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Multi-Level Marketing Companies: Why You Hate Them, and Why You Might Want to Reconsider

September 10, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 19 Comments

As always, I’m sharing my own opinions and perspective. I am not attempting to represent every MLM in the world, nor am I suggesting that every MLM has an amazing product line or a fair compensation plan for distributors. I welcome dissenting opinions, as long as they are constructive, and not destructive in spirit!

photo credit: TrevorLowe via photopin cc

I joined a multi-level marketing company (Young Living Essential Oils) at the beginning of February. It was probably the eighth MLM company I’d been asked to consider joining (haven’t we all been asked to join at least one???) and it was the first one I said yes to. I don’t know what the future holds, but I highly suspect it will be the only one I join, not because I think these aren’t viable business opportunities, but because just like everyone else out there, my time is limited, so I have to make careful choices about how I’m spending it.

I have had some really good conversations with several different friends of mine about the fact that I joined an MLM and their impressions of MLM companies. And I can tell you now, the only people who seemed genuinely pro-MLM were people who were already involved in one, either as business people, or as regular customers. Every other person I have talked with about the business model maintains some degree of negative sentiments, ranging from slight suspicion all the way to extreme loathing.

After having these conversations, I took a step back and thought back to my own thoughts about MLM companies. And you know what? I also didn’t have positive feelings about them! I felt absolutely GREAT about my choice to work with Young Living, but I felt as though I needed to somewhat apologize to my customers that in order to obtain these incredible products, you had to go through a distributor and do the whole “MLM thing.”

So I thought we should just unpack some of the reasons why MLMs give us the creeps together, and then talk about some reasons why you might not want to be so scared of them, after all.

Why We Hate Multi-Level Marketing Companies

1. It is “difficult” to purchase a product. It is rare to be able to go to an MLM company website and just place items in your cart for purchase. Even if you do that, you will often be assigned to a sponsor and receive follow-up communication with them. Otherwise, you’ve got to connect with a distributor to get the information you need on how to get signed up. This is very frustrating for people who just want to get the stuff they want to try and move on without any hassle. We are an Amazon Prime loving world, so having to go through someone to get access to a product seems really outdated.

2. You feel pressure to buy. Perhaps you are being introduced to a distributor by way of a party. I have only been to 1 MLM party in my entire life where I genuinely didn’t feel pressure to make a purchase on the spot. Most of the parties I have attended end by having each guest meet one on one with the distributor to place an order. It is REALLY an awkward meeting when you don’t want to order anything. I have ordered products out of sheer guilt in this exact situation more than once.

3. You feel pressure to sell. This is one of the most unnerving points about MLM companies. All you want is to try that cookware/face wash/nail wrap that your friends have recommended to you, and somehow your request to order has been turned into an attempt by the distributor to give you a new career. What the what?!?!?!

4. The products seem more expensive than is reasonable. And once you start hearing about the fabulous “business” opportunity, you start to put two and two together. It feels like you are paying one heck of a premium so that an upline can passively rake in the dough.

These are all legitimate concerns, and ones that I until very recently shared, myself. So what caused me to feel differently? Let’s unpack what happened to cause my fears to subside.

Why You Should Reconsider

1. I fell in love with a superior product. My opinions first shifted when I started using a product line that was SO extremely impressive. Young Living oils have made a very significant difference in the overall health and wellness of my own family, and that made me not only willing, but also really excited, to share my experience with others. And seeing and hearing stories from my friends about all the ways YL oils are helping them, in addition to the amazing seed to seal guarantee that Young Living has, have made me feel more than certain that YL oils are worth far more than their cost. I cannot speak for any MLM company beside my own, but I know there are many instances where distributors can tell you from their own experience that the products they have to offer are unmatched.

