Changing Brands - Part 2 - My Company

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This is my second post of my Changing Brands series.

To read my first post, “My Story,” go HERE.

Here are some facts and the history behind the company.  I believe you should know the background about a company and what it stands for before you commit to using it and especially before you represent it!

So what exactly is Shaklee?  What makes it so great?

As the #1 Natural Nutrition Company in the U.S., we’ve been making people healthier for over 50 years.  And we’ve made it part of our job to make the planet healthier along the way.  We were doing it back when green was just a color and biodegradable was barely a word.  In fact, as early as 1960, we made one of the first biodegradable household cleaners ever.

Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee, Sr.,  Shaklee Founder, with original Basic H

And we were the first company in the world to obtain Climate Neutral certification and totally offset our CO₂ emissions, resulting in a net zero impact on the environment.

What is the Shaklee Legacy?

For 50 years, Shaklee Corporation has been leading the way in natural health products and sustainable business practices.  In 1915, Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee created “Vitalized Minerals,” one of the first multivitamins in the world.  When he founded Shaklee Corporation in 1956, he helped pioneer both the nutritional supplement industry and a distribution method that rewards word-of-mouth referrals.

When everybody else was celebrating plastic and synthetic materials, Shaklee turned to nature - finding the purest natural ingredients for vitamins and making one of the first biodegradable household cleaners ever.  

When everybody else was spending their marketing dollars on advertising, Shaklee invested what would amount to billions of dollars in rewards for people who spread the word - not to mention millions of dollars in research and development.

Shaklee Corporation continues to lead the way in the belief that the health and prosperity of people and the planet offer the greatest hope for a better world.

Shaklee is the #1 Natural Nutrition company in the U.S.  Why?

• ·      Over $250 million invested in clinical testing, research, and development
• ·      Over 83,000 tests annually for product quality
• ·      Over 100 scientific papers, 90 of them published in peer-reviewed journals
• ·      Quality far beyond industry standards

We think health is the most important thing in the whole world.  Without it, you have nothing else.  So everything that goes into every Shaklee bottle is designed to make you healthy.  And we want to do it so well you’ll tell your friends about it.  Dr. Shaklee's vision was to “give people the wealth of health.” We still think that's the best idea to build a company on.

Shaklee is living in harmony with nature.

Following Dr. Shaklee's advice, we draw from the wisdom of nature in everything we do.  We make products from the purest natural ingredients and we go to great lengths to keep out pesticides, contaminants, and other unnatural things that simply don't belong there.  But we are also dedicated to protecting and preserving our environment.  Shaklee was the first company in the world to be Carbon Neutral – we operate with net zero impact on the earth.  Our world headquarters is a renowned model of environmental responsibility.  We make products that are gentle on the planet.  And we do not test on animals.

Shaklee is about passing the word.

You’ll never find a single Shaklee product on a store shelf.  You’ll find it through conversation.  When someone believes in something so strongly, they just have to tell you about it!  Dr. Shaklee found that this was the best way to spread the message of health, because it’s based on trust in the people you know.  You would never share a product that didn’t work with someone who would join you at a holiday dinner - a refreshing concept in business in Dr. Shaklee’s time.  But it’s an even more incredible approach in our world today.  Instead of putting money into advertising, supply chains, and storefronts, we believe our money is better spent rewarding people who share Shaklee products with the people they know.  You tell your friend about a great movie.  You tell your friend about a restaurant he shouldn't miss.  Shaklee products get shared in the same way.

We’re about doing what’s right.

• ·      In three years, Shaklee planted more than one million trees.
• ·      We sponsored three North Pole expeditions to measure the impact of global warming.
• ·      7 of Time-Life Books’ 25 Greatest Adventures of All Time were powered by Shaklee products.
• ·      Our donation of environmentally friendly cleaning supples were used on-board Jacques Cousteau’s research vessles.
• ·      We’ve donated vitamins and nutrition drinks to undernourished children and earthquake victims.
• ·      We support the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to promote human rights and end poverty.
• ·      We partnered with Dr. Wangari Maatai – the first Nobel Peace Laureate recognized for environmental work.
• ·      We were official sponsors of Earth Day.
• ·      We donated almost half a million dollars to U.S. hurricane relief.
• ·      Our annual giving has topped $3 million.

