It really works!

There are so many supplements out there that claim to do great things. An issue I've had is either they don't work, you have to take it for a while before you can tell it works, or I have issues taking the product because it makes me nauseous and/or gives me headaches. 

When I was pregnant with my fifth child, I had purchased a bottle of whole-food prenatal vitamins for $60 from a health store. It was suppose to be the best. When I opened the bottle, the rancid smell was so off-putting, that I screwed the top back on and threw the bottle directly in the trash. I thought I was going to throw up from the smell. And when I found a vitamin that I "could" take, I had to take it at night before I went to sleep because it would make me feel sick. I'd get sick to my stomach, burp up that nasty vitamin funk, and get headaches. (Side note: I do believe everyone should take a multivitamin.  It's difficult to get all the nutrition our body needs from food alone.  Choose natural instead of synthetic.  Read this article from Harvard HERE).

I have wasted so much money on vitamins and supplements.  Things that are suppose to improve your health, metabolism, energy levels, help you lose weight...you name it, I've tried it. They just didn't work. I'd take them, and neither see or feel any change. There were some energy weight loss pills that I took that worked...then they were banned by the FDA because they were like speed in little orange gel caps. I hardly ate anything while I was taking those, and I couldn't sleep...I mean, I wasn't tired, but I wasn't sleeping. No appetite and not sleeping, clearly not a healthy option. They made me lose weight, but also had a pale-white complexion like Edward Cullen (too bad I didn't have the same sparkle 😉).  It's frustrating when you want to improve your health, but can't find something that will just do what it claims it's suppose to do. 

Finally, I found something that does what it says it will do. The supplement line from It Works is unlike anything else I've tried before. It all actually works and you can tell each one works. They get the job done without causing any unpleasant side effects. They are easy to take, and they don't have that stinky, nasty smell that the majority of other vitamins do. They're made with natural ingredients, so you know you're not taking some synthetic junk that your body can't use. 

 

So, this is what I've been taking each morning, why I love each one, and what they do:

•Hair Skin Nails- "Why yes! I do want longer, stronger, & healthier hair & nails...and oh, my skin can look better too? I think I'm in love."

Be a more radiant, youthful looking you with support for stronger nails, softer and smoother skin, and shine-worthy hair!  With essential vitamins, minerals, and plant-based nutrients, Hair Skin Nails enhances your own natural collagen and keratin production, supports healthy cell growth, and boosts your body’s free radical fighting defenses.  It’s optimal nourishment to look your beautiful best from the inside out!

• Boosts your  natural collagen and keratin production
• Supports the body’s defenses against free radical damage
• Moisturizes while enhancing skin’s elasticity and flexibility 
•  Promotes healthy cell growth, strength, and shine

•ThermoFit- "What? I can still burn calories even when I'm sitting on the coach watching tv? And my metabolism gets a boost, plus it has the super antioxidant acai berry? And NO jitters like other pills? So many good things wrapped up in one supplement."

Fire up your metabolism with this naturally based, thermogenic weight loss formula! Powered by the antioxidant superfood acai berry and the metabolism-boosting properties of Capsimax® (red hot pepper blend), Ultimate ThermoFit helps to:

• Thermogenic weight loss formula
• Antioxidant benefits of acai berry
• Promotes increased calorie burning
• Helps boost metabolic rate
• Reduces appetite
• Provides energy

•Confianza- "I'm not bilingual, but I've heard this translates into Confidence. All I know is it keeps me from pulling my hair out while being in a crowded Walmart grocery shopping with 5 kids tagging along behind me. THIS is my chill-pill."

Confianza is a naturally based supplement that increases your energy levels while reducing stress and fatigue. Its special blend of herbs was developed to provide a safe way to enhance your ability to cope with all forms of stress: physical, emotional, or environmental.
Confianza's proprietary blend of herbs includes many ingredients called adaptogens. Adaptogens are natural substances that work through the adrenal glands to produce adjustments in the body that help combat stress and increase your resistance to it. These ingredients in Confianza can help restore balance within your body, allowing you to better cope with the stresses in your life.

• Anti-stress formula
• Made with natural adaptogenic herbs
• Improves mental focus & concentration
• Helps the body cope with physical stress
• Provides energy and reduces fatigue
• Helps restore body balance

•It's Vital Core Nutrition- "Finally, a multivitamin that I can literally stomach. And it smells so minty fresh. I've fallen head over heels for my vitamins. I can actually tell they're working because I feel so much better and healthier. And did I mention, they don't stink!?!"

