By: Sung Bin

This  week we have been all about Dragons. I try to find seasonal crafts for my three  year old and I to work on together every week so we geared up for this one by  reading some dragon stories and books. Our favorite is the Knight and the Dragon  by Tomie de Paola, a story about unlikely friends, and Puff the magic dragon and  Merlina and the magic spell (great book for harvest theme too), our close runner  ups. Our  dragon craft was a dragon puppet made out of craft or popsicle sticks, paper,  paint, googley eyes and glue. First, we painted some 3" strips of  paper and  folded them accordion style for the body of the dragon. We cut out a dragon head  and tail shape from paper and glued on eyes and decorated the tail. We used the  pictures from the books to help with the head and tail cutouts. Then we glued  the pieces together with the popsicle sticks glued an inch of the  top of the  stick to the base of the head and tail to move the dragon around. My daughter wanted one side of the dragon's face to be "fierce" and the other to be  "happy" so we just drew and glued the two faces to be able to flip them. While  waiting for all the glue to dry, we also baked some dragon bread by shaping  bread dough into dragons embellishing them with pumpkin seeds and raisins for  the scales and eyes. It was a little treat/snack after our hard work of  crafting. When  we were done feasting, we had a little puppet show and story time by making up  stories about dragons in caves. We had a great time making and baking. Next week  we are planning to make some Pompom apples and bake apple muffins. Happy  September!

By: Amy E

**** Update 7/9/15 Safety Insurance decided 2 years later to drop me as an insured driver after more than 7 years of loyalty despite no issues with my driving record.  They refused to tell me the reason why, but upon further investigation and off the record conversations we found out this was due to the at fault driver being underinsured and as a result they are dropping me.  I DO NOT ENDORSE SAFETY INSURANCE ANYMORE. We will NOT support any businesses that treat their customers this way and then refuse to give an answer. We find them to be rude and inepy. We strongly suggest you find your insurance elsewhere. We are currently searching for a new provider who will appreciate customer loyalty, especially loyalty from consumers who have EXCELLENT records who do nothing but pay thousands of $$$ every year!

I recently got into a bad car accident.  Thankfully no one lost any limbs, suffered from uncontrolled bleeding
etc.   I have been getting back to normal and recovering from my injuries, though it has been slow going.  Another thankful thing was  that there were no children involved in the actual accident.  My Tiny One was happily at daycare when the accident took place and for that  I am very thankful.

The insurance companies determined fault to be with the other driver who had broad sided me after passing a vehicle in front of her on the right at an intersection. Murray & MacDonald as well as Safety Insurance on my side were very quick and supportive and responsive to me as their client.  Unfortunately on the other side of things USAA was not helpful, have dragged their feet & continue to do so.  I believe the reason for this to be due to the extremely low coverage the other driver (from New Jersey) had- $5,000 in property damage coverage and less than the state MA minimum on Injury coverage. Because of this, USAA has been very difficult to deal with.  
 
After the accident, one of my primary concerns was my child’s car seat.  I had purchased a Britax marathon when my child transitioned from an infant carrier.  I have to tell you I have been beyond happy with the purchase and the peace of mind it brings me in knowing my child is safe.  Car seats are NOT  a cheap investment by any means.  Also as many of you may already know, if a car seat is in a car when an accident happens then the seat must almost usually be replaced. This is true whether a child is actually in the seat or not at the time of the accident.  My accident in particular definitely met the standards to be replaced.

Unfortunately the adjustors (plural as we had to go thru several to get results) at USAA were unhelpful in the car seat area.  Technically they should replace the car seat since their insured was at fault.  They kept claiming that depending on the coverage issue they could reimburse me; however I don’t have $300 extra bucks lying around to replace my car seat and then cross my fingers and hope that there is money left to reimburse me. USAA just didn’t care.  Agent  S.T. even tried to tell me he “understands how I am feeling,” as I sat crying on the phone when he explained about the coverage issue.  No I’m sorry S.T., you do NOT understand in any way shape or form. You are not a single mother who was in a car crash and out of work who  has to pay for childcare regardless of having an accident or unpaid week from work.  You are not sitting here worrying about whether if we are in a subsequent crash if we would actually survive.  You are sitting in some office someplace else and I am just another person on this planet with billions.  But I do understand you are just doing your job albeit a bad job, as you really did nothing to resolve the issue quickly and just continually made excuses because of the low coverage on your insured’s end. It is seriously insulting to my intelligence to patronize me S.T.