The list goes on and on.

Shaklee is about opportunity.

We offer people who believe in Shaklee products enough to tell their friends about them a unique chance for them to be their own boss, on their own terms, and to work beyond whatever goals they set.  We're not just talking about an opportunity to make a huge income.  We're talking about an opportunity to spend a huge chunk of time at the park with the kids.

Unlike other businesses, the opportunity is yours no matter where you live, whether or not you went to college, or what your resume looks like.  Unlike other businesses with glass ceilings and salary caps, there is no limit to where this opportunity can take you.  Unlike other businesses that offer a way to make a living, this opportunity is a way to make living better.

Shaklee is about shared success.

Thanks to great vision and smart business practices, we’re a very profitable company.  But that’s not the only way we measure our success.  We also measure it by how many lives we can help make better.  While most businesses thrive on competition, we ask the question, “Why can’t success depend on sharing?”

It works like this: You are rewarded for sharing healthy, earth-friendly Shaklee products with others.  And you’re rewarded even more when you help others do the same.  The more successful those people become, the more you benefit.  And sure, the more we benefit.  Because sharing makes everyone’s share more valuable.

But there's more to it than just sharing financial reward. We're sharing products and a way of life that truly makes people and the planet healthier.  We believe this is the start of a revolutionary business and social model.

Shaklee is about a better world.

The principles on which we were founded over 50 years ago are more relevant today than ever before. 

That's why we're all in this.  We believe we're part of a movement to make people and the planet healthier.  But most importantly, all of us at Shaklee are in this because we want to do our small part.  And each of our small contributions put together will create the major change we wish to see in the world.

Shaklee’s is naturally safe and proven effective.

For over 50 years, generations of families have counted on us to do what no other company can do quite like us: make products that are naturally safe AND proven effective.

Our mission at Shaklee is to provide a healthier life for everyone and a better life for anyone.  We do it by making natural products that are so exceptional you just have to tell your friends.  Everything that goes into each Shaklee product is designed to improve health, work without compromise, and be gentle on the planet.

At Shaklee, we don’t just promote health and wellness.  We practice it.  We have some of the best and brightest, the most innovative, and the most passionate working together developing products the support our mission of providing a healthier life for everyone.

When you choose Shaklee, you know three things will always be true:

It is always safe.

It always works.

It is always green.

Watch this video about the Shaklee Difference.

Ready to start using Shaklee products in YOUR house?  Visit my store HERE to become a member and start shopping!  Changing brands can change your life!

Want to learn more about how you can have your own business?  Email me or visit my website for more information.  I would love to have you join our team!

Come back tomorrow for Part 3!

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Changing Brands - Part 1 - My Story

Pin It My Shaklee story starts back in 2007 when I was watching Oprah.  Her “Favorite Things” show (when she spends the entire hour showcasing items she loves and gives them to everyone in the audience) was always my favorite.  In 2007, I was watching Oprah’s “Favorite Things” show and I saw Shaklee for the first time.

I was captivated by what I saw and heard, but with everything going on in my life that year (finishing my Masters, my first year of teaching, moving cross-country…and then to Germany)…well, let’s just say Shaklee fell off my radar. 

For the last four years my husband and I have lived in Germany.  When we moved here we were immediately overwhelmed by Germany’s recycling policies.  We went from living in towns where nothing is recycled, to a country where EVERYTHING is recycled.  Our multiple trash cans were picked up twice a week in the States and now our one, small can would be emptied only every other week.  We were in disbelief.  There was no way we would ever survive!!

We recycled everything we could and eventually even added a compost in our backyard for all of our food scraps.  Four years later we can honestly say we have NEVER needed a bigger trash can or more frequent pick ups!  It’s pretty incredible. 

