Biz Niz.

I've had a full plate for a long while now. Too many stressful life events for me, thankyouverymuch. And there are definitely things in my life that have gone on the back burner, things I just haven't made a priority. That's okay, I think.

One of those has been selling Norwex, or being an "independent Norwex consultant". You all know by now that I'm like the worst person at selling stuff. I have considered stopping being a consultant but I still really do love most of the products and can't think of cleaning any other way... so I'd like to keep doing it even if just for keeping my discount and in-the-know on products. Though I am certain most all of NoDak is Norwex saturated, unlike South Carolina where I had motivation to share because no one had heard about it. Maybe eventually I'll have parties again, I do have some seriously loyal Norwex customers here (ie, my MIL).

Since I haven't sold much the last six months (read: I moved, broke my foot, had a baby, and homeless-ish), Norwex is telling me I have to sell a certain amount by February 1 to stay active (else they will give me the boot). So if any of you around here need Norwex, please let me know as I'll be doing an order and I can add your items to my order so that you don't have to pay shipping. If any of you not around here want to order for any reason, you can from my web site: heatherkasowski.norwex.biz (I'm thinking of getting rid of my web site since I pay for it, but not quite yet, I just may become really motivated again). Oh and if you are in SC and want to host a party, I know two consultants I can set you up with.

For everyone that orders by February 1, I'll put your name in for a giveaway... I have a bin of Norwex products just begging for a home. I think I'm allowed to do this... if not, I guess they have more cause to give me the boot! Kidding, I really, really like following rules. #sonotarebel #ohdarnyouhashtags


-Heather

I feel a # rant coming on...

Fluids.

I took Eli shopping last week. To clothing stores. And now I remember why I don't like to take Eli shopping. It's not enjoyable or relaxing at this stage, he's squirmy and rightfully curious about everything. 

Plus he has had some, um, loose stools as of late. I got that remedied in the back seat of the car, thankfully no poop touched anything, but before I could get a new diaper on he decided to giggle and pee. And pee some more. And some more. With constant laughing. Apparently watching his urine hit the back seat was pure delight for him.

Seriously, boy parts cause boy humor.

I'm only blogging about this so I don't forget. And maybe I'll share this when he's sixteen to some girl that's being flirty with him.

So I had to de-clothe him and stick him in his car seat. Then I realized I forgot my much-loved new water bottle in the store. Palm-to-forehead. I couldn't bring my diaper-only kid into the store to retrieve it. So I called them, they found it and I southernly-nicely asked a random gentlemen in the parking lot to run in and get it for me. He was helping an old lady (his grandma?) carry her purse so I figured he'd be nice to me, too. Thank you random stranger for the help!

The water bottle? Def worth finding. It's a sippy cup for adults. It totally is. You bite on it to get the water out. But you don't have to tip your head back. I drink more water with this thing. The Camelbak is quite the fad these days (Greg says all the women at the fitness center have them) and now I see why. The only down side is Eli figured it out and now he feels like it's his giant sippy cup. I may have to get him one.

You might want one of these.

Once home I cleaned our back seat of the aforementioned urine and I must say, having great cleaning products makes any spills and messes and bodily fluids much less stressful. I don't really bat an eye when our friend's kids spit up crazy amounts all over (seriously, it's happened twice). I don't freak out when our furniture or carpet is bombarded with grossness because I know I can get it out. This is my plug for Norwex. Even if I didn't sell the stuff, I would still use it because it's so darn easy, it works wonders, using no chemicals. I honestly can't imagine what parents do without an enviro cloth handy to clean up spills. If you don't have one or have no idea what I'm talking about, please talk to me. Especially if you are type A and tend to freak out at messes. Like me. See how much Norwex has changed me?

I'll end with our last Sunday afternoon post-nap kid. We were exhausted as a family and Eli woke up early from his nap. I brought him out to the couch and we all fell asleep to football on TV. Eli woke up the second time really disorientated and it looked like he had a really rough night... you know, the what-did-I-do-last-night look. His hair was all disheveled, his shirt half-buttoned, pants falling down, couldn't walk straight. I, of course, took a photo but it doesn't quite do the moment justice. Greg and I were crying laughing.