2. I realized that I was paying for much more than just a product, in a good way. Young Living has made the decision not to be available at mass market retailers, but instead, through a network of distributors. They could be pouring millions upon millions of dollars into a humongous corporate structure the same way, for example, Revlon does. And they do pour millions upon millions into a structure; it just looks different. It is, instead, a network of women and men all over the world who are passionate advocates and loyal users of the products, who are available to be resources to customers and help them with their questions and concerns, every step of the way in their oil journey. They are creating meaningful work for so many people. The Revlons of the world do that, too, it just looks different. I can assure you that any time you purchase a Revlon product, you are paying for WAY more than just the product. You are paying for the thousands of employees that company has, as well as for the employees at the store where the product is being sold. By supporting an MLM, you are supporting someone you personally know (or have gotten to know), and I think that’s just incredible.

Furthermore, you should be getting MUCH more than a product when you make an MLM purchase. If you aren’t, your distributor isn’t doing his or her job, plain and simple. Your distributor is there for you as a resource, which is more than can be said for the resources you have at your disposal after buying a product through more traditional means (have you ever tried to call Amazon? OMG, it is a gray hair-inducing experience). Young Living, for example, knows that its customers are going to have questions and seek advice, and they want distributors in place to help in any way possible so that the customer doesn’t feel lost. The relationship is NOT over after the purchase has been made!

3. My team focuses on helping people, not on recruiting business people. In my MLM company, 92% of customers are not actively selling, and that’s totally fine. Furthermore, a large chunk of those who are selling are doing so very casually, which is also fine! MLM companies can be really great business opportunities for the right people. But they aren’t for everyone, nor do they need to be! They also don’t need to be the MAIN source of income for everyone who decides to go for it. That’s really up to the individual, entirely. I personally have an upline that supports, encourages, and educates. I do NOT have an upline that pushes, gives quotas, asks you to do parties, or any of that nonsense. The amount of time and effort that I choose to put into my business will be directly reflected in how I grow. And that’s up to me. I have amazing resources at my disposal, but not a soul breathing down my neck. The focus is solely on sharing our own personal experiences. And that is something I can feel really proud of; I’m never going to beg anybody to join my team. That’s just not gonna happen, and I think that more laid-back approach is becoming more commonplace, though of course, I’m sure we all have examples to the contrary!

I’d love to hear some of your thoughts about MLMs and why you might be nervous about them, or perhaps even why you have come to appreciate them and their place in the market! And if you have any questions about my own experience (again, I can only speak from the perspective of someone involved with Young Living), feel free to ask! I know many of my readers are interested in ways to earn an income from home, but there are so many scams out there that it can be really scary to know which direction to take or where to begin! You will NOT be asked to join my team by asking a question, PROMISE! 🙂

An Easy Way to Make Date Night at Home Feel Indulgent

September 9, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

This post brought to you by Breyers Gelato Indulgences . All opinions are 100% mine.

Even though we are making an effort to prioritize having dates with each other, my husband and I still struggle to book a sitter and hit the town very often for fun. Part of the problem is the expense (spending $100 on a night out is shockingly easy to do, as it turns out.

But let me just keep it real: the cost of a date night is only part of the struggle. The other part is the timing of social acceptable date nights. I cannot for the life of me tell you the last time I was out at 11pm. I also can’t tell you the last time I was sitting down for dinner at 7pm. You guys, we eat at 5pm ON THE DOT at my house. The kids are in bed between 6:30-7pm. I am often asleep by 8:30. Not working my way toward the bed, friends, but working my way through a REM cycle. So when Tim and I leave the house at 6pm for a date night, we are straight up ready to be back home by 9. Yes, it’s boring, and maybe a little sad, but it’s just the season of life we are in.

SO….I’ve been realizing that we need to do a better job of capitalizing on the time between when our kids go down and when I am ready for bed. There are a lot of great date night ideas for home (and a lot of super cheesy ones, let’s just be honest), but so many of them require you to make elaborate meals or do stuff like erect a giant sheet in your backyard to watch movies on while eating a tray full of homemade chocolate treats. I mean, all of that sounds awesome unless you are the one who has to put it together. By the time I’d have something like this set up and ready to go, I’d be OVER it and just want to go to bed!

