Now That the Kids Are In School...

Hello!  I am surviving the world of back to school!  My kids are currently on Day 8 of school!  After homeschooling for the past two years, this was quite a switch!  We were all nervous our first day.  And it was raining.  The photos above were ALL that I could get that morning.  I mean, it was rough.  My heart ached as I watched the bus pull away in the rain.  It felt like a movie.  Were we making the right choice?  Would the kids be okay?  Am I a selfish mom?  Were they ready??  I had a FULL day ahead that day with a couple of meetings and projects that relate to my role of leading women's ministry at our church.  The day passed quickly and before I knew it, it was time to go and get the kids!  Both of them had a good day.  What a relief to hear this!

Day 2 of school was QUITE A CONTRAST to our start of the first day!!  I mean, the difference between these two sets of photos is remarkable, right??  That first week involved just two days of school.  The next week was a five day week and that did begin to feel long by the end.  Overall, we are adjusting well.  My son is doing great in Kindergarten!  That has been a bit of a surprise to me, with how much he loves the outdoors and being in a routine of his own making.  My 3rd grade daughter is having a harder time due to some academic challenges brought on by her shortcomings with visual tracking.  We spent a ton of time with vision therapy this past year and she has come a LONG way.  But with entering school, she has become painfully aware that she is not in the same place as the other kids her age and she feels like it will be such a long road ahead of her.  We are working with the school on getting set up for some learning support.  I look forward to getting all of that in place.  

So what have I been up to these days???

Well, lots of things, of course!  You busy moms out there know how it goes!

A few highlights??

Well, my mom had told me about this homemade cleaner and I have been LOVING the way it works as I attempt to take back the chaos of my home during the "we love summer" days which had immediately followed the "we are a homeschooling family who also works from home" era... needless to say, my former perfectionist/neat freak tendencies HAD to give way or I would have completely lost my marbles a long time ago on this adventure of motherhood!  I made an image of the cleaner "recipe" and posted it on my page along with this bit of backstory... at 24 shares, I suppose that lots of us are on the lookout for a good shower cleaner and this one certainly does the trick!

When all else fails... try what your mom suggested!
My husband very rarely asks me to do anything around the house. Between the two of us, it just gets done! But last night he asked me if I could scrub out the tub/shower while the kids were at school today?
Hmm... about that. It was super soap scum land in there. What can I say? We ❤ summer!!!!! I wondered what was going to cut it?? So I found some Kaboom cleaner. Yikes! That stuff is strong. Three treatments later and I was seeing minimal progress and was feeling dismal.
THEN I remembered my mom mentioning this.
MAGIC!!
I picked up some original Dawn and whipped this up and WOW!!!!!!
I will be using this from now on and it got rid of a bunch of old residue as well!

A friend then shared this idea for a great way to store your cleaner in a way that it will also be easy to use while in your shower!  

18 months ago, I became a coach with Team Beachbody and now that the kids are in school, I am able to invest even more within my business and my team!  This past week it was pretty exciting to celebrate my best week yet within a certain category of my business!  

My pay is split into two basic categories - retail sales commissions and team bonus. My retail sales reflect everything that I do with my own customers as well as the customer leads assigned to me through the company. I work hard each day and it is rewarding to see people's lives being changed! It is exciting to hear from challengers who were down 6-8 pounds recently, wearing clothes they have not had on in years, experiencing energy like never before and turning a blind eye to junk food! I LOVE all of that!

The other part of my income is based on the success of my team. Talk about some hard workers who are going out and doing the same things that I am doing with my own challengers. As my team grows I spend a fair amount of time working to support them and I can not even describe how rewarding it is to be part of helping others to reach their own business goals in addition to their health goals!

So, about the extra $368 this week, based on my team's success?

First, I am celebrating them!!

Next, we tithe 10% and give that back to God, reminding ourselves that He is our provider and we choose to honor him with our finances.

Then - PERFECT timing! Annual insurance premium is due next week and this team bonus is within a few dollars of that total!

I coach to help support our family... paying down debt, paying off our single car before thinking of adding another, working to not take out our mortgage to the full extent. Buying groceries and new shoes for the kids and just the expenses of everyday life.

It really benefits our family to have me able to work. We also benefit from me having the flexibility of setting my own schedule and the reward of being able to build my own business and how I am a happy person when I can work without a "boss"!

If you are thinking of getting a part-time job, or are even looking to replace something full-time, please put this in mind as a valid option!

