Learning to love my body…again…

Hey all!

So, no, not EVERY post is going to be a Vlog. While I really like how easy it is to just talk to my phone, I still love the feel of writing. I get great satisfaction out of my ability to string words together to mean something. No vlog today. Just me, and my computer screen.

Ok, so if you’ve been following, you know that I’ve had a mini mid-life crisis about who I am and what I want to do with my life. It’s been an interesting couple of weeks with a LOT of soul-searching, and a lot of looking in the mirror and talking to myself about what my heart truly wants. I really didn’t realize how much courage it takes to say, out loud, what you really want out of life, especially when it is as far-fetched as my own dreams.

But I’ve come to a realization. My dreams aren’t far-fetched. They are just not easy to obtain. Back it up to my very first ballet recital. I was 6 or 7? Maybe? (Mama, do you remember?) I was in The Nutcracker, and played two rolls. That of a Pixie Princess and I was one of the China Dolls. We have the performance on video (My sister was in both scenes as well, at age 3 or 4) and some of the cutest pictures I’ve ever been in. We were adorable at that age.

But what I took away from that performance was two-fold. One, I had someone to admire – my older cousin, Yvonne, who danced beautifully on pointe during that performance (I’m sure she was Clara, I just don’t remember for sure) and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I wanted to be her. And more importantly, I realized I wanted to perform. I wanted to be in front of audiences, applauding for my craft, smiling at my talent, and me beaming at the accomplishment. I’m sure that at age 7 it was simply the feeling of “Let’s do that AGAIN!!!” but you get the drift.

I performed throughout my childhood and young adult life. I took dance with me throughout, but along the way I added singing, gymnastics (the competitive kind, which only made me more hungry to be in front of an audience), piano, a bit of acting, and I was even on my HS Debate team. (OH yea, THAT Letterman patch was cool.)

Singing and Dancing became the forerunners. Choir from 7th grade through my sophomore year in college with a Vocal Performance Scholarship to boot. Dance team in Jr. High, dancing with a studio until HS graduation, and some simple dance classes in college. My entire life was about being on a stage.

I considered for a Nano second about applying to a performing arts college. Then I quickly convinced myself that I had no real chance in showbiz and applied to Liberal Arts schools to focus on Athletic training (a new and profound love of mine). Ended up hating that in college and found myself, once again, drawn to performance. I minored in Theater, and even landed a lead role in a small production my senior year. I loved it.

But I joined the masses, as I felt expected to do. And so far, that hasn’t worked out so well. Nothing stuck, and nothing was a “Love.” So, what to do about it now, at almost age 30? Well, it’s better late than never. And, with my husband’s blessing and support, I’m going for it. I’ve decided that I am going to try to become a legitimate actress. Yup – you read that right. Actress.

Don’t worry, I’m not delusional. I’m fully aware of how much of a long shot that is. Don’t care. I’ve got my laundry list of things I have to do before even trying to put my name out there, but I’ve set both short and long-term goals, and I’m going to do it! Or at least I’m going to give it my best shot.

First thing is first – get back in shape. Over the last year I have truly come to despise my body. And not because it is ugly or anything. But because it had turned into something foreign. It have always been skinny, but skinny does not equal sexy, and it certainly doesn’t mean healthy. And I was neither. And I was covering it all up with clothes I hated. I hated going outside because I felt like I just didn’t look like myself anymore. (Boy, do I need to give myself a make-over!) So I’ve been working out on my own, for almost 2 weeks now. And while I haven’t seen much change in my body yet, I can already tell the difference – I feel SOOOOOO MUCH better. I’m sleeping again. I have energy. I’m in a better mood. And what little difference I have seen (slightly flatter tummy, leaner thighs, stronger arms) is encouraging. I’ve been told you don’t see results on yourself for 4 weeks, it takes 8 weeks for people who know you well to notice, and 12 weeks for the rest of the world to figure it out. So I’m going to keep pushing! At this rate, I’ll be happy with my bikini-ready body by mid-summer. Just in time for Vacation!

I’m re-learning how to care for my skin. I’m so bad at it! But I read somewhere that every woman should have a “take care of my skin” routine in place before they turn 30. So now I do. (It also said that we should all have that “Little Black Dress” hanging in our closet, ready at a moment’s notice. Officially on the hunt!) With the new regimen, I’m glowing a bit more and don’t look so tired. I’m also taking better care of my hair, which my hair dresser will love.

The next step after getting back in shape and taking care of my appearance daily, is head shots. Insert our wonderful, amazing, talented Family Photographer, Bree, *here*. Can’t wait for that! She always makes me look and feel like a goddess.