Friends, it doesn’t have to be that hard. And just because it doesn’t take you hours to put together doesn’t mean it won’t be really fun. Take a moment to think about something you really enjoy doing together that is really low key. For us, we LOVE to watch Parenthood. So I created a SUPER easy date night at home that centered on watching a few episodes of our favorite show and indulging in yummy food that we DIDN’T have to make!

To give the room the whole “Parenthood” vibe, all I did was string up some lights and light a few candles. This is reminescent of Camille and Zeek’s backyard. It took all of 5 minutes to do, I promise.

While we were reading stories to the kids just before bed, I had a take and bake pizza going in the oven for us. We skipped the 5pm dinner for ourselves for a change (though not for the kids!) and had something special set aside just for us to eat. It was really fun to not have to share it, help small children eat it, or scarf it down after it was cold, as these are al normal things we have to do at dinner time. And I like the take and bake idea because you don’t even have to go pick it up. Of course, delivery would also be an option. But this was just $8.99 at a warehouse club store. It was a great value!

I did have one surprise for Tim as part of the date, and that was the dessert tray that I had planned. I spent 0 minutes baking or otherwise preparing for this, but I knew it was going to go over VERY well!

I purchased all 4 flavors of Breyers Gelato Indulgences for us to get to enjoy. They happened to be on sale this week at my grocery store, so this was the big splurge, at $20. And of course, we had massive amounts of leftovers, so it really was quite an excellent buy!

After we were finished with our pizza, I brought all the flavors up and it seriously felt like such a treat. I mean, just look!

I have 3 favorite flavors (out of 4…I know…), and the one I reach for just depends on my mood. My least favorite, just to simplify things, is the Triple Chocolate, BUT you need to know that I just don’t love cold chocolate. I don’t know what’s wrong me, either. Tim and both girls go after this container of gelato like rabid dogs, so I think it is safe to say that if you like chocolate, you will love it!

Our date night at home fit us to a T, friends. We got to enjoy a show that we both genuinely love, we ate really yummy pizza and only had to turn the oven on and off to make that happen, and then we were spoiled rotten by Breyers Gelato Indulgences. These taste, in my opinion, every bit as rich and creamy as gelato you would expect to find at a specialty ice cream store. It was so fun having as much as we wanted of each flavor. I definitely recommend going the tasting route for your date night at home; such a simple way to make the evening feel in every way like a special treat.

Do you ever do date night at home? I’d love to hear about your ideas that make for a fun evening without too much work on your part! And do you have a favorite flavor of Breyers Gelato Indulgences? If you haven’t tried it, yet, you are gonna need to get on that, friend. This stuff is LEGIT!

Preparing for a Long Road Trip with KaZoo MyPhones

September 8, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

It will take us just over 8 hours to drive from Chattanooga to Disney World this fall.

Oh wait, that’s just the estimate according to Google Maps. Let’s add 2 1/2 hours to that total due to the fact that we will be traveling with small children. Small children do things like have to pee every 25 minutes, throw up randomly, need to run around any time you stop, and will fight with you every time you put them back in the car. Honestly, 2 1/2 extra hours is a conservative estimate. All the parents out there reading this are nodding their heads in agreement.

So…a 10 1/2 hour car trip is going to require a bit of planning in order to make it anything less than miserable. I’m not aiming high here…no need to make it enjoyable. I will happily settle for tolerable. In fact, I’ll be pretty thrilled with tolerable!

We were recently sent a pair of headphones specifically designed for children from Griffin Technology. They are called KaZoo Headphones, and they are available in frog or penguin. 🙂

Darah was immediately drawn to the kid-friendly design of the headphones, while Tim and I were immediately drawn to the fact that these have a decibel limit to ensure that kids do not have the volume turned too high at any point.

We asked Darah how comfortable they felt, and she said that they were really nice and that she’d like to wear them a long time. As it turns out, she did just that, and wore them around the house for the next hour, even though the show she was watching on my iPhone was finished after just 20 minutes.

Once Tim and I noticed that the headset is also adjustable so that it will fit children of a sizeable age range, we were sold. We hopped online and ordered a second frog set for Layah (Get it? “Hopped?” It was too easy, guys).

