Archive for the ‘Fun’ Category

Four healthful “superfoods” – soy, blueberries, yogurt, and orange make this a nutrient-packed breakfast. For an extra boost, blend in a handful of spinach leaves.

In a blender, combine 3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup ice, 1/2 cup plain low-fat regular or Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons soymilk, 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice, and 1 tablespoon honey. Blend until smooth, scraping down sides of blender as needed. Serve immediately. Serves 1

per serv: 222 cal; 3.7 g fat (1.6 g sat fat); 12.4 g protein; 39.4 g carb; 3.5 g fiber

Just in case it was too much for you to actually call the Nestle Crunch Hotline number yourself, check out the video:

We have lost a little of the fun in business these days. Too many of us are trying so hard to make a dollar in this failing economy that we are forgetting it is about the customers.

Well, Nestle Chocolates’ has made a customer out of me. A friend on FaceBook said call their hotline (800-295-0051), and when it asks you to select English or Spanish option just wait 10 seconds and you’ll smile. (I did!) Then select 4, and listen to the options. (I smiled even harder!) Then I selected 7 as my final option. (Then I laughed out loud!)

In my opinion Nestle’s has come up with a way to drum up attention, get people to remember their number, and to appeal to their clients of all ages. Simply put, they found a way to keep people coming back! I love it! It reminded me to remind you that as you are building, and growing, your nonprofit organizations keep the main reason for doing your nonprofit the main reason. Have fun, and that will attract more participants, funding, and it will keep the community engaged. After all, isn’t that why you started your nonprofit in the first place?

If you celebrate Christmas, take the day off! Enjoy your family and friends!

Merry Christmas!

I saw this timely tip in my December issue of Women Business Owners of Prince George's County.

A Friendly Communication
Reminder to Women Business Owners

How many times have you attended an event, only to run into
someone whose face you remember but name you couldn't?  What do you
do?  Do you call them Honey, Sweetie, Girlfriend, or nothing at all? 
Suffice it to say, it's embarrassing.  So let's help each other out. 
If we're not wearing a name tag and we've drawn a blank, here's what we
can do:

• If you're with someone, tell them
  this, "If I don't
  introduce you to the person with whom I'm speaking, introduce
  yourself",
• Re-introduce yourself and give
  the other person an opportunity to introduce themselves; or
• Graciously ask for forgiveness
  and admit you can't remember their name.

Have you ever been on the other side and felt that the
person you're talking with doesn't remember you?

• Do not say, "You probably don't remember
  me." (You're right they don't, that's why we're writing
  this).  Just say, "Hi,
  I'm Jane.  My company is XYZ.  It's good to see you." 
  (Make conversation). 

We
all have full plates.  It's the overload factor.  We are trying to remember
the laundry list of things we have to do to keep the business going.  We
don't need one more thing to add stress.

Let's start practicing now so
we'll be flawless in 2010!

 -Doris McMillon,
Sponsorship Director

I love this time of year because it is ideal for someone with my condition –
the giving condition.

I have always enjoyed showering my friends, family, and
even complete strangers with random acts of kindness. Just a few days ago I had
the double pleasure of treating my mom to some delicious ice cream, and then blowing
away the stand worker with a tip toward her “Tips for College” fund. These
things are great for the getter, but are absolutely awesome for me. I must
admit that I do them a little selfishly. I love seeing the look on people’s
faces when I surprise them with an act of giving.

The Holiday season is usually the time we take to do
outward expressions of kindness. And, I’m going to highly advocate that you do.
Nonprofits are hurting during this economic crunch time. Reach outside of your
family and friends and give to a charitable organization this year. Consider
donating time and things, but mostly money as that is what they really need.
They need our $5 here and there. Because as you know with pennies, they add up!

So, if you want to find a charitable organization to give
to, or check on the credibility of one, here are a few resources: Better
Business Bureau, Guide Star, and American Institute of Philanthropy. Then you
can consider making giving a family or group event. Gather your best friends, and
suggest that you give to a charitable organization instead of exchanging
Christmas presents this year!

I lost my heart to Savannah! I can’t remember going anywhere and feeling more comfortable. I didn’t feel
like a stranger in Savannah, and yet it was my
very first time ever setting foot in Georgia. One
thing I learned about me, while I’m from the District of Columbia, I’m
definitely not a southern girl; I’m city through and through.

Savannah
is a quaint place full of ghosts.
Every house tells a tale of a haunting, or the prevention of such a thing.
There’s one house that is said to have been mailed ordered, and was assembled
with every single window installed upside down (see picture). This was done to ward off evil
spirits.

