The 2011 Lunar New Year, more commonly known as the Chinese New Year, is February 3rd. This is a huge holiday in many Asian countries. I remember when I lived in Korea that everything shut down like it does at Christmas here.
The year of the Tiger is ending, and the year of the Rabbit will begin. Since my due date is Jan 31st, I'm curious to see if my son will be a Tiger or a Rabbit. It will all depend on whether he's born before or after February 3rd.
Tigers are "authoritative, self-possessed, have strong leadership qualities, are charming, ambitious, courageous, warm-hearted, highly seductive, moody, intense, and they’re ready to pounce at any time."
Rabbits "enjoy being surrounded by family and friends. They’re popular, compassionate, sincere, and they like to avoid conflict and are sometimes seen as pushovers. Rabbits enjoy home and entertaining at home."
Personally, I'd rather he were a Tiger for two reasons: 1. a tiger sounds more masculine than a rabbit, and 2. The sooner this pregnancy is over, the better! Mama is ready to quit waddling when she walks!
If you're curious about your own Chinese Zodiac sign you can go to http://www.chinesezodiac.com/calculator.php
There you can find out your sign and then learn more about it.
And in celebration of the Chinese New Year, Barefoot Books has highlighted some titles: http://store.barefootbooks.com/catalogsearch/result/?submit=search&q=chinese+new+year&submit=search
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Good-bye Real Estate, Hello Barefoot Books
After having the worst year ever in 2010 as far as my real estate sales go, I've decided to put my license in escrow. I should've done it a year ago, but oh well. I actually paid to work this year as my expenses far exceeded my income. At least it's a tax write off!! *sigh*
I'm a bit sad to leave it--mainly because I will miss my fellow office mates. After nearly 8yrs it will be a bit strange at first. But I can always stop by and visit. But it's time to leave, and my heart isn't in it anymore. The market has changed so much over the last few years. Dealing with foreclosures and short sales is nearly impossible to avoid, and they are a huge hassle that require about twice as much work as a normal sale and often pay less.
Having May makes it harder to chase after new business, and with another baby arriving soon, it would make it even harder.
So I've become a Barefoot Books Ambassador. To quote from the website, "Explore. Imagine. Create. Connect. Give Back. That’s what Barefoot Books is all about. It’s exploring other cultures, our planet, ourselves. It’s making time for make-believe and letting imaginations run wild and free. Most of all, it’s about using the power of stories to nourish the creative spark in everyone and strengthen connections with family, the global community, and the earth."
These are high quality books with beautiful illustrations. And I think the prices are comparable to what I've been paying at Meijer, Target or bookstores like Barnes and Noble. May loves her Barefoot books, and since she has become an avid bookworm (insisting on being read to constantly) much to my delight, I think I've made a good choice..lol.
Aside from books, there are also puppets, puzzles, music and activity books. They are available on my website: http://www.barefootbookkids.info. Our Winter Sale is on from now until Feb 4th. Lots of our popular titles are discounted up to 60%. You can also check out our online catalog at http://www.barefootbooks.com/catalog
I can also do fundraisers for schools, libraries, churches etc. Earn 20-30% of the total sales in books for your organization. Home parties can also be booked, and the host/hostess gets a free book of their choice and a percentage of the total party sales in free books. Let me know if you would be interested in any of these opportunities.
Barefoot Books has a decent collection of books in Spanish as well. So if you have a child in a Spanish immersion program or are a native Spanish speaker looking for books in Spanish for you child, I can help! Let me know if you would like me to send or email you a flyer of our Spanish titles. Many of them are currently discounted for our Winter Sale.
If you want to check out Barefoot Books in person, I'm having a launch party open house at my place in Rockford next weekend. Stop by on the 15th or 16th anytime between 2-5pm. I'll have snacks, drinks, and you can enter to win a free book. Children are welcome, and feel free to bring a friend along. You can browse the books, have a storytime with your children or grandchildren, and I do have some sing-a-long books with CDs we can play as well.
I'm very excited about this new chapter in my life, and hope this allows me to spread the joy of reading and experiencing other cultures to lots of children. And I hope to earn some extra money while being able to stay home with my little ones.
Kimberly
I'm a bit sad to leave it--mainly because I will miss my fellow office mates. After nearly 8yrs it will be a bit strange at first. But I can always stop by and visit. But it's time to leave, and my heart isn't in it anymore. The market has changed so much over the last few years. Dealing with foreclosures and short sales is nearly impossible to avoid, and they are a huge hassle that require about twice as much work as a normal sale and often pay less.
Having May makes it harder to chase after new business, and with another baby arriving soon, it would make it even harder.
So I've become a Barefoot Books Ambassador. To quote from the website, "Explore. Imagine. Create. Connect. Give Back. That’s what Barefoot Books is all about. It’s exploring other cultures, our planet, ourselves. It’s making time for make-believe and letting imaginations run wild and free. Most of all, it’s about using the power of stories to nourish the creative spark in everyone and strengthen connections with family, the global community, and the earth."