Thankfully my local insurance company, Murray & MacDonald, and agent had my back EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!  My agent from Murray & MacDonald, Sara was AMAZING. She worked nonstop with Safety & USAA (and still is) on my claim,  trying to get things resolved, trying to get me back into a safe vehicle and
 trying to get my child back into a safe car seat.  But USAA would not budge on the car seat and kept delaying responses to paying for the car seat until they “knew the total damage and cost to fix my car.”  I particularly loved the line that agent, S.T., gave to us where he stated, “Well we have to protect our insured.”  Um yea, well your insured is at fault for not paying attention, being impatient and passing on the right at an intersection, and by the way who is protecting my child?!  You would think that USAA, which does A LOT of business with military families in this country, would be more empathetic to situations that involved children or families, but they were not.

My agent, Sara and Shirley (From Safety) were my hero’s! They
kept on fighting for me despite having calls ignored by USAA, threatened to be hung up on, and other delay tactics. Eventually it came to a point where I couldn’t sleep one night because of
the car seat issue.  I kept having  nightmares that we would be in a subsequent crash and the seat would fail and my child would be hurt.  I know it is a mother’s fears, some may even think I was overreacting however I was not okay with leaving my son’s safety up to chance. At 3am one day I sat down and sent an email to Shirley and Sara and explained just how upset I was about the car seat situation.  Seeing as how USAA was dragging their feet, I asked Shirley to request a signed letter from USAA stating that they would be liable for my child if the car seat failed to protect him in a subsequent crash. After seeing just how upset I was (and believe me she was just as frustrated with USAA as we were.  She had even specifically told them don't worry about the repairs to the car we will cover it just get Amy a new car seat and get her into a rental so she and her son can be safe-but USAA just didn't care), Shirley immediately got in touch with me early in the morning and told me that they would take care of my car seat and replace it because they did not want me to be upset and frustrated.  I had to send my original receipt of purchase to them as well as research the current prices and deals on getting the new seat.  I sent all the documentation to her and shortly thereafter Shirley emailed me back saying she had cut a check and sent it to me.  I received the check and immediately purchased a new car seat which has arrived and is already installed in the car I am temporarily in! I feel so much better now-even though I don’t have the car back yet, I know my son is safe! 

The saga is still far from over.  Right now the car is still being fixed.  USAA’s response to finding out Safety had helped with the seat: “oh we see Safety helped you with the seat, that’s nice.” Thanks USAA, thanks for absolutely nothing! Thanks for ignoring messages left for you, thanks for transferring the claim from one person to another to delay it, thanks for not advising your insured to get better coverage upon moving to Massachusetts.  Thanks for your nasty snide comments about the witness: “oh I don’t know how reliable 14 year old’s are.” Probably about as reliable as your 22 year old underinsured driver… just a thought.  Maybe other people have had positive experiences with USAA before but I am not one of them. I WILL NEVER USE YOU AS AN INSURANCE COMPANY OR REFER ANYONE TO YOU. In fact I would advise people who have you to make sure that when you move from state to state with USAA insurance, that you should check the state minimum’s and make sure USAA adjusts your policy accordingly because USAA certainly is not going to do it for you.  After dealing with them it doesn't seem to me like they have their client's best interests in mind.

