Work Hard - Play Hard

Hi Friends,

Just a quick note to check in. I can't believe it's been six weeks since my last entry... but I have a good excuse. We have been blessed with our business and set goals for our family... and in achieving them, we celebrated together too. We took a four-week vacation and celebrate us - we went to Disney World parks, Legoland, Florida beaches and got to visit both sets of grandparents. Literally, we were home a couple days (2!) in four weeks - just enough time to do laundry and jet set again.

Here are just a couple photos:



When you wish upon a star...

The Tree of Life is amazing!

Every boys dream! And it was a total surprise -

Everything was unbelievable - Dream & Achieve

As if the parks at Disney (we did Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot) and Legoland were not enough, we have one last surprise for the boys.  We stayed at a resort in Ft. Walton, Florida and one morning decided to take kayaks out in the Gulf of Mexico. Take a peek at our video - THIS topped all our memories for me and was a moment for all five of us to take in the beauty of the animals in their natural habitat while listening to their breathing and chatter.

 

Well... vacation is over, school has resumed and so has my appointments to aid others in their personal and business relationships - all with the power of a greeting card. Check out our cards and gifts at by clicking here. May this tool and service allow you to work smarter and not harder - but if you do work hard, remember to take time (especially with your family) to PLAY HARD too.

 

And as always, thanks for following us. We appreciate you!

 

In gratitude,

Danielle



Life - It's for Rent

Wowzer. Our family has been on an emotional rollercoaster since July 5th when my Uncle, who is like a father-figure to me, went to the doctor's office with concern of some arm swelling. His doctor sent him to the ER concerned that my Uncle wasn't getting enough blood flow thru his carotid artery. While I won't document all the medical stuff, we went from thinking the July 5 visit would turn into the need for a carotid stent in his neck; however, we got more than we ever wanted to hear.

Initial tests showed numerous "spots on his spine, lungs, liver, kidney, and lymph nodes." Doctors were writing down "cancer everywhere.... possible small cell cancer... prognosis: 4-6 months...."  Honestly, I can't remember everything - my world was just turned upside down.

As my Uncle had more tests dones and I started to hang on to hope.  The kidney results came back and it is a cyst - it's the size of an orange, but a cyst. One slide of tissue cut for one of the above areas came back negative, but the doctor disagreed and asked for another section.  After almost a week in the hospital with all these tests, my Uncle was discharged home to wait for the results on new biopsies taken.

And that leads me to today, readmission in the hospital to conduct a PET scan. Still waiting on those results and a conversation with another oncologist this afternoon, but the worst of our fears have been confirmed... Stage IV cancer of lung and liver .  (Yes, my Uncle smoked 30 years ago; however, was not a drinker. I am not sure how that all relates, but I don't want there to be speculation.)

I guess I am sitting down to write because I don't know what else to do... yes, I'm praying and while I don't know God's Plan, I do trust Him. I guess I am writing because I don't want you to take life for granted... I don't want you to wait for tomorrow.... I don't want you to put off your dreams.... Now, I'm not saying you have to get all crazy and start checking off everything on your Bucket List, but maybe do the little things you put off....

Do something crazy with the kids... eat dessert first, have a water fight...

Cut your hair... color your hair... Maybe get that tatoo...

Call a Friend you haven't talked to in year... Call a Friend you are grateful for....

Pick flowers... Give away the flowers... Take time to smell the flowers

Even as supper is boiling over or the baby spit up, the dog is barking -
stop and take time to kiss your spouse good-bye

You know I did it, GO SKY-DIVING or something that scares you!

I can't write everything, but take a moment to think about what you would do if you got a grim diagnosis. What would you miss out on? Celebrate those people... those things today - tomorrow is not promised.... and just like when we lost our friend, Denai, I am reminded of that with all the heartache and tears our family has shed recently.

I am not giving up hope and I do believe in the power of prayer, but I also know the odds are against my Uncle. However, any of you reading this know he's a fighter since his vehicle accident at age 18 that eventually left him paraplegic. I guess I am just writing for myself (it's therapeutic and I get all my tears out) and I'm writing for you... PLEASE take time to celebrate the now. Our life is not our's... we don't know when our final tomorrow will be.... Tomorrow is not promised.

With sincere gratitude for you - in reading our blog and following our blog.  With appreciation for your kindness, love and support - as my readers, CardsAndMohr team, SendOutCards Family and as FRIENDS.  I do appreciate you! And I do enjoy celebrating you - may you pay-it-foward and celebrate someone else today... and you may do so for FREE on me at our website by clicking on the "Send a Free Card" icon.