These are high quality books with beautiful illustrations. And I think the prices are comparable to what I've been paying at Meijer, Target or bookstores like Barnes and Noble. May loves her Barefoot books, and since she has become an avid bookworm (insisting on being read to constantly) much to my delight, I think I've made a good choice..lol.
Aside from books, there are also puppets, puzzles, music and activity books. They are available on my website: http://www.barefootbookkids.info. Our Winter Sale is on from now until Feb 4th. Lots of our popular titles are discounted up to 60%. You can also check out our online catalog at http://www.barefootbooks.com/catalog
I can also do fundraisers for schools, libraries, churches etc. Earn 20-30% of the total sales in books for your organization. Home parties can also be booked, and the host/hostess gets a free book of their choice and a percentage of the total party sales in free books. Let me know if you would be interested in any of these opportunities.
Barefoot Books has a decent collection of books in Spanish as well. So if you have a child in a Spanish immersion program or are a native Spanish speaker looking for books in Spanish for you child, I can help! Let me know if you would like me to send or email you a flyer of our Spanish titles. Many of them are currently discounted for our Winter Sale.
If you want to check out Barefoot Books in person, I'm having a launch party open house at my place in Rockford next weekend. Stop by on the 15th or 16th anytime between 2-5pm. I'll have snacks, drinks, and you can enter to win a free book. Children are welcome, and feel free to bring a friend along. You can browse the books, have a storytime with your children or grandchildren, and I do have some sing-a-long books with CDs we can play as well.
I'm very excited about this new chapter in my life, and hope this allows me to spread the joy of reading and experiencing other cultures to lots of children. And I hope to earn some extra money while being able to stay home with my little ones.
Kimberly
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Gotta Love Those Compassionate Conservatives
So one of the first things the new Republican-controlled House wants to do is repeal as much of the Health Care bill that they can. Some things on there that really bother them is the part that says insurance companies can't deny coverage to children based on a pre-existing condition. Apparently "suffer the little children" is their new motto.
Another thing about the legislation that bothers them is that seniors are going to get help paying for their prescription drugs--for those that get caught in the "doughnut hole" towards the end of the year.
Despite what lots of Republicans say, repealing the Health Care bill would increase the national debt--not decrease it like they say it will. There is also a lot of misinformation out there regarding what the bill covers. For example, people are saying that they won't be able to keep their current coverage if they are happy with it. Not true! And there is no national health insurance option--that was one of the things the Dems caved to in order to get it passed. Personally, I wish they did offer an affordable public option, as my 62-yr-old father (who was forced into early retirement due to being laid off and unable to find another job) cannot find affordable health care. He is currently uninsured because he can't afford to pay a $400 a month premium (especially since his social security benefits are reduced due to the early retirement).
What really gets me is the GOP insisted on keeping tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans (who certainly do need extra $$. They sure don't have enough!), but were perfectly willing to let those Americans who were struggling most to make ends meet on their $360 a week unemployment fend for themselves. How many more foreclosures would have resulted if their meager income had been taken away? How many more homeless people (including children who are innocent in all this) would've been created?
So I guess the GOP think that only the wealthy Americans deserve bailouts. Suffer the sick little children, the elderly and the poor. And this is how the Tea Party is going to give America back to the masses? Pardon me if I don't see the logic--or the compassion.
I'm just thankful that even if the repeal passes the House, it is very unlikely to pass the Democrat-controlled Senate. And on the off-chance that it did, Obama would veto it.
Another thing about the legislation that bothers them is that seniors are going to get help paying for their prescription drugs--for those that get caught in the "doughnut hole" towards the end of the year.
Despite what lots of Republicans say, repealing the Health Care bill would increase the national debt--not decrease it like they say it will. There is also a lot of misinformation out there regarding what the bill covers. For example, people are saying that they won't be able to keep their current coverage if they are happy with it. Not true! And there is no national health insurance option--that was one of the things the Dems caved to in order to get it passed. Personally, I wish they did offer an affordable public option, as my 62-yr-old father (who was forced into early retirement due to being laid off and unable to find another job) cannot find affordable health care. He is currently uninsured because he can't afford to pay a $400 a month premium (especially since his social security benefits are reduced due to the early retirement).
What really gets me is the GOP insisted on keeping tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans (who certainly do need extra $$. They sure don't have enough!), but were perfectly willing to let those Americans who were struggling most to make ends meet on their $360 a week unemployment fend for themselves. How many more foreclosures would have resulted if their meager income had been taken away? How many more homeless people (including children who are innocent in all this) would've been created?
So I guess the GOP think that only the wealthy Americans deserve bailouts. Suffer the sick little children, the elderly and the poor. And this is how the Tea Party is going to give America back to the masses? Pardon me if I don't see the logic--or the compassion.
I'm just thankful that even if the repeal passes the House, it is very unlikely to pass the Democrat-controlled Senate. And on the off-chance that it did, Obama would veto it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)