 Thankfully Sara though was by my side.  I was out of work for a bit immediately after the accident but Sara was such an asset and I felt s me obtain great coverage on my car so that when things like this happen the car can get fixed.  It was comforting knowing she had my back and I could focus on feeling better.  Every day she worked hard at making sure everyone had the proper paperwork, that people had the pictures of the scene, that liability was being determined…. Seriously this girl did not stop, I don’t know if she slept either!  I know she is also a working mom, so I think she understood how frustrated I was.  I definitely did not have the energy to deal with process or some of the people on the other insured’s end.  Sometimes after trying to talk to USAA, my headaches would increase from all the stress from just dealing with uncooperative people.  But Sara had unending patience and kept persevering despite USAA blocking us every step of the way. 

When the other driver failed to leave any insurance information at the scene of the accident or with the police officer, it was Sara who helped track down the owner of the other vehicle and get their insurance information.  I could barely function after the accident so having Sara take care of everything for me between Safety and USAA was amazing.  She copied me on every single email they went out and gave me daily calls and updates to get things settled.  I don’t think I can even express how grateful I was to have someone fighting for me and my son.  I truly felt like I was her priority and that she cared about the situation. 

Sara and Murray& MacDonald have been my local agents for about 5 years now and I have never once been disappointed. And this recent situation was no different.  Within an hour of the accident, Sara was already preparing paperwork to send to the proper people and checking on me while I was in the Emergency Room. 

Because of Murray MacDonald’s hands on approach and service they have earned a customer for life!  
Technically I could probably go through Safety myself directly however having a local insurance agent really makes a difference when the unexpected happens!  Having a local agent helps ensure the fact that they actually know YOU and YOUR situation. They are invested in their community and their clients.  I truly felt like I was family in this situation and that they, Sara in particular fought as hard as a mother Bear would for her children. And she did it for me and my family.  Now that is AMAZING service!
 
I want to thank Murray & MacDonald for their amazing support in dealing with such a difficult situation.  I
would recommend them to anyone! And if you don’t use them then I definitely recommend finding a local company that will have your back!  

I want to thank Shirley from Safety Insurance for working with Sara and me so diligently. Also thank you for understanding my situation and making sure my son was going to be safe. 

And I want to thank Sara most of all though, without her I would still be trying to navigate the system and trying to get back to normal. Thank you Sara, thank you for fighting for me, thank you for caring,  thank you for not letting it go until things have been made right and thank you most of all for protecting me and my son.  Accidents happen but having such a supportive person in your corner makes all the difference! 

Do you use a local insurance company? Have you had a great experience where you felt they fought hard for you!  I'd love to hear about other local companies who are really invested in their clients!

Cape Cod Academy is pleased to welcome Ambassador Burghardt to campus on Wednesday, October 9 for a speaking engagement that is open to the public. This will be a great event and is definitely not one to miss.  Several of our CCM team members will be there in attendance as well!
We look forward to a great experience!

Ambassador Burghardt will discuss his role as a diplomat, his 40 years experience in Asia and the dynamism of Asia today.

Please join us! Admission is FREE! 
(This event is appropriate for anyone 7th grade and older)

By: Suzanne Golden, M.S., CCC-SLP

It’s fall!  It’s time for apple picking, pumpkins, and falling leaves!  And as always I am looking for ways to tie in speech and language skills to fall-themed activities.  Here are some of my favorite activities to do with my daughter and some ideas for incorporating speech and language skills into this fall-themed fun! 
 

Arts-and-Crafts 
Leaf Rubbing

 ·        Take a nature walk and look for fallen leaves
 ·        Use this time to talk about different characteristics of the leaves you find
 ·        Look for all different types of leaves – big, small, varying shapes, etc… 
 ·        After you are inside, place a piece of paper over the leave and rub with a crayon 
 
Paint/Decorate Pumpkins
Carving pumpkins with young children can be challenging…and dangerous!  Instead of carving, consider getting creative with arts and crafts supplies instead! 

·        Grab some paint, paintbrushes, glue, glitter, stickers and any other art supplies you can find! 
·        Buy glow-in-the-dark paint for some added night-time excitement!
·        Let your child get creative and messy!
·        Stop worrying about the mess and get creative too!
·        Paint a faces or use different colors paint to create a pattern

Day-Trip

Apple Picking 
·        Head to a local apple orchard to do some 
         picking

·        If the orchard has a map, look at it with your child and map out the route you will take to pick your apples

·        Count the apples as you put them in the 
         bag

·        Talk about the characteristics of the apples you find – are they all the same?  What makes one different from another? 
 
