Happy Birthday Twinkies!

Our kids turned five years old a few days ago. It was wall-to-wall activity from the moment they woke up until the moment their little heads hit their pillows.

Here is the Itinerary for Twelve Hours of Birthday Fun


*The kids attended their last day of summer camp complete with frozen fruit bars and a rendtion of Happy Birthday to You for each of them


*The kids opened presents including Klutz Ribbon Collections from Grandma and Grandpa










*We all drove to downtown Chicago to Navy Pier

*We rode the ferris wheel a couple of times

*The kids rode the carousel

*We ate french fries and ketchup

*We had a very short-lived minature golf game before abandoning the idea because of the long wait between holes

*We drove to California Pizza Kitchen and enjoyed pasta

*The kids had HUGE sundaes complete with hot fudge and whipped cream, leaving very little for their mom and dad.

* The kids barely stayed awake for the short ride home.

* All four of us snuggled in to one bed together and fell asleep.

*Matt and I woke up with cricks in our necks, put everyone in their own beds, and promptly fell back to sleep until morning.

Having fun can be exhausting!

Ribbon Gift Collections

I asked the kids what they each wanted for their 5th birthday. Both said, "The book Cayla got." About two months ago, they were invited to a birthday party and gave Cayla a Klutz Ribbon of Choice.

Ribbon is like a gift card in some respects, and better than a gift card in other respects:

1) It's easy and convenient. I give the recipient the album and/or the gift card, they choose and redeem online, and the gift gets sent right to their door.

2) It fits any budget. The Ribbons range in price from $25 to $500 (all prices include shipping of the gift!).

3) Unlike traditional gift cards, a recipient gets a full gift without having to dip in to their own pocket. With traditional gift cards, a person goes to the store to redeem it, and it’s a game of picking something out that is close to the gift card dollar amount, without going too much over, so that they don’t have to shell out too much additional money to get their gift.

4) It offers popular name-brand gifts such as adidas, Ghirardelli, Cuisinart and Sony.

5) It's personal. Rather than giving someone just one step removed from cash, they receive an actual present without knowing exactly how much you spent.

6) It's a success. You know that the person is getting what they really want, because they get to choose.

7) It's backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee and great customer service. If anything is wrong with the gift card/album or the gift, a solution is right in sight with no hassles.

8) It's backed by Amway Global, a 50-year solid company, with no fears of Chapter 11, like some traditional gift card issuers are currently facing.

9) It's for all gift-giving needs--personal and professional. Currently there are 19 different albums to choose from , with some "specialty" albums designed specifically for occasions like a wedding or baby shower; or to fit a special focus like my favorite "Pamper" for those who need a little TenderLovingCare.

10) Coupled with Quixtar/Amway Global's patented DITTO program, Ribbon is an easy and efficient way to budget and fulfill your gift-giving needs throughout the entire year.

I am a big fan of Ribbon, and I guess now so are my kids!

Ada a.k.a. Land of Gazillion Products--Part Three

Our next stop was meeting some neat ladies--Brand Managers for Ribbon and Personal Accents.
Laura and Kim showed me the newest addition to the Ribbon Gift Albums/Cards available in September called "Celebrate!" Veeery sharp.

Ribbon is the way to go for gift-giving, for so many reasons (perhaps more on that in a later post).

Amy told me that the photography for the new Personal Accents Jewerly catalog has improved. Not that the photography in the past was bad. It wasn't. It's just that the jewerly looks even more amazing live and in person.

Amy flipped through a mock-up of some Personal Accents literature with me being quoted as a "Personal Accents Consultant".

There it was in black and white: a quote, my name, and the title "Personal Accents Consultant".

Two things came to mind in that moment:

1) Being quoted in print. Matt's been in journalism for almost 25 years (he started young) and crafted thousands of stories, containing words that people have uttered. Now being one of those people was a bit unnerving. I would never make it in the public eye!

2) My title. Am I Personal Accents Consultant? Sure.
That would then also mean that I'm:

*a Nutrlite Consultant
*an Artistry Consultant
*an XS Energy Drink Consultant
*a Ribbon Consultant
*an eSpring Consultant
* an iCook
*an Atmosphere Consultant
*a Perfect Water Consultant
*an SA8/L.O.C./Pursue/Dish Drops Consultant
*a Body Series/Glister/Satinique Consultant

and, the most attractive one to me is Gihugic Business Opportunity Consultant.

Try to fit all that on a business card!

To be continued in the fourth and final installment...