I am saving my pennies to take some acting classes this summer, geared toward getting actual PAID jobs, and looking forward to all the knowledge I will gain. And when the classes are passed and the body is back in shape, and the head shots are done, then comes the real work. I’ll start pounding the pavement like everyone else. I’ll be sending my head shot and meager resume to upwards of 100 Talent Agencies associated with SAG (They have a list on their website!) and see if I can land an interview or two and someone will want to help me get an audition.

From there, who knows? We’ll see. But I’m determined to get noticed. I’m determined to fight for this and give it 100%. And if I love it, like I think I will, I’ll just keep going. And if, for whatever reason, I don’t love it, then I’ll go in another direction. A bridge I will cross when I get there.

In the meantime I’m learning to love my body, and really just love ME, all over again. This time, I’m not leaving it up to fate. I’m taking the bull by the horns. I’m getting up earlier and doing my hair and make-up before heading out the door. I’m wearing all that jewelry I love so much, and I’m taking pride in how I represent myself out there. I’m SO looking forward to my birthday $$$ so I can buy a few pretty things for myself and put some aside for my classes.

Wish me luck, guys. Or, as they say in “the biz” – tell me to break a leg! Cheers to a bright and prosperous tomorrow.

-Jen

Stronger

Hey all!

So, I worked out at home for (what I later realized was) the FIRST time ever. Yup – I’ve always had a class, or a team, or some other outside force helping me stay healthy. But since college let out and I hit “The Real World” I haven’t lifted a finger, let alone an ab muscle, of my own accord.

Today, that ended. I made up my own routine (based off of workouts I found online) put together the music I loved, the moves I wanted to do for the areas I wanted to work on, and man did it feel good! And, of course, I vlogged about it.

I thought I was just going to tell you that I was going to workout. But, part of the way through, I realized I felt compelled to show you that I had. No idea why. So the video is in 3 parts. Enjoy my short-of-breathe, sweaty-faced video below!

<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/bJBqy0GW0TU” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen>

(for whatever reason, my screen is not showing the video, so here is the link, just in case)

What do you do to workout at home?

-Jen

Vlog 2.0

Hi All!

Ok. I’ll admit it. I’ve turned into a techy. Now, I’m by no means an IT specialist. I can’t fix your computer. But I’ve turned into that snob that has come to hate my beautiful over-sized PC laptop because it takes a whopping 2 minutes to boot up, and I have to “deal” with this big, heavy, clunky contraption to do many of the really important computer things (like paying bills, and blogging) from it, rather than from my iPhone or iPad.

Wah, wah, wah, right?

That being said, I made a Vlog LAST Thursday! And am just now getting around to posting it! Because as cool as the iPad and my phone are, I can’t get the YouTube embedding code from my phone to put into my blogging App. I must come back to the laptop to get it up there. Boo.

Anywho – A week has passed since this little video, and even more has changed since then. But I thought I’d get this one posted for you. I’ll do another vlog update soon, as I’ve been working my tail off to get where I want to be. I’m still in research mode. And oddly enough, this has ramped up my Pampered Chef stuff so that I can pay for all of the stuff I want to do this summer.

Let’s keep talking, people! Have a fabulous Thursday.

-Jen

Blog to Vlog

HI All!

So, watch the video to get the whole story, but I’m trying something new. Actually, I”m going to be trying a lot of things “new.” I’m on another journey, peeps. This one, 100% about me. I’m trying my best to find out what my passions in life are. I’m in one of those dreaded ruts (sort of an early onset midlife crisis, but I don’t like to label things…) and I have to get out of it before I go crazy.

I started up a YouTube Channel of my own. Username: Jenfrancis83 and I’m using it as a sort of Video Diary. I’m going through something that I’m sure everyone goes through at one point or another. I’m questioning decisions I made early on in life and wondering what would have been had I kept with those childhood “What I want to be when I grow up” ideals, instead of joining the masses in the 9-5 workforce. I’m trying to fill the gaps in an otherwise happy existence and find ways to fulfill my heart, as well as my bank account.

Feedback is, as always, welcome if it is positive and helpful. And this time I really want to hear from my readers (or rather, watchers, this time). Have you been where I am? What did you do? Where do your passions lie? How are you making your life a happy one? I want to know.

Enjoy:

-Jen

Slightly Obsessed

I’ve found a new obsession.

As many of you know, I got a kindle for Christmas from the hubs. I LOVE it. Books at the push of a button! And boy, have I been reading. First, I re-read (for the billionth time) my all time favorite classic novel: Pride and Prejudice. Yup – I’m that girl. In another lifetime, I belonged in Pemberly.