Living in such an ecologically conscious country has increased our own desire to live a more “green” life.  We buy organic food and non-toxic cleaners whenever possible.  Anyone who lives this way knows: it’s not cheap.  Our budget is already stretched thin.  We’ve given up my income so I can be a SAHM.  Plus, Maia needs special formula for her allergies (to the tune of $350 a month!).  We just don’t have enough ‘green’ to be ‘green’!!

Until now.

I recently went through a documentary phase.  I watched Food Inc., Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, and Killer At Large and I was revolted by what I saw.  We are inundated everyday with toxins and chemicals.  I don’t want Maia to grow up exposed to so much crap.  I started looking for alternatives online and I found that people were talking about Shaklee!  The more I read, the more excited I got!  Finally a ‘green’ option that wouldn’t leave us broke!

Shaklee has been around for over 50 years.  Their products are all-natural, green, non-toxic, cost effective, and SAFE.  They’re safe for our Bee, safe for us, and also safe for our menagerie of pets.  I couldn’t wait to try them!

As I read more, I learned that Shaklee also offered SAHM’s (and wanna-be SAHM’s!) the opportunity to earn money from home.  It is the opportunity to meet people, network, and market products that we already use and love.  

But I’m a New Yorker, born and raised, so I’m a skeptic.  Surely it’s too good to be true.  This is just another pyramid scheme to trick you into paying a lot of money.  So I did some more research.  And then I did more research.  And then I did more.  And you know what I found? 

Nothing.

I can’t find anything bad about Shaklee.  Certainly a ‘fly-by-night’ company that absconds with your life savings wouldn’t still be around 54+ years later. 

Oprah wouldn’t feature Shaklee not just once, but TWICE on her show (once with Dr. Oz) if it wasn’t legit.  Rachel Ray has also featured Shaklee on her show:

(The Starter Kit is actually only $99!)

These are two very successful TV show hosts who have teams of people on the lookout for products and companies that really are too-good-to-be-true.  They featured Shaklee because the products really are incredible.

I decided I wanted to be part of the Shaklee team.  I signed up as a Gold Ambassador and am in the process of Shaklee-izing our home.  My daughter is going to grow up surrounded by healthy, non-toxic, green products…and we’re not going to go broke because of it.  In fact, now that I’m an independent distributor, we’re actually going to make money.

Want to learn more about how you can have your own business?  Email me or visit my website for more information.  I would love to have you join our team!


Do you want to start using Shaklee products?  Click HERE to visit my store, become a member, and start shopping!!

Come back tomorrow for Part 2!

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Prunes Are Yummy!

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This entry could also be titled:

I'm Learning to Make Funny Faces!

Maia tried prunes for the first time this week…and she LOVED them!

She especially loved her "prune mustache" and proudly showed it off for the camera...

She was experimenting and figured out how to lick the food off her upper lip. 

Look how proud she is!!

But…the every time I laughed she gave me started huffing at me!  She started doing this a couple weeks ago - it's her way of joking around.  If you make faces at her or noises at her - especially while she's eating! - she responds by huffing and puffing!  She squishes her nose and lips and breathes really heavily, huffing and puffing!  It's hilarious but so far I haven't been able to get it on video.  This is the best I could do…a picture of her sticking her tongue out during the huffing and puffing.

What a character!

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First Time in the States! {Part 3} - Phoenix

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{Part 3} of our trip to the States!

If you haven't read {Part 1}, click HERE.

If you haven't read {Part 2}, click HERE.

***

We arrived in Phoenix and hit the ground running!  We only had 6 days to do everything!!

First up was a baking class for me!  I was finally going to be able to take an official class!  So exciting!!  My cousin and I were taking a private lesson at her house and we were able to choose any technique we wanted.  We're not ones who take the easy way out so we decided to make a Topsy-Turvy cake.

Oh yeah…and it was big enough to feed 100 people!!!

We worked for 8 hours straight and this was the final product:

Pretty neat, huh?  We're very proud of it!  And it was delicious too!!

The next night we went to the Big Bang in Tempe.  It's a dueling piano bar of epic proportions.  They have four incredibly talented pianists and they play two at a time all night.  They sing everything from Madonna to Queen to Billy Joel, and anything in between.

