"WHY" NOT "WHAT"

Today at school we learned about business culture and how important it is.

And we learned learned that it is not "what" you do but "why" you do it. My instructor told the story of St. Theresa of Avila. It goes like this:

Saint Teresa of Avila, the 16th century Spanish mystic, saw an angel rushing towards her, carrying a torch and a bucket of water. “Where are you going with that torch and bucket?” she asked. "What will you do with them?”

“With the water,” the angel answered, “I will put out the fires of hell, and with the fire I will burn down the mansions of heaven; then we will see who really loves God.”

I wrote down the story word for word. I loved it. In many ways it is how I have lived my life--never worried about failing nor worried about succeeding--doing things only for love.

I spent my life in the company of the people I love whilst doing the things that I love. The Lord has been really really good to me--if the mansions in heaven are burnt down it doesn't matter.

Happy Birthday to ME!

Lucky me. Dunkin' Donuts sent me 4 gift cards to try out some of their new "healthier choice" menu items.

Were they reading my mind? I have been trying to watch what I eat AND so is my teacher, Dan I. and a few of my classmates. So I took one card and gave the other three away at school. (You know how tough it is to get by on a teacher's salary or to be a student--right?) Well giving away the cards made me pretty popular.

Mr. I. is watching his weight and he tried the egg white veggie flatbread. He loved it. And at 290 calories! He was thrilled. (I am working really hard to be teacher's pet and this definitely helped!)

So today is my birthday and I finally decided to reward myself--to take a break and smell the coffee--and I headed over to Dunkin' Donuts. I got a low fat Cranberry Orange Muffin. It has 390 calories (100 more than the flatbread) and 3g of fat. It was so good! Honestly, it was better than any birthday cupcake I could have treated myself to.

Thank you Dunkin' Donuts for helping me start my day off right. I ate something delicious and I don't feel guilty! HOORAY!

MAKE MY DAY

This photoe and post appeared on Facebook wall late Saturday night. It made my day!

So, I am walking through NAMM today and I see a crowd of people trying to catch a glimpse of....Gene Simmons and I ended up following the crowd...fighting my way through and I get really close and say, "Judy Davids from the Mydols says, hi!" He stops (the security has him walking...) and turns around, looks at me and gives me a thumbs up . Then he continues walking. The crowd is all over him and I noticed people stopping to take pictures with him. So, I asked someone to use my camera and they took a terrible picture. I had to run up to him, apologize and take another one...here it is! I was thinking of you the entire time!!!

Janeane Bernstein, Radio Host "Momz Rock the House"

MAMAZINA

I am very excited to be involved with Mamazina. Please read this message from Joy Rose and consider advertising in this super AWESOME magazine! ~Judy

Think Spring! Think THE BEST PLACE TO UNITE WITH MOMS!

While it might be wintry days and wind chills in the news, we¹re thinking spring at Mamazina Magazine. That¹s right, even though January just began, the Mamazina staff is hard at work on our Spring/Summer 2010 debut issue, featuring new Mama Rockers Antigone Rising, Rock Star Mommy, Interviews, Book Reviews, Literature, a Mom-Made Product Marketplace and more.

Where else can you reach 100,000 families, 10 million media impressions and 1 million web visitors for rates starting as low as what you¹d pay for a cup of coffee a day? Advertise your handmade crafts, home business, Etsy shop, eBay store, blogs, books and more! Affordable, targeted print and online advertising solutions that can be tailored to meet your individual needs. But hurry‹ Spring¹s around the corner, and so is our February 1 ad reservation deadline! Email Amy: advertise@mamazina.com or call toll-free 1 (877) 382-6771

Our Mom-Owned Company Wants To Work With You!

Back Cover $750

Inside Front $500

Inside Back $450

B/W Full Page $375

½ Page $250

¼ Page $125

12/ Blog Ad

¼ Blog Ad

Marketplace Full Page $375

Mom-Made Products Full $375

Mom-Made Products ½ $250

Mom-Made Products ¼ $125

Classified Page Items (x words) $30

Business Card Size Ads (Includes Graphics) $40

Online Marketplace Section 1 iss./6mo. $75

$25 X 10,000 WILL BUY A PERMANENT HOME FOR THE MOTHERHOOD MOVEMENT. Please make a donation today and help us realize the M.O.M.

PIRATE BOOTY

Okay...my kids get pizza. After all, they are beanpoles. Skinny. Skinny. Skinny. But they won't always have to not worry about their weight if they are anything like their parents.

Last fall the nice folks at Pirate Brands sent me some samples of their Pirate Booty. I go to school every day and half of my classmates are in their 20s (half my age!). So to be popular, I brought my samples with me. To my delight EVERYONE gobbled them up--even my teacher was impressed.