After sighing at the great love of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, I read The Help. For the first time in a VERY long time, I saw the movie version of the story before reading the book. And for the first time in my personal history, I was genuinely satisfied with both versions. The book was phenomenal. So well written, from multiple points of view. It takes quite the talented author to write multiple voices so clearly that I don’t have to double-check who’s point of view we are listening to. Each voice was clear in my head, and the movie completely did the book justice.

After that, I was contemplating re-reading some of my old favorites (like Memoirs of a Geisha, or The Red Tent) when I got wind of this whole “Hunger Games” craze. Truth be told, I rolled my eyes. Yet another twilight-esque love triangle. Bleh. (Sorry to all my Twilight Fans out there – I tried, I really did! But I just couldn’t get past the first chapter. Snore’s Ville USA.) I almost wrote this new series off completely when I saw the trailer for the movie.

I admit, upfront. I’m a bandwagon fan. I did what I always criticize other “Fans” for doing – judging the book by the cover, then changing my mind because the movie looked “good.” But I did. I was drawn in. But of course, I refused to see the first film without reading the book first. So, off I went to Barnes and Noble.

I will also take a moment to admit that I still love physical books. I love the feeling. But I went to the bookstore and The Hunger Games was only available in hard back at a whopping 18$!!! Not a price I was willing to pay for a book I wasn’t sure I was going to like. *LIGHTBULB!!!* Check out how much it is on Kindle. $5? Oh – done and done.

I told Anthony that I was going to give it a shot. I’ll tell him what I think when I get past the first chapter (with plenty of skepticism in my voice). 3 hours later, I’m still curled up in my chair, deaf to the world, and Anthony says, “So I guess we are going to go see the movie, huh?” Then chuckled, kissed my forehead and headed to bed without me. I read until 1 in the morning, forcing myself to put the book down. I tuned out several more times over the following week, devouring not just the first, but all three books in less than 7 days time. (For a Full time Mom with a Job, that is amazing speed, let me tell you!)

I. WAS. HOOKED. Such a fantastic story, with wonderful characters and an amazing heroine! Thank the Lord for a strong female character!!! We need more Hermione’s and Katniss’s in this world!!! (If you haven’t read the books, Katniss Everdeen is the main character of the story. If you don’t know who Hermione is, then we can’t be friends.)

But I wasn’t just in love with Katniss. Or the fact that she is an archer (which I’ve dabbled in a little, myself, and love). I loved the whole story – the fight for survival, the confusion of a teenager not only figuring out who she loves, but what love really means to her. I loved the characters. And I was on team Peeta from day one. (If you haven’t read the books, he is one of the boys caught in the love triangle, and a true hero).

I read, and then promptly re-read all three books, giving it such a strong/positive review that I coaxed my “I hate reading” husband to read them. He is pouring over book 3 as we speak. That is a big deal, my friends. So, we decided to go see the movie.

First off – Yay date night! Second, I was more than satisfied with the movie. Sure, there were parts that were left out that I wish hadn’t been, and there were a few pieces that I felt the audience might not have completely understood if they hadn’t read the books. But a) It was INTENSE. The music, the acting, the fast paced story – I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. B) the actors were next to perfection for these roles. Jennifer Lawrence played Katniss EXACTLY how I pictured her in my mind. Granted, Josh Hutcherson is a bit on the small side for the way I had envisioned Peeta, but the charisma and the genuine kindness was all there. Liam Hemsworth as Gale was perfect (and will be in movies 2 and 3), too. C) I literally jumped out of my chair in fear at the Mutts in the arena. No joke, Anthony had to pull me back down and hush me. I screamed. (I wasn’t the only one, either). So really, C is that, for a work of fiction, the whole thing played out 100% believable. I loved it.

To say that I’m slightly obsessed might be an understatement. I’ve been bugging my hubby every hour: “Where are you [in the book] now?” with expectations that he stops, discusses, and analyzes with me. I went to Hot Topic looking for the “You love Me, Real or Not Real,” “Real” bracelet. I’ve been watching YouTube videos of press interviews all afternoon. I even (dare I admit it?) looked up when Auditions for extras would be… To no avail, they aren’t listed (for someone outside the business) yet. But if I can, I may still go. Hahaha.

And I’m actually contemplating re-reading them. Again. Right now.

So really, this is a very long-winded way for me to tell you that The Hunger Games, followed by Catching Fire and The MockingJay are at the top of my “Recommended Reading” list for anyone who is interested. And once you’ve done that, go see the movie. It is highly entertaining, which is what a good movie should be.

Anyone else out there as obsessed as I am?