Big, BIG hugs -
Danielle

Food for Thought... Just the Stats, Ma'am!

Food for Thought... Ok it's more statistics, but they make one think. What is your plan for customer appreciation, retention and relationships? After reading some of these statistics, let's chat...

40% of consumers switched to buying from a competitor because of its reputation for great customer service.

55% cite great service, not product or price, as their primary reason for recommending a company.

66% said that great customer service was their primary driver for greater spending.

Recent surveys show that 87% of working people hate their jobs and most of them dream of owning their own business.

A recent survey disclosed the six major reasons why a customer switched representatives or product. 

• 68% was because of negativism or indifference,
• 17% had unresolved complaints,
• 6% was because of price,
• 5% started buying from relatives,
• 3% moved,
• 1% died.
• Obviously the first two, which make up 85%, are the ones you can have the major influence upon. Make sure that your customers have a positive experience with you and with the products you sell them.

30% of adult children contribute financially to their parents. That number will grow.

Women tend to be less prepared for retirement than men. Too bad they retire earlier, live longer, and are more and more likely to be divorced.

43% have less than $10,000 in retirement savings

A record 33% of Americans now plan on working past the age of 70

The average American is 90 days away from bankruptcy.

The average bankruptcy could have been avoided with an extra $350 per month.

97% of Americans will be dependent to some degree on family, friends or the government in retirement.

Using SendOutCards will save you time & money in business while strengthening your relationships.  Looking for a business with one of the fastest growing companies with virtually no competition - look no further. 

Check out the intro video on SendOutCards about the product and ease of sending cards.  Do you like it? Know anyone else who sends cards & gifts? Then watch this video on the opportunity. 

 

 

Do you want to know more about our family's story and success, let's connect - in person, Skype, phone or email. We are here for you and will be your biggest cheerleader as you shoot for the moon! 


Always here for you - Tim & Danielle

Send Out Cards - 3 min Video

For our Customers... Follow the What If?

Take a peek at this 3 minute video - and see if what you know and love as a "Customer," might be an opportunity for something bigger.

Shoot for the moon - you know we are cheering you on!
Hugs, Danielle & Family

Out of MY Comfort Zone

Hi Blog Friends,

As I've often challenged you to step out of your comfort zone, it is my turn to "do as I say."  Yep!  Our SendOutCards team, friends and fans have asked for video... Fom Mom Videos in doing the work/child juggle to Business Ideas.  My Disclaimer: These are just 'our' ideas - things that have worked for us and ideas for you to consider, use or tweak.  We are here to give you ideas and inspire you to be your best... no matter what your business is or how many kids you have or your goals for personal & business growth.

Our You-Tube Debut! Click Here

Fingers crossed I embedded the link here.  (I told you I am learning all these technical skills.) Shoot for the moon!  We are cheering you on.
Hugs, Danielle

100 Marketing Ideas (Link)

Hi Business Friends,

After posting a link to Senior Marketing Advisor's recent magazine article on our Facebook page, we received half-a-dozen phone messages today from businesses wanting to know more.  While we take the weekend off, I promise to return these calls on Monday.  For the rest of you, I didn't want you to miss out, so I'm sharing the link to the original article. 

If you are looking for sales and marketing ideas, here are 100 of the best ever!  We like #45 - and you can too.  Allow us to show you how easy it is to use our system to send 1 card or 1,000. Phone, Skype or Coffee - we'll connect.  Save time and money with SendOutCards and us!

Remember, "a card a day keeps the cometition away."
We are happy to assist you.  --Tim & Danielle

Say What You Mean... Today

The month has just begun and we've already had the need to send sympathy cards to Friends for family losses.  My heart aches and I will never know what our Friends are feeling, nor will we have the "right" words when we send a heartfelt note.  But we do just that - we sit down and send a heartfelt card with our own sentiments.  Forget that it is in our handwriting and signatures, but just think about the impact that our Friends feel with this gesture of love.

We're blessed to use our SendOutCards system/tool so we can immediately act on our intention.  Too often we have the intention, but due to time or money we may not act on it.  Although are words won't be the "right" words, they will be there for Friends to read and re-read for comfort.

Don't be afraid to express yourself. We share so much admiration and praise for others in their eulogies.  We want to provide you a system/tool to act on your intention and celebrate those around you TODAY!  We encourage you to reach out and tell someone what they mean to you. 