Having these headsets on our trip is going to be REALLY nice. The girls can watch some videos independently without disturbing one another, and Tim and I can actually carry on a conversation while they are entertained without having to talk over My Little Pony.

The price point is nice, too, at just $19.99. That’s a very reasonable price to pay for our road trip to get upgraded from “tolerable” to “pleasant, at times!”

When Potty Training Doesn’t Go As Planned: Huggies to the Rescue

September 8, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

This post brought to you by Huggies and Kleenex. All opinions are 100% mine.

You guys, I have a confession to make: Layah, who is now 2 years and 4 months old, is still not fully potty trained. That may not sounds like anything strange until you hear that we have been working with her on learning to use the potty for over a year now.

But here’t the thing: our first child was 100% out of diapers by 20 months. We never even bought training pants. I actually wrote a post about how we potty trained so early, and it is one of my all-time most popular posts. Google basically thinks I’m an expert on how to get your toddler to give up diapers at a really young age.

And you know what? I sort of thought I was an expert at that, too! That is, until Layah had her own ideas about how potty training would go down. She knows how to the use the potty, and she will typically successfully use the potty anywhere from 1-3 times per day. But if she doesn’t feel like doing it, then guess what? SHE WON’T!!!

I can’t tell you how many times I have declared that we are through with diapers. At least half a dozen. Just when I think we’re all done, she decides that she isn’t quite done, after all.

So once again I found myself picking up some Huggies® at Sam’s Club. These are great to send it to school with her because they are roomy (I bought size 5 diapers…a true first for us!) and because they have a VERY cool double-grip feature. I always liked Huggies Little Movers when I used them with Darah, but this is a new and improved version, and it’s really great! We haven’t had any problems with it overnight and because it grips in two places, Layah doesn’t try too much to take them off, either. She will sometimes get past the first grip, and then she gives up when she realizes that the diaper didn’t fall off. Score!!!

If you’d like to learn more about the new and improved Little Movers or about other Huggies® Products available, check out http://SamsClub.com/Huggies. There’s even a special photo offer you can check out, exclusive to Sam’s Club!

And if you want to know about early potty training, here’s my new advice on the topic: it’s 10% about what you are doing to train and 90% about when your child is ready. Good luck!

Another Resource

If you are working hard on potty training right now and need some help figuring out how to wrap it all up and be done, I highly recommend Potty Train in a Weekend by fellow blogger Becky Mansfield. It’s a great affordable resource that you can download as soon as you purchase it. It gets rave reviews from parents everywhere who aren’t sure how to keep potty training from going on and on forever! It’s not something I knew about when we were going through all of this, but based on what I’ve heard from people who have used the book, it would have helped us! Good luck!

Three Strikes You’re Out: Why I didn’t Like Snack Girl to the Rescue

September 6, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

When I read the description of the new cookbook Snack Girl to the Rescue!, I was intrigued. I am a major snacker, and in fact, I find that I manage my weight the very best when I allow myself to eat small portions frequently throughout the day. Snacking can most definitely work against me, but if I am intentional about what I am snacking on, then it actually works in my favor.

Unfortunately, Snack Girl to the Rescue! was a fail for me after 3 strikes. They might seem minor to some folks, so I’m not necessarily suggesting that you skip right over this book. I’m just sharing my personal experience.

Strike #1: No Pictures

I agreed to review this book having only seen the cover, so I didn’t realize that there weren’t any pictures included. I also didn’t realize just how important pictures were to me in cookbooks until I was staring at a cookbook that didn’t have any. It was a bummer, you guys.

Strike #2: Less-Than-Stellar Index

When I first flipped through the cookbook, I spotted a recipe for sweet potato and black bean burgers. I knew I wanted to try that first, but I didn’t have a bookmark on hand and I didn’t want to dog-ear the page. I shut the book without worry, knowing that I could look up sweet potato in the index. Only, that didn’t work. No sweet potato designation back there at all. So I had to go page-by-page through the book until I found it again.