·      When you get home, cut an apple open – what is inside?  
 
·        Talk about the parts of the apple – the skin, the stem, the seeds, etc… 

·        Cut the apple in half, dip it in paint and use it to make “apple prints” on paper

Kitchen Activities 

Apple Crisp
Break out the aprons, preheat the oven and do some baking! 
·        Allow your child to help you pour and measure all of the ingredients needed

 ·        Introduce various “cooking” vocabulary words like “mixing”, “pour”, “preheat”, etc… 

·        While the apple crisp is cooking, help your child recall the steps that you followed in the recipe and retell the steps in sequence 
 
Pumpkin Play-dough
·        Keep out the aprons to make some homemade Pumpkin Play-dough
·        Ingredients
o  1 cup flour
o  1/2 cup salt
o  2 teaspoons cream of tartar
o  2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
o  1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
o  1 tablespoon vegetable oil
o  1 cup water
o  Food coloring (6 drops of red and 15 drops of yellow)
o  Combine dry ingredients in a saucepan.  Add oil, water and food coloring.  Whisk until smooth and continue stirring over medium heat.  Cook for 3-4 minutes until a ball forms 
o  Let dough cool on counter and then knead it until smooth.  
 
·        After you have made the dough play with it to create fun, fall, play-dough creations!
  
What are your favorite fall activities?  Leave a comment below to tell about your favorite fall-themed activity! 
  
Whatever you decide to do, make sure you enjoy the time spent with your child and think about promoting good speech and language skills  while you have fun together!

By: Jennifer L. Long, RN, NCN

As a mother myself, I know that we want what is best for our children. We want them to be safe, eat healthy, make good choices and become successful in everything they do. In the process of trying to do everything for our babies, we tend to neglect our health, nutrition, hobbies and what we enjoy doing. It does not have to be this way! There is a way to have it all. To live a healthy lifestyle, maintain a healthy weight while influencing our kids positively. Children are a product of what they see. What habits you possess now are almost certain to become visible in your children, as they get older. I have found a way to incorporate my children in a healthy lifestyle and I’m getting in the best shape of my life doing it!
           
Stabilizing your blood sugar by eating within an hour of waking, within an hour of bedtime, a balance of protein, fats and carbohydrates every 3-4 hours is the key to unlocking your body’s full potential; releasing stored body fat and finally seeing the definition you have always wanted to see. The bonus, MORE ENERGY and NO MORE CRAVINGS! You can eat less more often and NEVER feel hungry or deprived again. No more yo-yo diets that will fail you time and again. No more missing out on family functions or BBQs or dinner out with the girls. You can still eat the foods you love while feeling and looking AMAZING. Oh and those
mood swings? Yes, they will be controlled because you are creating homeostasis (balance) in your body. Stabilizing your blood sugar will in turn balance hormones to control the release of cortisol, a hormone released when the body is under acute stress. Chronic stress contributes to increase in belly fat due to the constant release of cortisol, which sits right where you hate it most. This is why losing weight after a baby can be more difficult. The lack of sleep causes more stress and for an extended period of time, which also can contribute to skipping meals.
           
Exercise is important as well. You must incorporate core strengthening, interval training and fat burning cardio exercise each week. 
           
Supplementation is important. Eating every 3-4 hours can be a difficult task for some. A complete meal replacement, shake or a bar can easily fill in difficult meal times and close those gaps where a meal might get skipped. Antioxidants are highly necessary to combat free radicals, which cause oxidative damage to your cells. In order to maintain the level of antioxidants high enough to prevent oxidative damage, you must eat 13 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. If that were difficult for you or your family, a supplement would be
beneficial for you. This is also true of our picky little eaters. 
           
