Exciting Announcement!

Hi everyone!

As I promised yesterday, I have a really exciting announcement to make today!

No...I'm not having twins. LOL

I am taking on a new business venture, though...I'm joining Brandi Ward's team as the newest NYR Organic  Independent Sales Representative!

I happen to know what you're thinking, by the way.  You're thinking, "Alissa...seriously...we thought there was something really exciting coming...like twins."

But please understand, folks, this is truly exciting for me.  As you all know (or should if you're keeping up :P), Josiah and I have decided that I will not be returning to my job after I have the baby.  That means half of our income is leaving...bye bye half our income.

Now, we made this decision prayerfully.  I mean to tell you, we prayed HARD about whether this was what was right for our family, and everything - scriptures, feelings, godly advice - all of it pointed to it being time for me to take care of my family full-time.  It also pointed Josiah to something God put on his heart...he feels it's time to switch careers.  Yeah...we've got a lot going on.

Anyway, with all of that having been said, our income is about to seriously diminish, and we're trusting God will provide a way for us to make ends meet because we truly feel we're in His will...and I feel like NYR is part of that.

Brandi has been softly nudging me toward this opportunity for some time, but I just wasn't able to focus on it.     Then, for some reason, it just clicked.  As I said on yesterday's post, our dinner plans changed unexpectedly (we were supposed to have plans with a different couple), and I told Josiah I really wanted to get together with Brandi to talk about NYR, and I really wanted him to be there too because I wanted this to be something I tackled with his blessing...I wanted him to feel like it was the right opportunity for us, too.

Before we got together for dinner, I did my research.  If you know me, you know this is totally typical. I'm a researcher.  I'm not going into ANYTHING without researching it.  I read everything on the company that was in the folder Brandi sent me months ago.  I scoured the web for what people were saying about NYR...good AND bad.  I searched for unbiased information on the company.  I researched this, people.

And I prayed.

And it worked out perfectly.

Josiah and I talked after dinner and we really felt like this was a good fit for us.  It will still allow me to take care of my children full-time, but also to make some extra money on the side that we're probably really going to need.  Plus, I know God will take care of our needs, but honestly, there's some NON-need stuff coming that I really want...I have some "wants" that we're going to need extra money for!!  Example?  Josiah has never met my Papa and my other relatives down in Houston (except Nana), and Papa can't travel anymore.  It's really important to me that he get to meet them, and as you get older, you realize you just don't have all the time in the world.  I want to do it before it's too late.  Plane tickets don't grow on trees, though, folks.

So...next thing you're thinking: "What the heck is NYR?!"  I'm getting really good at this mind-reading stuff, huh?  (Stop thinking about twins!!  It's not happening!)

NYR stands for Neal's Yard Remedies.  It's a company that has been in business in England since 1981, but has just recently entered the US market through direct sales.  If you want to know all about the company, you can find everything out here, but mainly what you need to know is this:

They (or shall I say "we"!) specialize in natural health and beauty products - lotions, balms, makeup, aromatherapy, mom and baby products, etc. - and the line is growing all the time!!

In doing the research, I've found that while our food is pretty closely scrutinized by government agencies, what we put on our skin really isn't.  There's some pretty yuck and scary stuff in our products, folks.  I won't go into great detail here, but I'll have more info to give anyone who wants it, and the link above has a lot of information.  NYR is certified by the Soil Association, which has very stringent requirements for certification, they have a strict code of ethics, and is simply very socially and environmentally responsible.

Hey, I'm going for cloth diapers, and now I'm going to sell organic products!!  I'm becoming a regular environmentally responsible gal!!  I even recycle.  Whoda thunk?

The launch is set for Sunday afternoon, February 17th, and I'll have lots more details to come!!!

See?!  Exciting news!!