-Jen

Love Me Some Giveaways!

So, I posted this on my Twitter and personal Facebook page, so I thought I’d post it here:

I’m doing a Pampered Chef giveaway! But there is a catch: You have to like my Facebook Fan page! When I get to 200 “Likes” I’ll do a giveaway of one of our brand new Spring/Summer Products. As of right now, I’m 60 “Likes” away! Not too bad!!

Here is what you need: Like my page here.

And while you are at it, make sure you follow me on twitter here. I’m always posting about my life with Abby, my PC business, and my ongoing life adventures. Hope to see you in cyber space!

-Jen

Craft Fair!!!

I’m a little nervous! I’m participating in my very first Craft Fair this weekend!!!! And it’s a BIG one, too!!! Its the 25th Annual Spring Art & Crafts Festival in Newbury Park. The whole community turns out for this thing.

I’m sharing a booth (inside! Not outside, so don’t miss us!) with my SIL, Elissa who is selling her adorable hair bows. She makes all those hair bows you see Abigail wearing. So cute!

I am selling my rag quilts and some of my aprons. I’m really excited to get out there, but nervous about how it will go over. I mean, everyone makes blankets. But hopefully mine are cute enough to sell!!! I am pretty confident with my aprons, though!!

Here is the info! Come visit us if you can!

Saturday/Sunday
March 3 & 4 – 10:00am to 4:00pm
Borchard Community Center

Visit our extraordinary displays of more than 100 craftspersons and artists, selling a variety of original art and handmade treasures! Includes hands-on children’s activities, plus refreshment booths and more.

Borchard Community Center is located at 190 Reino Road in Newbury Park.

Moving Forward

There have been a LOT of changes in my life over the last month. Some horrible, some great. But I couldn’t really say anything about it until now.

I am sure some of you have skipped ahead of my text, as the photos below caught your eye. So I’ll start with the horrible and end with the great. As many of you know, I have a day job… well… had a day job. The photos below were take 2 days after a rampant fire destroyed our building (no one was hurt, THANK GOD) and left us, quite literally, in the dust.

Photo 1: The warehouse from the back end/loading zone. No roof, no internal structure, floor littered with 2-stories worth of charred product.

Photo 2: A look to the right, where you can see our neighbor’s destroyed warehouse. The fire started on this wall, on their side. An electrical conduit overheated, sparked, and set the whole place ablaze.

Photo 3: What is left of my office. Luckily the personal belongings I had there were nothing of value, or that could not be replaced.

Photo 4: The building from the front end. Upstairs are the owner’s offices, below the door to my office and the door to our common room/lunch area.

It’s gone. All of it. Turned to ashes in under 2 hours time. The fire  happened on the 16th of January at 9:30 at night. Being at night was why no one was present, and so no one was hurt. But it is also why it got so out of hand – no one was there to try and stop it, or even knew it was happening until the roof was on fire and could be seen from the freeway.

While it was deemed an accident, as it was an electrical short that sparked, that doesn’t seem to make things any easier for the owners. While the fire didn’t start or end in our unit, we suffered the most damage by far. We were the only unit that burned from front door to back door, and one of only two left with no roof. This was a truly devastating fire for our business, and business around us, and will take time to recuperate.

The good news is that they WILL recuperate. They will be back on their feet, and they will continue on. It is just a matter of time. However, they will have to go on without me.

I had decided back in September that 2012 would be the year I went full time with The Pampered Chef. I had a plan, and was putting my ducks in a row to make a smooth transition from Office Manager to Soon-To-Be PC Director in March. The plan was complete with time to help the company replace me, and for me to even train said replacement. I was going to gradually ramp up to full-time Chef status over 3 months.

When will I learn? For all the careful planning I do, for all the research, for all the work and effort that goes into having and executing a game plan… when will I understand that I’m NOT in charge?

I’ve had no choice – My resignation from this company was not what I wanted to give them, especially after they stood by me when Abigail came so early. Having a feeling of “forced” enthusiasm masking desperate attempts towards growing my business is not how I saw me taking on this next stage. But as my mother so wisely put it, “It’s now or never, hon.”

So Be It.

Fast forward to today, and you are looking at a Full-Time Pampered Chef Consultant. I am working on getting 4 more shows for the Month of February and 6 (SIX) more shows for March. I am less that $1000 in sales away from my very first raise with the company ($15,000 in sales milestone! Woot!) and a mere 3 recruits away from promoting to Director. The goal is to meet the first milestone no later than the end of March (but, really, I should be able to do it in Feb.) and to reach the second so that I can attend my first Director’s meeting (as a fully fledged Director) on May 2nd.