The first thing my clients report is more energy, no cravings and better sleep! The inches and weight follow. There is no quick fix or miracle pill to lose weight, but there is one thing that will guarantee you positive results, quality nutrition, hard work, dedication and a commitment to yourself. We moms are super heroes, if we want our kids to look and feel their best, shouldn’t we?

There are a lot of fun activities going on Cape Wide for Halloween.  Here are just a few of the wide amount of events taking place.  Check back here as we will be updating this often. If you have an event you want added please email us at info@ccmommies.com

Thanks!

Safe Trick or Treat
Where: Along Main Street Hyannis
When: 4:00 - 6:00 PM
Businesses along Main Street will pass out candy to trick or treaters!

Halloween Kids Fest
Where: Tony Andrews Farm, 394 Old
Meetinghouse Rd., Falmouth, MA
When: Saturday & Sundays in October starting October 5-October 27, 2013
There will be tractor rides, pumpkin picking and a kid friendly haunted house! (Note: I would not recommend this for children 4 and under even in the daytime)  There is a cost for the Haunted House

Green Halloween
Where: Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, 869 Main Street, Route 6A, Brewster
When: Sunday, October 27, 2013, 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
The Brewster Chamber of Commerce and the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History are partnering to host Green Halloween, an afternoon of safe and spooky fun!  Admission is $5 per child (ages 3 – 16) and includes a treat bag and scavenger hunt punch card. Adults are FREE. (Children must be accompanied by an adult.) Children can join the costume parade through the halls of the museum while searching for clues that win them entry to the Treat Trail, where goody bags will be filled. Ten activity stations feature crafts, games and music. Make flying bats and glow in the dark jelly fish, join in the pirate sing-a-long and more!

Barnstable Village's Haunted & History Walking Tour
Where: US. Coast Guard Heritage Museum , 3353 Main Street (6A), Barnstable
When:
Fridays and Mondays from 7-10pm beginning October 4-November 15, 2013
Adults $20, Children $10
Are you looking for something out of the ordinary to fill your evenings? Join us as we walk the historic and haunted “Old Kings Highway” in Barnstable Village.. As the tour starts, you will hear stories of the conflict between the Loyalists and the American Whigs (Patriots) and how England had a stronghold on this small quaint town. There are over ten stops on the tour and eight have ghost stories. You will visit Cobb’s Hill Cemetery where many strange and unusual things have taken place. You will visit such places as the Barnstable Tavern & Restaurant where a mischievous specter lurks in the dining room. As we walk along the historic highway, there is a possibility that the tour may be followed by one of the town former residents. As the tour ends, you will enter the darken “Old Jail” built in the 1690’s by the order of Massachusetts Bay Colony Courts, which is actively haunted.

Ghost Town Haunted Attraction
Where: Aquarium Mall, 207 Commercial Street, Provincetown
When: 6-9pm on the following dates:
Friday, October 25, 2013; Saturday, October 26, 2013; Wednesday, October 30, 2013; Thursday, October 31, 2013; Friday, November 1, 2013; November 2, 2013.
Adults $17, Children $13
Prepare yourself for a frightful journey through condemned buildings, pirate ruins and scary grave-sites as you encounter terrifying creatures of the living dead. Keep your wits about you as you wind your way through areas of death, decay and doom trying to find your ultimate escape. The creatures of Ghost Town are dying for you to cross over and join them in a gruesome and grim afterlife.

Halloween Family Fun Night
Where: Heritage Museums and Gardens, 67 Grove Street, Sandwich
When: Friday, October 25 5:30 PM - Saturday, October 26,  9:00 PM
$12, Children under 2 are freeFeaturing festive, non-scary holiday kids activities, including the Toe Jam Puppet Band, games, creature-of-the-night crafts, temporary tattoos, carousel rides and more. Weather permitting, visitors will be able to explore the lighted Hart Family Maze Garden, take a tractor-pulled hay ride around the Parade Field, and play in Hidden Hollow, lighted specially for this event. Participants are welcome to dress in costume.