My team is just the nicest bunch of people and I invite you to consider joining us! This is very low risk as a business. You will improve your own health while being part of a bigger picture of others working to do the same! And you can contribute to your household at the same time! We can chat if you would like to learn more!

With the kids at school, I took some time one day last week to go for a pedicure!  I had been holding on to a local spa gift card for 2+ years and I was yet to use it!  Good thing it did not expire!  I have been out having coffee with friends and have held a couple of daytime meetings for things related to my role as a women's ministry leader.  In fact, I am planning for a local upcoming coffee with a BUNCH of friends!  If you are close to Erie, you should join us!

I completed 30 days of Cize and was surprised by how much I enjoyed this program!!!  I will DEFINITELY keep these dance routines in regular rotation around here!  Things I learned about myself with Cize?  I NEED to get better at "living in the moment" and Cize taught me a lot about that.  I had to challenge my own former beliefs that "I can't dance" and "I am just not a dancer".  Shaun T called me out on that one right from the start by saying, "You say that you can't dance but the truth is that you have never even tried."  OUCH.  That was me.  

I can not help but smile whenever I compare this recent Cize routine with where I began in Week 1.  SHOCKER that I actually enjoyed this soooooo much and would burn 400+ calories while spending 35 minutes dancing!  My daughter SO enjoyed doing this program with me and it was great that I began it while she was still on her summer vacation!  It will now be a weekend thing that we do together!  Although I have to admit that we sometimes put on a song using my phone hooked up to the kitchen radio and we put ourselves through the routine right there!  

I am not back to my FIRST LOVE - PiYo!  This program is honestly my favorite of them all!  We are coming up on my two year anniversary of making a life change of clean eating and beginning home workouts.  I have lost about 60 pounds and have kept it off and I become stronger each day!  I am just getting ready to begin my upcoming PiYo challenge group (via "secret" FB group!) and you are invited to learn more!

This new chapter has had ups and downs!  I am finding my way and I keep on leaning in to my walk with Christ through daily Bible time and frequent prayer!  I pray for my kids even more now that they are away from me!  No matter what this next phase brings, I know that God is faithful.  He is with us!  It is a good time in my business with record-breaking weeks and helping some of my coaches who are pushing for some big goals!  I also love seeing the success of my challengers!!!  It is an exciting time in Alliance Women with sold-out events, relationships being built and new Bible Study groups forming.  It is a memorable time personally as I completed Cize, return to PiYo and approach my 2 year health anniversary next week!  I am enjoying the structure of my days with having the kids at school and then when they come home, I am ready to be "fully present" with them instead of juggling everything all day long with constantly divided attention and feeling like I am not doing any of it well!  Wherever I find myself, my goal is to be "all in" and really live in the fullness of the moment while also taking steps to plan well for the future.  If you are interested in being part of my coaching team, a challenge group, an Alliance Women event or would just like to chat about life -- reach out and we will connect!  So many things are better when we work on them together!

Coaching as a Real Business??

Mornings are a busy and exciting time here in my business! I also spend some time most evenings working on a few details that relate to my coaching business.  Here and there I manage to squeeze in 30 minutes during the afternoon.  I have been working on being "fully present" with whatever I am doing.  My children are age 5 and 7 and I am a homeschooling mom.  This keeps me busy!  I really, really enjoy having the outlet of my own business.  It is a bonus to be able to do whatever I like with it!

I have had several questions lately on "how" this all works and "what exactly do you do" as a coach? I earn commission from my personal sales and then work daily to support my customers as they take steps towards their own goals. I encourage my team and spend time with my down-line coaches on how to make the most of their business. It really is a team thing and we challenge one another with new ideas. There are team bonuses that relate to the success of our team.

I enjoy being able to work from home!! This is a "real business" and you can take it in whichever direction best suits you! We will have a coaching apprentice program beginning in early August. Let me know if this might be a fit for you??

Here is a snapshot of what I was up to one morning earlier this week...

1) I am in the midst of several challenge groups and am posting regularly there. I also provide individual support to those in the groups! Current groups include:

SUMMER Challenge: A general group where we have a variety of workouts going. I am sharing this group with Coach Molly Avondet who is a member of my team. We take turns posting there and both of us have customers in that group.

PiYo Challenge: We are on Day 15 of 60 there and everyone in that group is doing PiYo together!! I am really enjoying that group and it feels like home right now as I am also in the midst of the PiYo program myself!

