Jr Lifestylists
Kids With a Conscience
African Orphans Send Song of Hope to Moore Oklahoma Survivors
03 days
by lifestylist
in giving Back
My sister and her family live in Edmond, Oklahoma and are one of the lucky families that have a storm shelter. Tornadoes touched down near them last weekend but what happened to them was nothing like what happened to the residents of Moore, Oklahoma.
Last Summer they had an unbelievable experience – they packed up trunks and suitcases full of shoes, clothes, blankets, and other needed items and headed to Maisha International Orphanage – an amazing labor of love in Kisumu, Kenya. The stories and images they brought back are life changing, and it’s a great reminder of how a small donation or offering can be life changing to these kids.
The beautiful souls at Maisha wanted to do something for their friends in Oklahoma City and Moore, and made this video as a way of showing their love and support. What a great reminder this Memorial Day weekend how precious life is and we all need to live ours to the fullest.
Sweet Snacks
079 days
by lifestylist
in Food
I’ve always had a sweet tooth, but regret the calories that most of my favorites have as soon as I eat them.
Cookie Chips are my new favorite snack – sweet, crunchy and only around 20 calories each! These great bites are made by HannahMax Baking and are all natural, no artificial flavors or colors and no trans fats!
My favorite is the original which tastes like an old fashioned homemade butter cookie. They are also available in Cinnamon Sugar, Chocolate Chip and Sea Salted Peanut Butter.
It’s been really hard to get in the kitchen these days with the Lifestylist® Brands being so successful, so discovering these treats is almost as good as making them myself.
Fast and Easy Super Bowl Recipes
0112 days
by lifestylist
in Uncategorized
The Super Bowl isn’t only about football – it’s also about getting together with family and friends and having a great time.
Being a Lifestylist® is all about Life Celebrating Style, and we’ve put together some quick and easy recipes that will make any gathering an event to remember.
Our Pepperoni Pops are one of our favorites, but you can find all of them on our Lifestylist Recipe page.
A Lesson in Ethical Marketing
0120 days
by lifestylist
in Uncategorized
It’s just not easy doing business these days. Even when you constantly try and do the right thing, play by the rules, do everything you can to make the world a better place and treat your customers and employees like you would like to be treated, someone comes along and attacks everything you have worked so hard for.
OXO, a wonderful, ethical company that is known for it’s ingenious products and ideas sent me an email today about a competitor that is accusing them of stealing a product idea and proceeded to put up a billboard stating these charges 2 blocks from the OXO corporate office. The CEO of Quirky – Ben Kaufman then staged a picket line outside of OXO to draw attention to their charges.
I guess they didn’t realize that OXO doesn’t only have smart designs, they are also really smart about marketing and intellectual property. They have been very supportive of the blogger community and came to us with the facts on this matter – all very well researched and stated.
It turns out that Quirky never went to OXO to voice their concerns and allegations even though the companies are within blocks of each other in NYC. When the President of OXO Alex Lee met with Quirky CEO in 2012 about product design and innovation Lee asked Kaufman “what steps Quirky took to protect the intellectual property (IP) of this broad community when inventors submit their idea in an open and public forum”. Kaufman responded “Nothing. Speed to market is our best protection.”
Almost every day I find another person or company that is using my trademarked term Lifestylist®. I spent a lot of time and money almost 15 years ago to trademark the term because I believed in it and wanted to protect it in the right way – legally. I’ve trademarked other terms and uses since then and it amazes me how many people never search the US Patent and Trademark records to see if a term they want to use is trademarked before they tie it to their brand.
So I am going to do for OXO what I hope other people will do for me. I’m going to share the OXO story, and I’m going to buy their products and support their brand. How we spend our hard earned dollars is the easiest way to let a company know what you think about their business practices and products. Up until now I have never heard of Quirky, but in the future I won’t be spending a dime on any of their products just on principle.
OXO did a beautiful job of addressing this issue in social media and it is well worth reading. And leave it to them to change this into a positive – they are offering to give a “Patent Process Primer” to anyone interested so you can learn the correct way to protect your own intellectual property.
It’s really easy for anyone to write anything these days whether it’s right or wrong, and the responsibility of the blogging and social media community to bring to light injustices such as this. I really appreciate OXO sharing this important lesson with all of us and showing us how to protect our own intellectual property.
A Great Place For a Family Breakfast -The Original Pancake House
0132 days
by lifestylist
in Uncategorized
It’s so nice to find a restaurant that not only has great food for the adults, but they also provide ways to keep the kids busy so you can enjoy your meal.
The Original Pancake Houses in the Dallas Ft. Worth area are those places. We went for brunch today and even though it was busy and had a long wait, adults enjoyed some of the best coffee I’ve had in years while the kids were entertained by the very talented balloon artist. The food was amazing – so many great choices! The staff was very patient and helpful -they gave great recommendations. You could tell that they enjoyed working there, and everyone had a smile on their faces.