Wow.

Okay, that's mean parenting. I'll really end with some much more adorable photos of our biggest blessing.

-Heather

Adventure.

I am officially a consultant for Norwex now... it's been a good experience so far (as I'm learning about it) but I am still a little apprehensive about actually selling. I started a blog just for my Norwex info (so I don't take over our family blog). You can check it out at http://heathersnorwex.blogspot.com. I just posted there about a random but very bad jalapeno pepper burn experience I had last night.

Since I want our blog to help people, my advice for the day is: ALWAYS WEAR GLOVES WHEN HANDLING SEEMINGLY INNOCENT RED PEPPERS FROM YOUR GARDEN.

I hope I have prevented someone from a unpleasant experience!

My in-laws just flew into Columbia and we are heading down to Florida for a few days to celebrate Father Tony's new head priest job (Father Tony is Greg's uncle). Greg has to work so he'll be staying in SC. If you want to stop by and keep him company, please do! And if you drive by Broad River and hear some very loud music, it is probably coming from the amp in our living room. Sorry.

-Heather

A Flying Pig.

What's that? A pig is flying? Hell is freezing over? Is the pot calling the kettle black? Is the fat lady singing? Insert any adynaton or idiom here.

Yes, folks, I am going to sell something.

As a born skeptic and as someone that thinks people should buy less, save more... me selling something doesn't add up. I am not a salesman. I am also very cynical about direct sale marketing and pyramid schemes... using friends and family to make money just doesn't set right with me. And only seeing people as possible customers is wrong.

My friend Ashley is going to laugh because she said last year "I'm thinking about selling this stuff..." and I responded "You don't want to do that. Why do you want to become a sales consultant... that's dumb."

However, a few things have come together to push me over the edge and try this.

• I am at home with no job and no baby. I need something to do. I know I'm not ready for a full-time job (even if I could find one in my field) and part-time jobs that are worthwhile are hard to come by. I need something to help me have a purpose because I'm not at home mothering Maelee like I should be.
• I am trying to be environmentally conscious. My "living lightly on the earth" class in college is effecting me still. I think we should take care of what God created. So we have a rain barrel (you should get one, they are sweet), compost bin, garden... we recycle, try to limit our water usage, turn off lights, use earth-friendly products. Easy stuff, really. But I want to lessen our chemical impact.
  
• I would like to help pay the bills. Greg works so hard to provide but I want to help. But since my goal isn't to make money, I don't have to shove this down anyone's throat.
  
• I like to work. I miss it.
  
• I am convinced: the product is great. It's mostly something people need anyway. And since the product is so good, I don't have to sell it really... it should sell itself (though I'm sure that's what every salesperson says about whatever they are selling).
  

So what is it? All of you from ND and MN probably know... I'm going to sell Norwex. What is that you ask? Well, in my words, it's mostly cleaning products that don't use nasty chemicals. Their ultimate seller is the enviro cloth which is a microfiber cloth that has silver in it... which is super antibacterial and kills bad germs. Apparently silver is what some ER's put on wounds because it's so good at stopping germs.

In their words:

Our line of cleaning products will save you time & money, improve health, and move towards creating a better environment. Norwex microfiber goes beyond "surface clean" with the innovative use of silver particles integrated into synthetic microfiber cloth ensure:

• Single-celled micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, yeast, and viruses cannot survive or adapt in silver exposure
• Surface-to-surface cross-contamination is eliminated
• Rapidly drying cloths prevent bacteria growth in the cloth itself

Cleaning with water only produces a healthy outcome for us and the environment.

Laboratory tests have proven that Norwex antibacterial microfiber reduced bacteria by 99.99% in 24 hours!

Blah, blah, blah, I know.

It's pretty cool though and here's a few reasons why I was sold:

1. Greg's Grandma Kasowski started using the stuff years ago. I adore her.
2. Greg's mom, Mary, started using the stuff and I adore her, too... though I will admit she's sold on lots of stuff so I was naturally skeptical when she gave me the cloths for Christmas.
3. My mom (who is even more skeptical and anti-selling stuff than me) is a natural Martha Stewart. After she saw Mary cleaning our house with the stuff in April, my mom started saying "maybe you should sell this stuff Heather." Insert image of me with completely shocked face.
4. My tub looked AMAZING after Mary cleaned it. It's got this texture on the bottom that just invites scum and it was all gone.
   
