to try it. For more information about becoming an It Works! distributor, contact Dana Crandall-Sparks or learn more a her web site!

                Passion Consulting

                Passion Parties is about empowering women and keeping the flame in the bedroom! I believe that good communication starts with a passionate love life, and Passion Parties aims to strengthen the bond between couples. As a home business, money can be made as a consultant or discounted products can be earned for aiding a consultant as a party host. Passion Consultant, Ashlynne Brown, has made herself known among military wives in her community.

                I chose Passion Parties because I can do a girls night in or a couples evening together. I also feel like our names of the products are favorable than others and prices are cheaper!

                For those of you who are a little more on the wild side, or genuinely believe in promoting a wonderful sex life, I highly encourage you to contact Ashlynne Brown to learn how you can turn your Passion into a business.

                So, can Military Wives work from home? Absolutely! What are some other ways you ladies have earned income from home? Please share! I’m always interested in finding new ways to start a business and supporting our community! For those of you who don’t know, Basewives is on the look-out for blog authors! If you’re interested, please contact me!