CAPE COD MALL HOSTS A SPOOK-TACULAR MALL-WIDE TRICK-OR-TREAT!
Where: Cape Cod Mall
When: 4pm October 31st
Cape Cod Mall hosts a fun and frightening trick-or-treating event. Come dressed in your Halloween costume and trick-or-treat throughout the mall at participating retailers that have a pumpkin sign in the window.

Harvest of Horrors
Where: Tony Andrews Farm 394 Old Meeting House East Falmouth
When: October 26 & 27 at 9pm
$10 per person
After 30 + years, the Harvest of Horrors has changed its format from a haunted house and stage show attraction to a haunted hayride throughout the trails on Tony Andrews Farm in East Falmouth, MA.  Audiences will be thrilled by the surprise encounters of frightening scenarios while on the tram, and will have the added eerie experience of a haunted walk through dimly lit woods. Guests should be sure to dress appropriately and have proper footwear, and in addition should be physically able to negotiate walking on
uneven terrain at night.

16th ANNUAL TRICK OR TREAT STROLL ON MAIN STREET
Where: Along Main St Falmouth
When: Saturday, October 26, 2013 (Rain date - Sunday, October 27)
Halloween Parade begins at 1:00 PM on the Village Green. Village Merchants open their doors to hand out candy to the children as they pass by

Halloween Parade for Kids & Pups
Where: Mashpee Commons 
When: Saturday, October 26, 1pm
1-2pm: Spooky activities and entertainment for the entire family. 
2-2:30pm: Pawrade 
2:30-3:30pm: Trick or treating (for kids and pups!) at the shops
3:30-5pm: Howl'oween Pawty in Central Square. Music, refreshments and entertainment. 
Mashpee Dog Park will be taking photos for donations. So, make those costumes extra special. 

By: Amy E
Update: Congrats to winner Sarah who won the Rachel Ray Casserole Dish!

Cape Cod Mommies was invited to attend the "Day of Play" event which we told you about, hosted by Birds Eye, Stop & Shop and the Boston Children's Museum.  Birds Eye event sent us creative recipes for including vegetables in our meals as well as some fun Fred & Friends  plates and even vegetables packed in dry ice (I also now know how to properly dispose of dry ice!)!!!  They also sent us a Rachael Ray casserole dish and extra goodies to be used for a giveaway for our readers and fans!

Birds Eye also featured a local registered dietitian, Janel Funk, MS RD LDN, who spoke with attendees.  Janel is the college dietitian for The Boston Conservatory and a consultant for Berklee College of Music  Unfortunately for me I missed this portion of the event due to the awful traffic traveling to Boston that day.

I was able to speak with Janel a few days later via phone conference and get her nutrition philosophy and take on the event.

"My tagline is: helping you eat better one bite at a time because small changes can turn into big results."  She loved the Birds Eye event because it was "helping parents make small changes that can lead to life altering results." 

I was also thrilled with the colorful and creative cards with ideas for recipes.  Honestly I think my favorite was the smoothie! I didn't realize that a combination of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots would be so good but it was! Janel also loved the idea of the vegetable smoothie!  Note to self-I should make one of these at least once a week! Below I have included the cards with recipes for you!   

Before you brainstorm some of those rules though, let me share with you our thoughts and experiences with the "Day of Play" and some of the fun things did!

The event was definitely a great idea and a fun way to get people, kids especially, excited about vegetables. I was impressed by the creative way Birds Eye engaged the audience with their displays.  All were interactive which is so important for kids as they learn by actually doing.  Dora was even on hand to show her support for the veggies!

The displays at the event were broken up into three parts: a Sampling section (where of course I hung out and sampled everything); the Make a Veggie Face section, where they turned your creation into a button you could take home; and a stationary bike station, where kids could pick their favorite veggie and race! Check out one of the races!

To help encourage more fun with vegetables, we are hosting a giveaway sponsored by Birds Eye.

One lucky winner will receive this Rachael Ray Casserole Dish with some surprises included!  It would be perfect for the holidays coming up soon!