The path my Director has put me on is fast paced, but so rewarding. Before a quarter is over, I expect to be pulling in more than double what I was making at my day job. And working about the same amount of hours, or less, each month. How cool is that?

The best part though, is that I am now a WAHM (Work at Home Mom) and can stay home with my baby girl. With her ever growing schedule of appointments, therapy sessions, classes, and play dates, it is more important than ever that I am both a Stay-at-home-Mom AND a financial contributor to our family.

So forgive me for this one, but woman on a mission here:

If you would like to host a Pampered Chef Party in February or March, please leave a comment with your email address (or just email me at jenfrancis.pc@gmail.com). I would LOVE to come to your home and cook for you and your friends, and help you get a ton of FREE and discounted product for your kitchen.

And if you, or anyone you know, is looking for extra income (aren’t we all???) then consider this: Only 6% of ALL working women in the US make a 6 figure income. But 80% of those women are in Direct Sales like me. AND, only 5% of Pampered Chef consultants are male, but they make up the majority of the top 3% of sales for our company each year. Can’t argue with those results!! Not everyone needs a new job. But everyone needs more $$$. So if you need a full-time gig to pay bills, or if you need something on the side to pay off credit cards or pay for extras (like shoes and purses, or a family trip to Disneyland) then PLEASE come talk to me. Or check out my website at www.pamperedchef.biz/jenfrancis

Ok, shameless plug over. And really, please, say a prayer for my former bosses, Nick and Christine. They are doing a phenomenal job of picking up the pieces and moving forward with their lives and their business. And from one small business owner to another – it isn’t easy, but well worth the effort.

Thank you for your prayers and your support, as always. God Bless you.

-Jen

The Next Phase

Another day, another adventure! Today we start Speech Therapy. Her new therapist should be here in minutes, and I am both anxious and excited.

These days, Abby is almost totally typical for a 20 month old (20 months!!!! Holy cow!!!!). She is no longer waddling, or even walking. She is RUNNING and laughing and discovering the world around her. She is an absolute champ when it comes to eating.

She is growing like a weed! She is over 30 inches tall and weighs more than 23 pounds. Wearing 2T with no baggy shirts or too-long pants, and her hair is now long enough to put into pigtails!

But the one thing she can’t do is talk. No, wait. I take that back. She “talks” more than I do! But she doesn’t speak. We had a speech evaluation 2 weeks ago and she failed it. According to that test, she had ZERO words. Now, that is not entirely true. She says hi and bye consistently, she just wouldn’t do it for a stranger. And she said “ball” for the evaluator, but she wasn’t playing with a ball at the time. She calls all toys ball. So that doesn’t count. And she knows names, like Mommy, Daddy, Nana, Teta… She almost had Poppi down, too. She attempts Tia, Jido, and even Elissa! And that one is hard! But the bottom line is that by her age, she should have close to 20 words that are NOT names down cold. By her corrected age (16 months) she should have no less than 10. For the first time EVER we are behind her corrected age. Boo.

Insert speech therapy. While I struggled with all of the “failing” the eval and being labeled “delayed”, I have to admit that I am happy we are moving forward with this. Abby is not one of those late bloomer types. Some people who hear we are doing speech therapy at this age think we just haven’t given her enough time to get the hang of it. But anyone who spends half an hour with her can tell… Something is off. You can tell she understands. You can tell she is trying to say things. And you can tell she is frustrated that it just isn’t working.

I’m reminded of when her brain was trying to tell her arm to move to get a toy, and it would take all of her concentration and energy just to get her arm to do something… Anything! But it was rarely in the right direction. It’s the same thing now. You can tell that her brain speaks English. But her mouth speaks Klingon or something. And it makes her mad. She knows that what came out of her mouth is not what she wanted to say. And she throws fits on the floor with a red face and crocodile tears almost every time it happens.

I’m so done with the fits.

So I’m looking forward to this phase. All micro preemies need it at some point. I’ve talked to a few micro moms about it and all have said this therapy helped immensely on all levels. Of course, it takes time and patience and more hard work from all of us to help her. But we’ve been doing that from day one, so I feel ready for that.

So say a prayer that she tackles this hurtle the same way she has faced them all: head on and with stellar success!

In the meantime, enjoy a few recent photos! I’ll keep you all posted in her progress.

2011 in review

I love that wordpress gives us what they call “Crunchy Numbers” or rather, stats about how my blog did in the year before. I like knowing what you read, what you wrote about it, how you found me, etc. I posted the stats last year, and thought I’d do it again this year. enjoy my Crunchy Numbers! (click on the link at the bottom.)

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 9,800 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.