We had such a blast and it was just like old times.  It's been a favorite place for years and we have so many great photos of everyone together, singing out of tune!

Our great friends (and neighbors!) from Germany were stationed near Tucson at the time and they came up to spend the weekend with us.  It was SO good to see them!!  It's was such a fun night!! 

They moved to Arizona the week Maia was born.  They met her when she was only five days old!

And then, on Sunday, my parents had a party for anyone who wanted to come, see us again, and (of course!) meet Maia!!  Maia has changed a lot since they saw her December!!

Maia was obviously the center of attention - there were so many people to meet!

It was a really special day.  Living abroad is a fantastic experience, but we miss out on the family and friends back in the States.

The rest of our time was divided between shopping, restaurants, and the pool.  

We took Maia to the pool one afternoon in hopes that she would have a little fun and we could all get a short pool day.  We had no idea Maia would end up being a complete FISH!!

The first day she swam for 40 minutes straight!!  She kicks, paddles, and splashes!

It was such a blast!!  We were so happy that she enjoyed it as much as she did!!  We went back the next day to give her another chance to explore the water.  Boy, does she love it!!

Look at these wrinkly feet!!

We had such a great time during our three weeks in the States, but it was time to say goodbye and head home.  

We left Phoenix with:

1 stroller

1 car seat

4 carry-on bags

4 suitcases

…and…

mailed 6 large Priority Mail boxes home.

Oops.

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First Time in the States! {Part 2} - Boston/Cape Cod

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{Part 2} of our trip to the States!

If you haven't read {Part 1}, click HERE.

***

We drove from New Hampshire straight to Children's Hospital Boston on July 5th.  Our much anticipated appointment with a Pediatric Gastroenterologist was that afternoon.  

As we walked from the parking garage toward the hospital, we saw this:

Ranked #1.

We were walking into a world-renowned hospital and we were hoping for some answers.

Maia was seen by a wonderful doctor (who is also a Harvard Medical School professor) and we spent almost an hour giving her history.  We started with my pregnancy and continued, detail by detail, until present day.  

She agreed that Maia has a pretty bad case of Acid Reflux.  She said that our doctor here in Germany was doing a great job managing it by recommending 100% use of Alimentum (hypoallergenic) formula and that her dose of PrevAcid was appropriate.  She recommended a soy, dairy, whey, and casein-free diet until Maia was at least a year old.  (I know…that's a lot of foods to avoid!!)  She said the acid reflux could be aggravated by one or more of these foods, but we can't call it an 'allergy' until after she turns a year old.  Right now we call it an 'intolerance.'  

She recommended a Modified Barium Swallow Study, an Upper GI barium study, and a visit with a nutritionist…for starters.  She was able to pull strings and get us appointments for both barium studies while we were still in Boston!  (Normally it takes 2-3 months to get an appointment!)  We actually left her office in a rush to run downstairs to the Radiology department for the Upper GI barium study as a walk-in.  The barium needs at least 24 hours to leave her system before they are able to do another barium study, otherwise I suspect we would have had both studies done that afternoon!  We only waited a short time before they were able to do the test.  

They had Maia lay on the x-ray table, hands over her head, and then had her drink barium solution out of a bottle.  They rotated her into three positions: first on her left side, then on her back, and finally on her right side.  They watched her imagine on the monitor and somehow managed to have a normal conversation with each other over her incredibly loud screaming!  She had to fast for the test, so she was starving, she was totally tricked into drinking disgusting barium, AND she was being held down.  To say Maia was unhappy would be an understatement!  But it was literally a two minute test (they just needed the barium to work it's way down and start moving into her intestines) and they said everything was working normally.  YEA!!