Great news – they are open 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays so it’s a great choice for a late date night.
Healthy Soups Your Kids Will Love
0139 days
by lifestylist
in Uncategorized
This is going to be a busy week! I leave tomorrow to do some new model homes for SE Homes of Texas in Louisiana, so while I’m enjoying all of that Cajun cuisine I wanted to cook up some healthy meals my Lifestylist® family could enjoy.
Ro-tel® (tomatoes and diced green chilies)is a staple in my pantry. It is low calorie, low fat, and full of spicy goodness and is an important part of my vegetarian chili and my vegetable soup.
I make this in my slow cooker – it’s a perfect weekend dish because you can prep all of the vegetables and let it cook up on it’s own. Use vegetables that your family prefers or ones that are fresh at the farmers market – my version changes with the seasons.
You can find the recipe on my Lifestylist® Recipe page – enjoy!
Welcome to a New Year
0145 days
by lifestylist
in Uncategorized
Another year is almost behind us, and I think most of us are looking forward to a fresh start in 2013.
Last year made it clearer than ever that nothing is more important than relationships. I feel so fortunate that I was able to spend time with my cousins I hadn’t seen in years, had some great sister time and what was most important, got to spend a lot of quality time with my kids and grandkids.
Being around the grandkids reminded me how wonderful it is to always be looking forward to tomorrow and the opportunities it brings. The amazement of what a fantastic job my kids are doing as parents, and how talented their Jr Lifestylists are keeps reminding me how important it is to spend time with family.
Here’s hoping that 2013 is filled with hope for all of us, and we remember what brings us joy.
Here’s to a Healthy 2013
0145 days
by lifestylist
in Uncategorized
With just a few more hours until 2013, we wanted to get an early start on some healthy recipes for the New Year.
We love using as many local foods as possible in our cooking, but winter limits what we can find.
Our New Beginnings Fiesta Salad uses Rotel – a great spicy tomato and chili mix that is low on calories but adds lots of flavor. When we make this in the summer we’ll use fresh tomatoes, peas, and chilis but this is the perfect way to pay homage to the southern tradition of having black eye peas on New Years for luck.
You can find the recipe on our Lifestylist® recipe page. Happy New Year!
Teaching by Example
0273 days
by lifestylist
in Uncategorized
I can’t believe that Summer is almost over! This was a really busy one, and there never seems to be enough time to do all of the things I wanted to do.
Yesterday was the last Jr Chef Camp at The Gaylord Texan, and I think it was one of the best. When the 14 kids arrived I was a little worried – none of them had taken the class before and they were all new to each other as well.
After Al taught them about manners and etiquette Chef Joanne Bondy brought them into the Old Hickory Steakhouse kitchen and began to get them excited about cooking. The kids loved being able to be hands on with her and learn different cooking techniques, and by the time the second egg was cracked new friendships had formed and the kitchen was alive with excited voices all having new direction and dreams.
Sometimes even the most simple experience can be the most memorable. The kids got to go out in the Gaylord Texan herb garden and vineyard and were amazed to find that grapes grew on vines!
They had a blast tasting the different grapes and learning about how the herbs tasted. And the pride they all had when they served their parents the meal they made and introduced them to their new friends – just a great event.
Watching Chef Joanne don’t just teach kids who to cook at this event – they empower them to try new things and to believe in themselves, and that’s a lesson that is priceless.
The Lifestylist® Difference
0445 days
by lifestylist
in Uncategorized
One of the questions I always get asked is exactly what is a Lifestylist®, and what is unique about the Lifestylist® Lifestyle. The second most asked question is what makes me a Trailer Diva!
The Lifestylist philosophy is about “Life Celebrating Style”. Our clients life and style is what dictates how a Lifestylist® works with you. My favorite example is I had a client in Phoenix, Arizona that was a major Phoenix Suns fan, and their team colors are orange and purple. The client wanted their entire home done in these colors. What they wanted is what they got, complete with a child’s room with a hardwood floor striped like a basketball court. They wanted to stylishly celebrate their interests and love of their home team and we did!
I just spoke to a friend who’s dog just dug up their entire garden and her daughter slammed the door on the neighbor’s hand – all in about 30 minutes time. Her needs and lifestyle are completely different from my son – no kids, no dogs, and lives in front of his computer. What my style is wouldn’t work well for either of them which is why I need to understand the client and what their “hot buttons” are. It’s takes extra time and sleuthing to achieve this – many times the client has trouble putting into words exactly what they are looking for but they know it when they see it. I take the responsibility very seriously – a person’s environment can truly change their lives in a positive or negative way. If someone is happy in their home their quality of life improves.
Next to being a mother, becoming a Lifestylist® is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. I’m looking forward to expanding the concept and what it offers in the years to come. – we will be launching a new food line this Spring!