5. I don't get a migraine from using it! Greg had to start cleaning our bathroom for us and close the door because I got a migraine from every cleaner I tried. I have probably 20+ bottles of stuff that I've tried and couldn't handle. The cleaning paste has four ingredients (marble flour, chalk, soap, coconut oil) and doesn't smell. And obviously the cloths use just water so there isn't any lingering smell to avoid.
   
6. Someday we are going to have kids (hopefully) and I don't want them crawling on a floor with bleachy chemicals... I'd must rather clean my floors and house with water.
7. I don't like thinking about all the chemicals that are put down the drains, into our water. If I can prevent some, that's a good thing.
   
8. We don't really know the long term effects of many of the chemicals we use to clean and the chemicals in the products we use on our bodies. I did a study in college on our country's regulatory system for the health and beauty industry and was appalled at how little testing is required. I've been wary ever since.
   
9. The stuff works. Some of it probably isn't super, but the stuff I've seen thus far is good and worth it.
   
10. Most of it lasts a really long time. The cloths last 7 to 10 years. The cleaning paste Mary used was her "old" one she had for a year... and it barely looked used. The laundry detergent will last for years (especially if you have a front loader 'cause you use like a teaspoon). I can stop buying stuff so often and save money that way. When I sell it, I don't have to be thinking "aha! I'll get them hooked and they'll have to buy stuff every other month!" since they won't need a new cloth for years.
    
11. It's easy. Once you know what you are doing, you can clean most of your house with a cloth and a bucket of water. Our house is dirty/messy from me being gone and I'm going to attack it tomorrow with my Norwex stuff... and I'm sure it's going to take me much less time than before. And without a headache to boot.
12. I understand part of the reason why Norwex chose direct sale marketing versus selling it at Walmart: you have to know how to use the product in order for it to be effective. You can't teach someone that just buys it off the shelf. I'm still working on understanding this one, however, since it doesn't take a genius to figure it out.
    
13. I'm going to get to be around people! I like people.
14. Greg emailed me his list of "11 reasons why Heather would be good at this" last month. He's on board and wants me to do it.
15. Apparently people that host parties get more perks than any other direct sale dealy. My sister got a ton of free products for hosting a party where her sister-in-law consults. I like the thought of free stuff for people!
16. Norwex came from Norway (I'm Norwegian), to Canada (where their North American headquarters are located), and is trickling down to the US... which is why not many people down here know about it yet and why many people in ND/MN do. I was convinced because random pockets of people I know told me about Norwex but they didn't know each other (showing me it's impressed various people in different walks of life). How 'bout that, eh?
    

Here's some of my hesitations:

1. I don't like selling stuff.
   
2. I don't like feeling obligated to buy stuff. I don't mind attending pampered chef/tupperware/jewelery/creative memories/etc parties... but since we aren't rich and really don't need much, I usually try to find the cheapest thing if I feel I need to buy something. Sometimes I'm happy with my purchase/the product and sometimes not. And attending parties like that gets old at times (though sometimes you get really good snacks!). So I don't want to make people feel like I often do at this stuff.
   
3. I don't want my nights/weekends to be totally booked since that's when I see Greg.
4. I don't like the idea of working for some big company that I don't know at least some of the big wigs personally.
   
5. I haven't tried every product yet so I can't say whether or not they are worth buying. I'm going to have to do a lot of research/reading and then cleaning once I accumulate the products to make sure I still like them.
   

So there you have it.

I'm going to send in the paperwork next week and probably have a "party" sometime soon. I promise to you, friends and family, to not sell you crap and make you feel obligated to buy stuff or have a party or spend all the time talking about Norwex. If you have bad stories about the stuff, please let me know. If you like it and have good stories, let me know, too. I won't post much about this venture unless I feel I must wow you but I'll update you on how it's going once I'm actually a "consultant" (oh boy, that sounds pretty lame, maybe they'll let me make up a new title that doesn't sound so shady).

-Heather