Let’s face it – seems like men get all the breaks in the ease of weight loss and muscle gain. They seem to lose weight faster and build muscle more easily. On the other hand, women store fat easier and have more opportunity to do so (puberty, childbirth and menopause). As women, we have a hard time with weight loss. It’s about time we got a break. Here are some of the best fat burning exercises that you can do to change your body and sculpt it into what you want!

Fat Burning Exercises

Exercise is not the most fun activity but you can change that and also burn fat in the process. Choose exercises that you like but also get the most out of them.

1. Try dancing – One of my favorites is Pole Dancing classes. Yep, it is a fantastic workout and works your entire body and your core so you burn fat and whittle away the midsection faster to build long and lean muscles. Check to see if there is an S-Factor near you. Deliciousness is the best way to describe the way you feel after! Another popular dancing choice right now is also Zumba!
2. Interval training – This involves mixing cardio and weight training. Quick bursts of cardio are alternated with episodes of weight lifting often with free weights. The process is repeated with very little rest time between since you are switching to a different type of activity. The result is muscle confusion and greater weight loss.
3. Total body strength training – You gain more muscle when you work the entire body at one time instead of breaking it up into more than one workout. Keep rest periods to a minimum to increase your caloric burn and build more muscle.
4. Use free weights for combination exercises – Make your efforts do double duty. First of all, free weights require more concentration to move the weight through the full range of motion. And, when you combine a move that works upper and lower body in one movement, you get more fat burning potential for your motion.
5. Elliptical training – While it has been argued that using machines doesn’t give as much of an advantage as using your own body weight, the elliptical provides an all over workout without impacting your knees and hips for those who have joint pains. You can adjust the resistance and incline level to get a deep burn in your quads and gluteal muscles. Also, using a machine that includes movable poles works the chest, biceps and triceps.
6. Abdominal work – You don’t have to get down on the floor either. Standing abdominal exercises work the abs easier without hurting your back. And, you are more likely to utilize your abs throughout the entire exercise since you must also maintain balance. Consider standing crunches, hanging leg raises, side bends and kickboxing moves.

Burning extra fat is more about working smarter than it is about working harder and have FUN with it so you want to build it into your life. Make sure you are feeding those muscles after for the best results! Challenge yourself for the next 90 Days to reveal your best ABS…

Take The 90 Day Challenge

The name of the game is not just losing weight but burning off excess body fat. Unless you burn the fat, your muscle won’t show through and you will not achieve the look that you seek. Here are a few tips to help you burn more body fat.

Fat is plentiful. We eat it because it tastes good. But, it is not good to us! Yes, the body needs a certain amount of fat to survive but this is a specific kind that many of us are not eating. I know we often feel that we need that candy to survive and yes chocolate is “good for us” but let’s not go overboard!

Good fats do exist. Eating things like cold water fish, nuts, beans and healthy oils like olive oil provide the types of fats that the body can utilize. When it can’t use the fats we eat it gets stored on the body. In women, that usually means in the thigh and hip region. (Insert snarl here!)

Once you’ve learned how not to add more fat to your frame, the next step is to get rid of the excess body fat that you have already accumulated. There are different schools of thought on how to go about this, so we will approach it logically. After you have all the facts, you can evaluate how you want to proceed with your body fat loss efforts.

How to Burn More Fat

1. Change your exercise routine – Pure cardio can burn calories but not for an extended period of time. You may hit a plateau in your weight loss more quickly than you think. Mix it up a bit. Add strength training in the mix to beef up the amount of muscle on your frame. Muscle burns more calories than fat.
2. Eat more often – Food is not the enemy here. The body needs nourishment. Eating smaller meals every three or four hours will increase your metabolism and keep it up. If you are hungry during this time interval then you are eating enough food to sustain you until the next meal.
3. Eat foods that need a lot of energy to digest – Some foods have the fortunate ability to help us burn more fat. It takes more calories and energy to digest them then they contain. This includes fibrous foods. To your advantage, that means that the body will use fat stores to help it utilize these nutrients.
4. Get plenty of sleep – A body that has time to repair itself each night will be ready to work hard again the next day. When we don’t get sleep, we are subject to the unhealthy effects of stress including eating unhealthy and increasing the secretion of stress hormones like cortisol. The body can hold on to fat when we lose sleep.
5. Eat breakfast – The body has essentially gone through a fast after a full night of sleep. You are in an energy and calorie deficit. Eating carbohydrates mixed with protein will fuel you up and also fight cravings throughout the morning. The fact is if you are trying to lose body fat you can’t skip breakfast! Meal replacement shakes are an easy breakfast and when you drink the right one you can boost your metabolic rate up to 25% according to Dr. Oz.