Yesterday Pirate Brand reminded me that a lot of people have set New Year's goals to lose weight. (I know my husband and I have.) And with the big game coming up, maybe it's time to think about some new snack offerings. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Here are some of the yummy Pirate samplings you can get:

Pirate’s Booty is a deliciously baked all-natural snack made from puffed rice and corn. Pirate’s Booty is only up to 130 calories per serving, is trans-fat and gluten free and comes in great subtle flavors like Aged White Cheddar, Veggie, Sour Cream & Onion, New York Pizza, Sea Salt & Vinegar and Barbeque. Pick up a 4 oz. bag for The Big Game.

Smart Puffs are all-natural corn puffs made with real Wisconsin cheddar that are baked to perfection. Smart Puffs are trans-fat and gluten free. A 4.5 oz. bag will surely score a touchdown at the Sunday party!

Original Tings are all-natural vegan crunchy corn sticks made from the finest milled American corn. Tings are trans-fat and gluten free. Pick up a 6 oz. bag to become the MVP in your house!

Try them out. You have nothing to lose but maybe a few inches off your waist!

WHO DOESN' T LOVE PIZZA?

My teenage sons could eat pizza every day of the week if I let them. And to be honest, between being in a band and being school 5 days a week and trying to launch a new business, I cave in more than I probably should.

BUT I was delighted, and didn't feel guilty, when I received coupons for FREE Red Baron Fire baked pizza. They carry them at Hollywood Market (across the street from my house) so I got a few. We tried the fire baked Classic Pepperoni. Yum. The boys loved it and I did too. Honestly, it tasted as fresh as anything I could have had delivered from the pizza dude--and it was faster too. (Pizzas around here take 45 minutes to deliver.) And no delivery charge when you make it yourself!

I am pretty darn happy. And even happier that I have a few more coupons left! I'll be giving them away on our Facebook 'Fan' page.

Go to http://tinyurl.com/mydols-fan-page

Have a pizza on the Mydols! (Not on top of us--just provided by us!)

Next Stage Women

I am really excited to be speaking at Next Stage Woman--the Event. What an honor.

Please read the invitation from Robin Riddell and plan to spend the evening of January 28 with us.

If the recession left you feeling a little bruised or battle weary, you welcomed 2010 with open arms like I did. 01-01-10 looks and feels like a new beginning, doesn't it? I don't know about you, but I'm ready for a fresh start. If there is a life lesson that I'm very good at, it's starting over! So, I begin again. During my sabbatical last summer, I had an opportunity to consider the parts of my life that weren't working. Being a solo entrepreneur has its challenges and I now realize that I allowed other people to pull me and my business in directions that weren't a good fit for me. The question then became, how do I turn things around? My sabbatical gave me the energy and the courage to stage a daring venture. I went public with my idea in late November and gave myself less than 60 days to make it happen. Next Stage Woman was born! Next Stage Woman fills the creative gap between a woman and a purpose-filled life. Staged events, virtual incubators, group sales and marketing coaching and one-to-one mentor coaching, Next Stage Woman is by, for and about empowering women to achieve their full personal potential.. Please join me on Thursday, January 28th at 5:30pm at the Holiday Inn Gateway Centre for the launch of Next Stage Woman where you'll meet three more women who are living out their next stage ventures. Meet the Rock Star Mommy who first picked up a guitar at age 42; the Motor City's newest fashionista and the many whimsical characters of my friend, Gigi. Their stories will motivate and inspire you to live out your next venture by introducing you to a forum and network for learning, sharing and growing your ideas. Next Stage Woman-the Event is unlike any women's event you've ever attended. This isn't a traditional women's business meeting and it's definitely not another women's expo. That was then... this is now. Tickets are $45 and includes hors d'oeuvres, wine (or beer) & a very special swag bag! Because you know what I'm capable of, I'm counting on my great network of women friends and business associates to support this event, my audition if you will. Dream it. Stage it. Live it! Next Stage Woman is for you! Click on the Register Now link below and view a full description on our web page and purchase your ticket.

Register Now!

What would a women's event be without a little retail therapy? Showcase your company, generate sales or attract new distributors by hosting a sponsor table (only $25). Simply check the box on the reservation form and pay with a single credit card transaction. I am using event management software that allows you to make your reservation and pay via this email invitation. When you click on the Register Now button, you will be taken to our web page that has a complete synopsis and registration button. Easy for you; easy for me. I look forward to entertaining you at Next Stage Woman - the Audition on January 28th, 2010. Sincerely, Robin Riddell