Get the core nutrients you need right when your body needs them with the cutting edge ingredients of It’s Vital Core Nutrition. This plant-based, whole-food multivitamin supplies the essential antioxidants, phytonutrients, and vitamins you need throughout the day with controlled-release technology, giving you sustained nourishment for up to 12 hours. It’s core nutrition for your best health!

• Gluten-free, plant-based, whole food complex
• Patented controlled-release technology for sustained nourishment throughout the day
• Mind/body energy blend to stay energized and sharp mentally and physically
• Improved metabolic support to boost your body’s ability to burn calories
• Small, easy-to-swallow tablet with minty-fresh coating
• Foundational nutrition that works synergistically with other It Works! supplements

I do change things up from time to time.  I have a personal testimony for every product in the It Works line, with exception of Estro Rhythm (it's our natural supplement to help relieve menopause symptoms...and I'm not there yet). I will update my blog with my testimonies so you can know what each product has done for me. From my testimonies, you may read about something that could help you.  I started this blog with my very first testimony that come from using It Works products. It changed everything, and I saw results with the very first use. 

If you have any questions about any of the products I use, or my experience with them, please ask me.  I love to share with others.  Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog, and have a very blessed day.

Cash is the way to go...

My husband Jamie and I had "the talk" again this past Sunday. I really hate "the talk." The talk is always about our finances. 

Jamie's a pipeline welder.  He goes to work. He works long hours at a very dangerous job. He works outside in all the elements. He's very skilled at what he does, and makes a great paycheck. He sees weekly what's deposited into our checking account and trusts me to handle the bills. 

I'm a work at home mom. Aside from my It Works business, I'm responsible for the daily duties of our household, homeschooling our 5 children, and making sure the bills get paid.

This reoccurring talk that happened again on Sunday is because Jamie sees what comes in, and I see what goes out. It's difficult for Jamie to see that there's little to nothing to show for all his hard work. So, it's time to clean house. I know we can spend a lot of money on "fluff" (meaning there's nothing to show as a result of it). It's time to change the habits that we've had for the past 12 years. 

It's very, and I do mean very, easy to spend over $100 for our family to dine in at a restaurant. And we've done it quite often. So much so that when I reviewed our spending habits over the past 3 weeks, I felt sick to my stomach. And all those unnecessary shopping trips with the kids...we didn't need anything I'd purchased. In fact, I went shopping just to get out of the house. All the miscellaneous debits on our bank statement. Couldn't we have done without a majority of them? Of course, you know the answer is YES. 

Time for a new plan. If you've been following my blog, you know that I've made a goal of getting our debt paid off. I've knocked out 1 credit card so far, and well on our way to having another card eliminated. We're tithing faithfully and adding money to our savings account weekly. We're current on all our bills, and snowballing our debt. But that's not enough. 

We met with a financial coach this morning for more help. He confirmed that we are on the right track. However, we still need to tweak our spending habits. So here's the plan we devised:

On payday, pay in this order:

1. Tithe 10%

2. Savings 10%

3. Bills due

4. Allowance for food, fuel, and miscellaneous expenses. This allowance is set aside in CASH. We can only spend the cash we have on hand for any of these expenses. 

5. Pay additional predetermined amount toward our debt. 

6. Any money left over at the end of the week will be applied to paying down our debt. 

Jamie and I came home from the meeting and wrote out our weekly budget for both of us. Then we went to the bank and withdrew cash for our weekly allowances. And I needed to go to the grocery store afterward for a few things, so my allowance has already decreased (but it also made me more mindful to stick to my shopping list). 

When we got home from the store, I checked the mailbox. Inside is what I'm calling my first Freedom Trophy. This is a notice from Capital One that they've completed my request to close my account (remember...I broke up with them after being a slave to their debt for 9 years). I have pinned it on my Dream Board in my office as a reminder that I can, and I will be debt free. 

One of the best ways to stay motivated is to see results. I started this process of becoming debt free on January 24, 2014. Well, I ran our current numbers since we started. Since 01/24/14 to 02/19/14 we've paid down our debt an additional $8,143!!! 