Remember how I said we ran to the Radiology department to start the Upper GI study?  It was only half-true…Romas ran to Radiology with Maia and I stayed behind to check out of the GI department.  They called to schedule our appointment with a nutritionist and they were booked for 2 months.  No surprise.  The woman asked why I needed the appointment to be that same week and I started explaining how we were a military family, living in Germany…you know the rest!  After she listened to me explain, she put me on hold and when she came back, she gave me an appointment for the next morning!  She said, "We are really booked, but I'm feeling patriotic and I can squeeze you in tomorrow if you can make it."  

WOW.

Of course we could make it!!  We were back at Children's the next morning at 9am for our appointment. The nutritionist was super nice and had only found out about our appointment with her when she arrived at work that morning!  We chatted for a while about life in the military, life overseas…and then we started giving Maia's history.  Again.

After we talked about feeding schedules, routines, issues, and concerns, she calculated calories and decided that Maia was getting enough calories daily.  We've been calculating Maia's calories since she was three weeks old and no matter what we give her, it never seems to be enough.  She's been labeled as "Failure to Thrive" her entire life.  She was reassuring when she said, "You know the kid on the track team who eats four times as much as everyone else and he's still as thin as a rail?  Maybe Maia's just the skinny kid."

Hmmmm.

I'd never considered that before.  After all, we don't have any skinny people in our family!!  Maia could possibly be the first skinny kid!!  I guess there's a first time for everything!

We left that appointment feeling great!  We had our next test the following morning (the Modified Barium Swallow study) and then we were officially on vacation!  

The next morning we arrived bright and early for Maia's Modified Barium Swallow study.  I was dreading it.  The last thing I wanted was to hold Maia down while she screamed bloody murder again.  So when we were called brought into the room, I was pleasantly surprised to see a car seat sitting on the x-ray table.  All she had to do was sit in the car seat and drink a little barium.  Thank goodness!

They filled one of her bottles with barium and I had to stand in front of her and help her hold it.  They were watching on the monitor.  She aspirated the liquid.  One minute she was drinking, the next she had pulled the bottle out of her mouth.  No cough.  No choke.  No reaction whatsoever.  But the Radiologist and Speech/Language Pathologist saw it on the screen.  The liquid actually went "down the wrong pipe," as we say.  They took the bottle and thickened the barium.  She drank it with no problem.  Then they gave me rice cereal mixed with barium and she ate that with no problem too.  Again we were only in the room for a short time, but this time we'd hit a snag.

The Speech/Language Pathologist said that it isn't all that uncommon for infants to aspirate.  Maia would need to drink only thickened liquids until we could return in 2-4 months for a repeat swallow study.  She said that hopefully she would outgrow it like so many other children.

Bummer.  

We were so close to heading back to Germany on a high note.  Now we were leaving with recipes on how to thicken formula, water, and juice.  We talked to the Gastroenterologist that night and she said Maia was very lucky to have never had any respiratory infections or pneumonia because of her aspiration.  She said we should return to have the swallow study again but we should also schedule a number of other appointments in case she was still aspirating.  We have to schedule office visits with: a Gastroenterologist, an ENT, and a Pulmonologist and we would also need to schedule a Triple Scope procedure where Maia would be put under anesthesia and each of the three specialists would take turns scoping her to look for reasons why she aspirates. 

It is really disturbing to think about.  I don't want them to scope her.  Poor Maia.  Right now I'm just hoping to delay the return until it's been a full four months to give her ample time to outgrow the problem.  Hopefully we'll go all the way there, she'll do fine on the swallow study, we'll cancel the appointments with the specialists, and we'll just enjoy our week in Boston.  Right now we're waiting once again for approval from our health insurance.  We have to be approved before we can start planning.

We went down to the Cape to enjoy the rest of our time in the area.  We spent a few days wandering around Provincetown.  It is such a blast!!  Every time I am there, I enjoy it more and more.  It's such a quaint town with wonderful little shops, ice cream, fudge, and taffy.  

Maia and I posed for a picture on the beach together.  Once with our backs to the water...

And once with our backs to the P-Town Monument.  

Unfortunately, the day we planned to spend at the beach was the only day it rained.  Actually, it POURED!!  It was kind of nice to have a day to just relax and have an excuse to do nothing…but I haven't had a beach day in years.  For a couple who both grew up on the water, we've been missing that salt air a lot.  I guess we'll have to wait a little longer.