I took the trolley tour
around town several times, and spent hours hearing different renditions regarding
the same historical sites. Each trolley driver had their own unique way of
telling a story. The St. Patrick’s Day
was my favorite. One driver said, “The St. Patrick’s Day parade is the
second in the country to New York.
Everything in Savannah
turns green: the river, the water fountains, the beer, and the next day the faces
of the people turn green.”

The food in Savannah
was by far the best I ever had! I ate at the Olde Pink House,
Lady and Sons, and I
cooked my favorite meal at the 700 Kitchen Cooking School.
We made Low Country cuisine, and it was further proof that I’m not a southern girl. Every other dish started with
biscuits and grits both yuck in my personal opinion. Yet, when in the South one
must try it out. So, I ate enough (a very little) to at least be able to say
that I tried them. I know my former mean coach would’ve
been proud of me!

However, I do love fried green "tamadas"!

A few weekends ago Ryan and I drove to New York City to
visit Noel and Sonja Chevere who were there from California to visit
family.  So, in essence we imposed on
their family time for the weekend, and I don’t reject a moment.  

Noel, my friend I used to like, walked me through the
streets of New York City until my legs were about to fall off. I still look at
the map to trace all of our steps and it amazes me that while we were walking for
hours, we only walked a couple miles at the most a day. I experienced the New
York subway, did all the touristy things: Time Square, Ground Zero, Rockefeller
Center, just to name a few. 
 

My most memorable stop was to Grand Central Terminal,
affectionately known to me as the place where the animals emerged in the movie
Madagascar. I was in awe at this beautiful train station. I marveled at the
clock in the center, and the stairs that came up from every direction, and the
beautiful chandelier in the station; things that seemed out of place in a train
station, but yet completely fit in here with the hurry and bustle. 

Anyway, we rushed to the Grand Central Terminal because
it was the closest place to where we were, in Greenwich Village, to get Junior’s
cheesecake. Now, let’s talk a little about cheesecake, you have cheesecake, you
have Jello like stuff they call cheesecake, and then you have CHEESECAKE. I
mean baked, creamy, stick to the fork, cheesecake. Oh my! I wasn’t disappointed
with Junior’s at all. As a matter of fact, I was delighted to hear that they
ship cheesecake, as it was absolutely worth all the trouble we went through to
get it.

Next time you're in New York, please stop and have some Junior's cheesecake. And be sure to let me know what you think. Next month, I'm in search of a Philly steak n' cheese!

Every summer for a week, I take my mom and two youngest
nieces to the Wilderness Presidential Resort for a summer get-away. We stay in
a trailer, grocery shop every day, swim, eat out every night, and just have a
great time. It is fun, but not very relaxing as there is ALWAYS something to
do.

This year is the first one where I’ve been completely
disconnected from the internet. The Wilderness is isolated as cell reception
isn’t the best, and the only wifi is at the reservation lodge at the very
entrance of the park. There’s absolutely no opportunity for someone like me
with two busy little girls and one impatient mom to stop playing and check FB,
Twitter, and god forbid check email.

Also, this year we tried something new, we did activities
off property. The most memorable for my nieces may have been the lunch theatre
performance of The Little Mermaid. However, for me and my mom, it was the
Trolley Tour of downtown Fredericksburg, VA. My mom was completely fascinated
by the civil war history as told by our trolley tour guide. He showed us battle
scenes that have lived over the course of 140 some years. It was absolutely overwhelming
to hear stories about actual battles, and to walk through the battlefields
where men gave their lives in a war that nearly divided the country.

It gave me a new appreciation and deepened my fascination
with this horrific war fought, in part, to afford me the freedom I have today.
It amazed me to see a slave auction block still standing in the central part of town.
Would you allow your child to play on this?

So, while we are a united nation
there will always be signs of our divisions.

One of my favorite poems from childhood is by John
Greenleaf Whittier is an excerpt from "Maud Muller" The Saddest Words.

…of all sad words of tongue or pen,

The saddest are these: “It might have been!”

I’m sure you have had some moment of regret in your life.
You look back at a situation and wonder how you could have done it better,
differently, or perhaps you shouldn’t have done it all. Then you utter these
words to yourself.

Well, I have those same feelings every time an ice cream
truck comes into my neighborhood. I can hear the music from miles away. As the
truck gets closer, and the little jingle gets louder, my mouth starts to water,
and then the truck is turning the corner onto my street. The saddest thing, I
usually never have a dollar nearby, and am forced to watch the ice cream truck
go by.

Yet, I’m saved by not adding the calories, or fat, to my
diet by not having that delicious ice cream. So, there really is a silver
lining behind every cloud!