If you love someone, have praise/admiration or the need to say thanks - do so today.  Seize the day. Never have regrets. And most importantly, stay close to your friends and family. Reach out and tell them TODAY because when you decide that it is the right time it might be too late. 

Have the thought to send a card now? Click here to send greeting card for FREE! 

Hugs, Danielle

Take Time for Your Mate & You!

For those of you who follow our blog, you know that my husband & I were MIA for a couple weeks with trips to Nashville and Las Vegas. Those two weeks were amazing and I gained so much insight, appreciation and fresh perspective for myself and my roles in family and business. I have a list of items/blog entries I want to write about from these moment.  And even though my girlfriend thinks I’m nuts “put [my]self out there," I thought this would be a good start...

Although it is one of those things you know, your closest relationship is with your mate.  And such is true for me, as my relationship with Tim. We’ve been married 12 years and counting and as you know the husband & wife relationship changes when you become father & mother.  In writing this, I don’t mean to imply the change is negative – it is just different.  And for us, it is exciting and fun to experience our adventures, vacations, life lessons and more as a group of five than solo.  I will be the first one to admit that we don’t take the dates and time away as a couple (as all the “experts” advise); however, we make other “dates” and prioritize our couple time over family time occasionally.  We don’t choose couple time over family time to be selfish, we chose it to flourish & strengthen our family time.

Since we don’t always make the true date (restaurant, movie, etc) out in the community, one thing we do is plan a date for a late dinner together at home.  We do this with take-out dinners (yep, even our favorite Hibachi restaurant creates meals for us) or late dinner for us when the kids go to bed.   I am a huge component of family meals, so we still sit/snack with the boys during their dinner to continue conversation, but save our dinner & dialogue for a little later in the night.

How do we have dinner or this quiet time? We’ve been lucky to have good sleepers, but we also encourage bedtimes around 8 pm +/- 30 minutes depending on the kiddos’ age.  Your ‘in-home’ dates don’t have to be perfect or expensive… perhaps it’s sharing a TV show, playing cards, dinner, looking at photos or just the simple conversations without being interrupted. 

Don’t let your business or outside stresses separate your relationship with your spouse. A great book is When Husband and Wife Become Mom and Dad by Elisa Morgan & Carol Kuykendall in which they share, “Hope comes in realizing that the chaos you’re experiencing in your marriage is perfectly normal.” And that is a reality.  In a life with kids (I’d never change that), we are rarely going to FIND time with our partner/spouse – we have to MAKE it. 

One thing I’ve enjoyed doing these last two years (and my parents are spoiling us) has been taking a solo (aka couple’s) trip with Tim for a couple of days.  We have no immediate family around us to call for a weekend sleepover or a quick babysitting favor, so true dinner and movie dates are far & few between as we’ve already stated.  My sister doesn’t know how good she has it w/ both sets of grandparents within a 1-3 mile radius. *wink-wink*  Our parents have been kind to offer up their time while visiting us in TX to stay with the kids so we could take simple, 3-day trips ALONE.  We’ve have been blessed to do this the last two summers as a couple… no parenting, discipline, cutting up meals, etc.  In 2010, we went to San Francisco & Napa Valley.  We spent time on the Pier, toured Alcatraz, and bicycled 16 miles around the wineries.  This year we went to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.  Both trips were amazing!  Yes, the sites were great; however, it was a time for us to reconnect, pretend we were newlyweds and reminisce our adventures – from courting in college to parenting. 

Both of us will tell you it has been the best thing we’ve done.  The memories of the trips are vivid in my mind.  If I close my eyes, I feel like I’m standing on the bottom of the Grand Canyon with the same overwhelming and child-like awe as I did that day.  Even after the trips are over, we chat about our time together, joke about the community pool’s similarities to the Venetian Hotel in Vegas (not!) or figure out how to buy another case of wine from our favorite Napa Valley Winery.  While I am enjoying these memories, I can’t help but let my mind wander for the ‘where’ of next summer. (Thanks Mom & Dad for the offer. This is the best gift ever!)

You may be thinking 3-days are still too much – for expenses or trust of another.  Again, you could do this with an overnight… maybe you go somewhere locally to stay overnight or maybe you schedule sleepovers for your kiddos and trade the favor with friends.  No matter what your budget allows, I guess the lesson of today’s blog entry is to find time for your mate!  I bet you are working hard at maintain your (girl) friendships; now just make sure to put the attention on your closest relationship with your mate or spouse.

You know me… your biggest cheerleader.  Sending hugs - Danielle