How to Enter:
Simply leave a comment on this blog post below telling us how you make veggies fun for your family.

Bonus Entry: Make a meaningful comment on ANY other blog post on our blog but you MUST come back and let us know which post you chose to comment on.

Rules: Giveaway opens on Sept. 18, 2013 and Ends on October 2, 2013 at 11:59pm.  Any entries received after that time will be considered void.  Winner must be a US residents 18+.  Winner will be contacted via the email provided.  If winner does not respond to the notification within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.  Due to the size of the prize, winner is responsible for pickup of the prize which is located in Falmouth, MA.

By: Meghan B
Let me take a chance to introduce myself, my name is Meghan, and I would consider myself an average hard working mom. I have two children of my own, and a soon to be step daughter. My fiancé and I are getting married next month. This summer, my fiancé and I worked ourselves ragged saving for our upcoming wedding and vacation that we are taking with our family. In the midst  of working three jobs I kept thinking to myself, there’s got to be a better way. I was missing the kids so much. There was so much that I wanted to do with  them over the summer, but there just wasn’t enough time. 

I had always toyed with the idea of getting in to direct sales. I’ve researched the subject a ton of times and whenever I went to a Pampered Chef or any other type of party, I always checked off that I was interested in
learning more about becoming a consultant, I just never followed through. This summer I went to a Thirty-One gifts party at my friends house, it was the second time I has been to one within a year. It’s funny though; there wasn’t anything special about this party that made me decide to sign on as a consultant. I didn’t even ask for info on becoming a consultant this time. 

I eventually began talking with the consultant that hosted the party, and I did MORE RESEARCH. I started reading about direct sales online, I downloaded books about direct sales…..it was consuming my mind. If I have learned anything…it’s that if I can’t stop thinking about doing something…then I need to just take the plunge and do it. So I decided to sign up. I became a consultant with Thirty-One gifts on 8/15/13. 
 
A short time later my starter kit arrived. I was so excited, it was like Christmas!

I was so nervous about starting this endeavor. I kept talking to friends, family, co-workers, anyone that I thought would be supportive of me selling Thirty-One gifts. I found that I had a lot more support out there than I thought I did. 

I made a decision when I started Thirty-One, I decided that I’m going to start on this journey to be able to spend more time with my family in the long run. These faces are the reason why I am going to work as hard as I can at being a consultant.

I’ve set a goal for myself to become a director for Thirty-One gifts. I know that it’s going to take dedication, and hard work, but I will get there. 

I hope that you will enjoy hearing about my journey on the way to becoming a director. 

In the mean time if you would like more info on Thirty-One gifts please take a look at my website: 
www.mythirtyone.com/megglesb/ 

Until next month :) Meghan

We are excited to welcome new Advisor Jennifer L. Long, RN, NCN, owner of RNutrition Health & Wellness.  Jennifer will be sharing current health, wellness & nutrition information & sharing tips on how to stay healthy with each passing season. We look forward to her blogs and welcome her to the team!

Hello everyone, name is Jennifer Long. I was born at Cape Cod Hospital at 11:32am on September 22, 1980. I grew up in the town of Yarmouth Port where I attended Trinity School of Cape Cod, now known as Trinity Academy. I was sent to public school for the first time in fifth grade to Mattacheese Middle School & went on to graduate from D-Y High School in 1998. 
           
Being the oldest of seven children, my passion for helping & caring for others came to me at an early age. I always wanted to make people happy by making a difference in their lives. I truly began working towards this dream when I became an infant/toddler and preschool teacher. After years of potty training toddlers and teaching them to share toys, I was given the BIGGEST and most IMPORTANT job ever, being a mommy. By the time my first-born son was about 2 years old I had put in 15 years of teaching and decided I was ready to change careers. I started working as a personal care assistant for a home care agency. It was here that I found a passion for the medical field and started on my goals to becoming a registered nurse.  I enrolled at Cape Cod Community College in 2006 and by 2010 I had earned my Associate Degree in Science in Nursing, then passed my state boards in August 2010. I was officially an RN! I enrolled within the next year at Curry College to get my BSN; I will be graduating with that degree in May 2014. While working various nursing jobs, I was quickly disappointed by what I envisioned myself as and what I was actually doing. Pushing meds and barely seeing patients was NOT what I went to school for, I went to promote wellness, better health and disease prevention, this was disease care!  I decided to take a break from nursing and had my second baby boy. 
           