Refresh Your Summer: Today is DAY ONE in this 30 Day Clean eating group. I will be rotating daily coach posts with Molly and also Amy Mauk who is another coach on our team. We each have customers in that group and are so excited to see what the next 30 days will hold for them!

Summer SIZZLE: This group is in preseason this week and kicks off with Day One on Monday the 28th. Kara Simpkins is a coach on my team and she is leading preseason week there.  Molly and I also have some customers there and the three of us will be leading this group together!

2) I am a member of several groups that relate to my team. We have a smaller team page where my sister Rachel Fledderman and I communicate with the coaches on our teams. There are a dozen or so of us there. I am also part of large team group that Melanie Mitro leads. There are currently 1,948 of us there! A place that helps me to see the next phase and the bigger picture is "Melanie's Rising Stars", which is our Diamond and Above group for our team. These groups are all on-going and are an excellent resource with lots of ideas. They are also a great place to get to know other coaches. I am meeting some fantastic people through Team Beachbody!!

3) I am a participant in a couple of training/mentorship groups that Melanie is leading. This is where I set goals and make plans and contemplate which direction to take with my own business. The support is unlimited and it is great to connect with others who are at a similar place in their business. I love the "team" environment and really enjoy hearing from others as we encourage one another to move forward together!

4) I enjoy plugging in personally with my own workouts here at home, making new recipes, blogging about my everyday life and keeping a feel for how this lifestyle has a ripple effect. It is great to be continually learning and growing myself!

My Coaching Videos and Application!

If you have ever thought about becoming a Beachbody coach OR if the idea is brand-new to you, this is a great place to begin.  I became a coach with Team Beachbody in February of 2014.  I had spent three years as a Pampered Chef consultant back when my children (now ages 5 and 7) were babies. I enjoy this type of business and had experienced success in this area in the past. My sister Rachel Fledderman has become very successful as a Team Beachbody Coach since she began last August and I have been picking her brain ever since with lots of questions. She wondered when I would make the leap to get on board? Even with my former experiences and thorough approach to getting started, I am still surprised these days! I am LOVING my role as a Coach!!! Being in a position where I regularly acquire tools in order to help others makes for a unique opportunity. And here is the part that makes me teary... knowing where I began last September and now hearing so often these days that my room for progress/current growth is giving others the boost needed to begin on their own journey. (Check out My 1st Six Months of Progress)  And then to see these people get themselves headed successfully in a new direction makes me go to bed at night with a smile as I remind myself to just chill out and get to sleep! I can hardly wait for the next morning with my own workout plus checking in with my challenge groups, my sponsored coaches and the coach training program where I am a participant. It all makes for a great adventure! 

We have several options when it comes to categories within the Team Beachbody Coaching experience.  Many coaches begin as a "Discount Coach", which is how I found my fit during October '13 - February '14.  I became an "Apprentice Coach" in February and have found it to be a very easy transition and am really enjoying this time in life!  I quickly developed into a "Business Building Coach" and am loving this new adventure!  Within my larger Beachbody team, we also have some of the top coaches who are positioned within the top 20 of the entire company!  Our team is currently #1 in all of Beachbody and that makes for an incredible learning environment.  I just put together a video to talk a bit more about my personal experiences as a discount coach and then how I became an apprentice coach and am now enjoying my experience as a business building coach.  Check out Three Options of Coaching within Team Beachbody for some detailed information about each type of coaching role!     

I began this business with a goal of eventually making $600 per month in order to fill a gap in the household budget. My expectations have already been exceeded and I am just at the beginning. I thank the Lord daily for this! Through getting to know others on my larger team I can see how this business building opportunity has incredible potential and it truly is a "real job" that you can make into whatever you want it to be. Whether your goal is to do this as a hobby while receiving a discount and covering the cost of your own products or you want to make x amount per month to create margin in your budget, it is not going to take long to build your business to that level. And with a bit more time and finding your fit within the team.... well, stay tuned as the next few months unfold!! 


Rather than writing at great length here, I decided to make a video on some of the highlights that I am enjoying as a Team Beachbody Coach!  Here is my Curious about Coaching? video where I talk about things like "How will I know what to do?" and "Will I really earn an income with this?" and "Do people really need a coach?"
 
If you would like to know more, just let me know! If you are interested in joining my upcoming coach apprenticeship program, complete the application below. This is a great team!

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