We'll meet with our financial coach again in one month.  I can't wait to give him the update on what we've accomplished. THIS gets me excited. It's one thing to want to pay off debt; it's another thing to see it actually happening. And to add to this big pat on the back, in addition to paying down our debt that much, we also paid for plane tickets for when we travel to Florida in April for our next big It Works event. It Works says "Debt Free is the new Sexy," and I have to say, we're getting sexier by the week. 

The real way to heal dry skin.

I just took these pictures. This is my 7 year old daughter. Poor baby has been dealing with dry irritated hands for almost 2 weeks. I'd bought her some Ultra Healing lotion by Jergens when she first started having issues. She's been applying her lotion multiple times daily, but still the problem continues. So I decided enough is enough, as I know her delicate hands need some relief. I got out my Defining Gel...aka "Liquid Gold."  I used a pea-size amount...that was enough for both of her hands. As I rubbed the Defining Gel over her dry skin, she said, "That feels so much better." Her Before is the top pic and the bottom is immediately After application. I know better, and should have used Defining Gel on her as soon as her skin started drying out. 

Find out more about Defining Gel in our Body Contouring section http://4miwrap.com/More_than_wraps.html

My Valentine is green.

Want to WIN this??? 

Here's what you'll get:

•1 Body Applicator

•1 Facial Applicator

•1 mini Defining Gel

Here's how to enter:

•visit our Facebook page ➡️ Jamie and Julie Solis

•LIKE our page

•SHARE our Valentine's post

•COMMENT: "Pick Me to be Your Valentine"

Ready. Set. GO!

2 Winners will be announced on Wednesday 2/12/14 @ 6pm cst.  

#ValentivesDay 

*******UPDATE*******
02/12/2014
Congratulations to our winners:  Jonathan D. and Temperamental D.

If you missed this drawing, visit and LIKE our page.  We do giveaways often.
www.facebook.com/wrapstarduo 

Another one bites the dust.

It's payday for my husband.  I actually woke up excited that it's Friday and time to pay the bills.  I know, I'm a little crazy, but we all need a little crazy in our life.

When I wrote down out all of our debt last month, my husband and I decided that each paycheck we needed to be consistent with a few things.

1. Tithe.  It has to be what comes out first from every check.  No Excuses!!!  We believe that God is our Provider, and we get to give back to bless others as we have been blessed.  If you haven't made tithing a priority, you need to.  When we tithe faithfully, there's always money left over at the end of the week.  When I tell myself, "We can't afford to tithe," that's when we find ourselves in a financial bind.  I don't like that feeling.  I don't know how it works, but I've consistently witnessed over the past 12 years that tithing and being obedient keeps us from being broke.  Give it a try...
2. Pay ourselves.  We have to put a portion into savings each week.  A little bit each week will add up over time.  If you follow Dave Ramsey, he recommends having $1000 as an emergency fund in your savings that you don't touch unless it's an emergency (getting a manicure is not an emergency).
3. Pay current bills that are due.  Obviously, that's a no-brainer. You can't preach about wanting to be free from debt and wanting to change your life if you're behind in your bills.  When we started tackling our debt again this year, we were behind about a month.  So, before I could start paying things off, I had to get things paid and current.  It's so much easier to pay things when you know you're paying them on-time and not getting another late fee.
4. Tackle debt.  I've done the math.  I know if I can pay a certain dollar amount each week that I can have our total credit card debt GONE by December 2014 (and probably sooner).  I get it...credit cards can be a "life saver" if a big expense hits and you literally don't have the money.  My problem is, I've never been responsible with them.  I shop when I'm bored.  I shop when I'm depressed.  I shop for fun.  I justify my charges at the time, and then cry later when I get my bill.  Bad reoccurring problem to have.  I'm being grown up and admitting I have a problem.  My solution to this is to get that debt paid off and CLOSE my accounts.  If I have an available balance, it's too big a temptation to use my credit cards.  We're parting ways this year.  I am making this happen.

We can still do all of the above and live comfortably.  The thing is, you have to have a plan.  That's why I woke up today with urgency to do each one of those things, and in that order. Write things out and see what needs to be done to change your current financial circumstances. 