We went back to Boston for the last couple days of our East Coast stay.  We were able to meet up with my best friend, Kelly, who lives in Boston.  We spent the morning at the New England Aquarium and then walked across to Fanuel Hall/Quincy Market.  It's absolute tourist heaven, but I've always loved the atmosphere.  It's only pedestrians and there are lots of restaurants and stores, even little vendors.  We had lunch and walked around a little.  We had such a great time!

On July 13th, it was time to say good-bye to the East Coast and head out to the desert.  We were flying to Phoenix to spend the last week of our vacation.  Time was flying by!!

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First Time in the States! {Part 1 - NH}

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We're BACK!!

After 3 weeks in the States, we're back and ready to blog about it!!  Here's what's been happening:

Here's a picture of us in front of our house…with a German entourage!  They went from house to house playing music…and asking for drinks!  Romas did a shot of rum with them, we took a picture, and then they moved on to the next house.  

  

Little Miss Maia is an American citizen, yet at 7 months old had never set foot on American soil!  She doesn't realize yet that in America it's not normal for people dressed up in traditional clothes, playing the accordion to ring your doorbell and ask for alcohol!!  I needed a picture for proof for all of our American friends and family.  

Anyway, that is NO longer the case!!  The Bee has now officially graced multiple states with her presence.  

Luckily we were flying on US Military orders and American Airlines has *VERY* lenient rules on baggage allowances and weight.  We left Frankfurt with:

1 stroller

1 car seat

4 carry-on bags

3 suitcases

One of those suitcases was clearly overweight but they just put a special tag that said 'HEAVY' on it and loaded it up!!  

We didn't get to choose our airline.  Our tickets were purchased by the government as part of our agreement to extend our stay overseas.  Because we volunteered for back-to-back overseas assignments, we are given the opportunity to fly home once.  In keeping with military tradition where everything has an acronym, it's called COT travel.  COT stands for Consecutive Overseas Tour.  Anyway, our tickets are purchased on our behalf and we are booked on whichever airline is currently contracted with the US government.  In this case, it was American Airlines.  (When we first moved here in 2007, however, we flew with Delta.  It changes often.)

American Airlines treats the US Military like royalty.  Soldiers are allowed 5 bags and each can be heavier than a standard passenger's (as was the case with mine!)  Uniformed military also get priority boarding - they board with First Class passengers!  And, the big one, any soldier traveling on orders can use their First Class Airport Lounges!  How great is that??  We had access to it, but I didn't think the 1st Class passengers would appreciate Maia bopping around in there!!

We landed at Logan International Airport in Boston on June 30th after an incredibly long and trying trip from Frankfurt, via London.  Maia is a natural traveler and (luckily!) was the least of our problems!  In London, we had boarded first and once we were seated, the flight attendant took Maia up to the front to greet everyone else as they boarded!!  She spent more than 30 minutes up front while Romas and I relaxed and read our books.

We were met by Romas' mom and step-dad and we headed straight for their house in New Hampshire, where we were staying until Maia's appointment in Boston on July 5th.

I LOVE this picture of the Bee.  She's so stinkin' CUTE!

And here she is with her Daddy.

This is Maia's cousin fishing in the river behind the house.

She caught one!!  She's here with her Uncle as he lets her pet it!

It's rare that we have a photo of the three of us!!

This is Maia's other cousin.  He's her idol!!  She wanted to be just like him and started crawling and standing just like he can!

Deep in thought...

And here are brother and sister with their kids!  

The area around the house is incredible.  Romas spent a lot of time here when he was younger and I can see why he loved it so much!  It's amazing!!

The following picture was taken during the July 4th BBQ in front of the house.

The NH house has lots of hats hanging from the loft: real hats, silly hats, and everywhere in between!

And here is a rare family photo.

We had a wonderful time in New Hampshire but it was time to return to Boston for Maia's appointment at Children's Hospital.

{Part 2 - Boston} coming soon...

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