Strike #3: The Recipe Was Terrible

Ok, so the recipe I started with was, in fact, sweet potato and black bean burgers. I followed the recipe precisely (not something I’m known for, but if I’m reviewing a cookbook I will stick to the instructions). Those poor burger patties never amounted to more than a pile of hot mush. They looked revolting and while their taste was reasonably decent, they didn’t work AT ALL as a burger. A side dish? Maybe. Definitely not the main attraction. It was bad, friends.

I want to stress to you that in the end, I only made one recipe. I don’t think that’s enough data to conclude that the book doesn’t have good recipes in it. But it was the 3rd strike for me and enough for me to give up on the cookbook.

Do you have strong feelings about pictures being included in cookbooks? And are you a rampant index-user, like me? Are these just my cookbook quirks?

Preparing for Disney World: A New Minnie Mouse Lovey from Build-a-Bear

September 5, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Thanks to Build-a-Bear for sending along Minnie Bear to keep us company at Disney World. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always!

It’s no secret that both of my girls LOVE stuffed animals. They come by it honest; my collection topped out around 200 animals when I was a child. I’m pretty good about saying “no” for most toys when the request is made, except for stuffed animals!

And of course, both of my girls have their most precious loveys that they sleep with every night. I’ve been thinking about how to handle this for our upcoming trip to Disney World (missed those posts? Check out my Disney vacation tips post and my Disney vacation budget post). If either one of these loveys were lost, it would be…not the end of the world….but just ever-so-slightly less devastating than that. It would RUIN our trip, you guys, not even kidding. But since we’ll be gone for a week, I think they are going to be getting in the car with us. But let me tell you something, they will go from our house, to the car, into the hotel room, back to the car, and back to our house. THAT IS IT!!!!

To help keep the girls occupied in the park, we need some loveys that they will enjoy. So how awesome is it that Build-a-Bear has just come up with a Minnie Bear? She’s an adorable pink bear with a signature Minnie Mouse bow and LOTS of fun Minnie accessories. She will make for a fun playmate while we wait in line or during strolls all over the park. And while it would not be fun if she were to get lost, I know that we would survive the ordeal, which is more than I can say for certain with bunny and doggy.

One thing I have always loved about Build-a-Bear plushes, and what makes them stand apart from other stuffed animals, is the attention to details. Look at Minnie Bear’s feet! While Build-a-Bear has lots of super cute shoes that you could buy for her, aren’t her little bear feet (er..paws?) adorable?

The same holds true for the accessories. If you have never been inside a Build-a-Bear store, it is a treat! The outfit selections will blow you away, and they will be easy to use on different loveys from Build-a-Bear. Check out this great feature: pants with a hole in them just for little tails! Hee Hee!

So even if you have a different Build-a-Bear lovey that you’d like to get all dolled up for a trip to Disney World, or if you just have a Minnie Mouse fan in your house, check out the full line of Minnie accessories, perfect for Minnie Bear or any other Build-a-Bear in your collection!

I’d love to hear: do you have a travel policy in your home in regards to your child’s favorite stuffed animals or other favorite toys?

Intel AIO: The Home Computer Revolution Has Begun!

September 4, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

#spon: I am in a partnership with Intel. Through this partnership I gain access to content, product, or other forms of value.

When it’s time to shop for a computer for your home, do you always go through the whole, “desktop or laptop?” debate? We certainly do. And while tablets have been thrown into the mix as yet another personal technology option, for me, a tablet will not serve my more serious computer needs. They tend to lack the processing speed I need, the programs I need, and the keyboard that I need to do some serious typing.

Last October our home needed a new computer due to the sudden death of our old laptop. I really thought that I made the ultimate purchase by opting for a laptop with a large screen that also has a touch screen so you can interact with it like a tablet or a laptop.

But friends, I can tell you now that there’s an even better option. Intel has put out a beautiful suite of All-in-One (AIO) computers, and they are absolutely the future of home computers. Intel AIO computers are pretty much the perfect marriage of all the best attributes of personal computing and entertainment devices.