After my pregnancy, I gained more weight post-partum. This was extremely upsetting because I had never let myself go like this! I was up to 246 pounds! I had just had enough of feeling helpless and hopeless. I knew that I had the power to change and I could totally help myself. I decided to completely take back control of my life and my body. I did not want my kids to have an overweight unhealthy mother and I was going to do everything I could to change! 
 
Being part of one of the top health and wellness companies, I had access to an amazing weight management product, program and support. I took it on 100% and made it NOT optional. On February 25, 2012 I began my weight-loss, confidence-gaining program. I posted my before pictures on Facebook, which was
extremely difficult for me to do but I felt it was necessary to empower others and let them know they are not alone.  I really wanted to help people and without even realizing it, I was already doing it. I was going to take my story and my struggles and help others change. If I could do it, they can do it! 
           
Being involved with this company has and is still opening so many doors for me. Our spokesperson, Mark Macdonald is a fitness and nutrition expert, NY Times best selling author and is featured on CNN weekly. He is also the owner of Venice Nutrition and because of his involvement with the company I am involved with, I was able to become a Nationally Certified Nutritionist through Venice Nutrition. Now with 60 pounds of fat and countless inches off my body gone, dropping from a size 18/20 to a 10/12 and with this added credential to my name, I KNEW I could really change lives. I founded my own practice, RNutrition Health & Wellness in the spring of 2013. I have already helped a handful of people in this short time become successful. My significant other has lost 25 pounds, my best friend has shed 40 and I have others that are dropping inches and pounds
every week!

So I’m sure the question is how does it work? By stabilizing your blood sugar. By eating less, more often and eating in 3’s you can keep your body in a state of homeostasis, allowing the release of stored fat to be burned up in the muscle when you exercise. The result? More energy, less cravings, better moods and sleep, increase in libido, decrease in stress response, looking leaner and losing fat and gaining lean muscle. Imagine walking by a mirror to admire your hard work rather than avoiding it. That is body confidence! 
           
I know that everyone learns differently and at their own pace, for that reason I start people at their own readiness level. Everyone has different needs, skills, struggles and weaknesses. I help people where they are and give them personal attainable goals. It’s about making small permanent changes. It takes 30 days to learn a new habit and 90 days to make that habit a lifestyle. Some people need more time than others; my clients and I discuss what they will need. I believe in a hands-on approach. I make myself available 24/7 via email, text and phone. I incorporate all aspects of health and nutrition into my assessments and teaching as well as a complete history. 
           
My goal for the RNutrition program is to help people realize their full potential, to know that they can have success and to understand that through quality nutrition, fitness and strong relationships, they can and will achieve their own body confidence. 

My mission as owner and founder of RNutrition Health & Wellness, is to teach everyone that counting calories is a thing of the past and to provide each client with the simple tools necessary to take back control over their health. By learning how to stabilize their blood sugar they will ignite their metabolism and transform themselves into fat burning machines. I want to eliminate the emotional stress of yo-yo dieting for my clients. My goal is to help people realize they don’t have to spend a fortune to be told how to restrict or deprive
themselves  to get the results they want. They can learn how to look AND feel amazing at affordable rates, while still enjoying the foods they love. The uniqueness of being a Registered Nurse, a Nationally Certified Nutritionist and fitness coach means that I am able to provide a nutritional, health and fitness approach to each client.  

Jennifer L. Long, RN, NCN 
DBA RNutrition Health & Wellness 
"Transformation Begins With Nutrition"

 For more information I can be reached via:
 Email: RNutrition2013@gmail.com
Phone: (508) 360-2032
Website: www.rnutritionhealwell.com