I'd wrote out our tithe check, put money in savings, paid this weeks bills, and then it was time to apply more money to our debt.  I have 8 cards to pay off.  The balances are high on each one, so I have them listed in order of least to biggest.  I started with my first payment to pay off our credit card debt on January 24th and started with the card with the lowest balance owed.  I logged into my account today to make my next payment.  I was excited.  The amount owed was actually going to be completely wiped out with the money I'd allotted to pay towards our debt.  This is when my blood starts pumping.  I quickly grabbed my wallet and found the credit card so I could get their phone number.  RING! RING!  I get through to a rep.  "I'd like to pay my entire balance...and then I want to close my account."  Do you have any idea how good it feels to tell someone that!?! 
Best. Feeling. EVER!!!  The Bible says:

The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.  Proverbs 22:7 NIV

I don't know about you, but I don't want to be a slave to anything.  The burden and stress can be crushing at times when I look at our debt.  I can't blame anyone but ourselves for getting in this hole, but I am going to get out of it.  I don't care how long it takes.  I don't want to live like everyone else.  I actually had someone close to me say, "Well, we"re always going to have debt.  It's just part of life."  That's not the legacy I want to leave behind for my kids.  One day I will tell everyone that I'm 100% debt free, and don't own credit cards, and we pay cash for everything.  That is my dream, and I'm making it a reality. 

So, another one bites the dust.  1 down...7 to go.  And I'm ready to work on the next one.  I love getting to chop up a credit card and highlight it on my list that it's "CLOSED AND PAID OFF."  ((Yes, I write it in all caps like that.))  Sorry, Capital One.  It's been a fun 9 years, but it's just not working out...we have to break up.  And that's what FREEDOM sounds like.

Newly designed website!

If you have or haven't seen my site in the past, I'd like to have you go check it out now.  I'm been working in front of this screen many, many hours to get it cleaned up and more user-friendly. 

Let me know what you think.  Visit my site HERE.

Thanks in advance!

It feels good to be a WAHM

"WOW!"  My initial thought when I opened my 1099 that arrived yesterday.  "I can't believe I actually made that much while staying home with my kids."

Near the beginning of my journey, I experienced a huge sense of accomplishment when my commission check was large enough to pay for our electric bill.  Then the next month, I was making enough to pay my vehicle payment.  I felt like "I'm contributing!!!"  Obviously, the "contributions" made as a mom can never be counted because there are just too many.  There is no compensation for the "job" a mom preforms because moms literally never get to be off the clock.  Nothing will replace my desire to be a mom and wife first.  My family is my everything.  Although, I have to say, it sure is nice to bring in an extra check for our family each month.

The month that I was really asking myself, "Is this for real?" is when I made more than enough to pay our mortgage payment, and it's just continued to increase from there.  Again, I just can't begin to explain what it feels like to be a SAHM and able to pay the bills with money I'm making...and be able to go buy extra things just because I want it and I can.  If you've read my blog, you know I'm a mom of 5.  Even if I wanted to get a job outside of the home, there's no way I'd be able to afford childcare.  We'd literally be spending money for me to be working a typical job.  That obviously is just silly.  And besides, I couldn't imagine sending my kids to be cared for by anyone else. 

Fast forward to where I am now.  Looking at what I brought home over the course of the year...WOW!  I'm just in shock.  And that's not all of it because my commissions don't include the all the cash sales made over the year.  Shock and thankfulness.  I'm so extremely thankful that God presented this opportunity to me.  It's completely changed our lives.  I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store for us.  I'm so excited for the lives we are going to help change as a result of our journey.  If you want to be one of them, I'd love to talk to you.  Just look at the average earnings.  What amount do you need monthly to change your life?  Did you know that most people join this business just to make an extra $500 a month?  An extra $500 a month could be what pays your health insurance.  It could be what keeps you from losing your home.  It could be just enough for you to stop worrying how you're going to scrape by each month.  $500 is low compared to what you can earn with this opportunity...it can be just the beginning.  I'm certainly making way more than $500 a month.

Remember, the chart above is just averages.  I'm currently at Diamond rank.  I'm about to reach Double Diamond and will earn the $15,000 GOOD bonus in addition to my monthly commissions.  I want to help as many people as possible earn one or more of these bonuses (Yes! You can earn more than one of these bonuses).  If you join our team by March 31st, you'll have 3 complete months to get to the needed rank to earn your Get Out Of Debt bonus.  Are you ready to change your life?  Contact me.

 

My Facebook Lookback

This is really the coolest thing.  One of my Facebook friends shared this link for Facebook Lookback.  I clicked on it and to my surprise it was personalized to MY profile.  It's so neat, sweet, emotional to see some of my highlights compiled in a personalized video.  Take a minute to check mine out, then go view yours.