1.High Touch Like a Tablet

The Intel AIO has a touchscreen, and an AWESOME one, at that. It can recognize and respond to up to 10 fingers at once! We’ve been taking full advantage of this by playing games as a family on the device.

2. High Functionality Like a Desktop

You’ll find all the power of a desktop computer tucked into this device. No need to make space for a tower, friends. We are thoroughly enjoying the increased leg room under our desk because of this upgrade! You can run all the programs that can really slow down a tablet or even a laptop on this bad boy, no problem.

3. High Portability Like a Laptop

While I wouldn’t say it is as portable as a laptop (I wouldn’t pack it in a bag and take it on a trip, for example) it most definitely can be toted around the house with ease. Take it to your kitchen to work on a recipe, or take it to the dining room table to work on a homework assignment. If you are a blogger with kids at home like me, then you can even take it to your child’s room to do a little work while also doing a little play. Multi-tasking can certainly happen with this device on hand.

Part of what makes the Intel AIO easy to move around, even at its size, is its slim design. Check that out, friends!

Intel AIO 3

4. Awesome Viewing Capabilities Like a Television

Intel AIO computers come in a variety of sizes, but may I just suggest that you get a big one? You will NOT regret it. It makes for a nice, large display when you are working. For example, Tim works with maps all day, so he has HUGE computer screens at work, and he said that this Intel AIO is almost as big as his work computer. As a result, he has been able to work from home on a few occasions when he normally would have had to go into the office to accomplish the task at hand. Score!

But when work is over and it’s time for play, the Intel AIO can become like a television screen. We’ve brought it into our room so we can do movies and catch up on our favorite shows. It is SO great, you guys!

So what do you think about this AMAZING tablet-meets-laptop-meets-desktop-meets-television? Pretty amazing, no? Want to learn more? Of course you do! Here’s a great way to learn more, share about your own Intel experience, and find out how you can revolutionize the way you use technology in your own home.

Izon 2.0: How We Will Be Monitoring Our Home While on Vacation

September 4, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Special thanks to the folks at Izon for providing a review unit and a sweet discount code for my readers. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

Friends I have a VERY nifty little device to show you today. It’s called Izon 2.0 (think “eyes on”) and if you are looking for a way to monitor activity in your home while you are away, this will meet your needs, perfectly!

Check out this petite little camera…just a handful of inches in height! It has an impressively long cord so that you can set it up at an optimal location. I also like that it is connected to the base by a magnet. This is important because it allows you to easily move the camera to the perfect angle so you can monitor what you want exactly how you want to!

Izon is fully customize-able so you can tell it a specific area within the camera view that you want to be monitored. This is a really helpful feature, because if you have pets in your home, you don’t want your monitor to be sending you alerts every time they walk through the room! Simply crop out the floor where they might be roaming in the space you want to be monitored. You can also schedule monitoring times so that it starts monitoring after you leave for the day, and stops when you are expected to be back home.

You can also customize how sensitive you want the device to be to picking up sounds or movement. For example, you could completely turn off the motion detection if you have pets who roam freely (perhaps they don’t stay on the floor but also jump up on furniture). But you could have the noise detection set to a sensitive setting so that if there are any unusual sounds in the area, you are alerted.

I tested out the alert device and had it set to be sensitive to both noise and movement. Then I went about my business doing stuff in this room. It picked up my motion and my noises and promptly sent me alerts, all with playback so I could see and hear what was happening!

We will be traveling in the fall for a family vacation, and while I will have a friend stop by the house a few times to check out on pets and make sure packages aren’t by the door, that’s not the same as having an alarm system in the house. But the $40/month price tag that comes along with that service just isn’t in the budget right now. The Izon 2.0 is just $79.95, so roughly the price of 2 months of security service from an alarm company. It clearly doesn’t take long for this to be a more budget-friendly option!

I feel SO relieved knowing that we can set up our Izon and be alerted should any unusual activity occur in the home. That brings with it a lot of peace of mind about being away from home for a good stretch.