Want to burn more fat? Use the above tips to help you make the necessary lifestyle changes to accomplish this! The littlest things can often make the biggest difference.

Cheers to your Healthy & Hot Self!

My favorite meal replacement: Savvy Shakes

 100 Meal Replacement Shake Recipes

When you have an online business you can get overwhelmed with all the work there is to do. You probably feel like you work all the time, but get nothing done. Much of it can be classified as “busy work” but even so, most of it needs to be done anyway. This busy work can get in the way of doing the money making activities (your efficiencies) that you also need to do. The main way you derive your income needs to be your main focus, but there is all this other stuff to do as well, and it can be frustrating.

If you want to maximize your efficiencies, you’ll need to figure out what they are. Once you identify what you do best you can  then find experts to accomplish everything else. You don’t want to give up what you’re best at, so you find out what that is, and assign out the rest to experts who can do what they do best. By using other people’s skills and expertise to do things you’re not as proficient at you will actually save time and money.

For instance, if you’re not a bookkeeper, it will take you a lot longer to do your bookkeeping than a real bookkeeper, thus taking time away from doing actions that can make you more money. Why spend time doing anything that you’re not proficient at, that costs less per hour for someone else to do — and who can do it faster?  For example, if you normally make $100 an hour doing what you do best, but you can pay a bookkeeper $30 an hour, then you are still potentially $70 an hour ahead. Since the expert will accomplish the task in less time than you, you’re even that much more ahead.

When you outsource to independent contractors it is usually not necessarily or preferable to hire them “full time”. Usually you contract for a specific task, for a specific monthly fee, or up to a certain number of hours per month with each expert. Even if you do a lot of transactions a month it is very unlikely you would need to have a full time bookkeeper for instance. Also, a good virtual assistant can likely get a lot done for 10 hours a month or so. It’s up to you, of course, how many hours you contract but don’t feel like you have to start with a lot of hours. You can start lower, and play it by ear.

You can find skillful people on services such as Guru.com, Shelancers.com, Freelancers.com, ODesk.com and more. There are also places such as Vanetworking.com where you can place a request for proposal (RFP), as well as go to Virtual Assistant Forums and Message boards on places like WAHM.com, and others to find various VAs who work in different niches. VAs work in niches ranging from administrative work to even coding, so there is sure to be someone out there for your needs.

Some of the outsourcing I have done and people I highly recommend…

Nate Holland with Social Media Stardom for my blog design www.branding.savvysuccesssecrets.com

John Engle with Syatt Web Design and SEO Blog Optimizer. There is no need for you to have to learn SEO tactics! Have a pro do it for you http://seoblogoptimizer.com/seo-blog-post-optimizing-services/

Challenge Yourself Video #2

Challenge Yourself Video #3

What is your 90 Day Goal?

Are you up for the Challenge?

>> 90 Day Challenge <<

Check out the 90 Day Challenge and what you can win NOW by clicking the link above!

It’s YOU Not Them, So Fix It And Get Out… Of Your Comfort Zone!

First let’s try a little free word association! I am going to list some words and you harness the feeling that each one gives you:

Filing Papers At Work

Leaving The Office At The End Of The Day

2 Weeks of Vacation

Getting Paid Every 2 Week

Taking 100% Ownership Of Your Future

Making Prospecting Calls

Hosting A Party To Promote Your Product

Chances are the first 4 gave you the feelings of status quo in your world. Things are as they should be. Yes, perhaps you would like to leave earlier or have another week of vacation but overall a feeling of normalcy and what is to be expected in life.  The last 3 probably gave you a bit of anxiety or fear of doing them because they involve stepping out of your comfort zone and exposing yourself to possible judgement and rejection. These bring on feelings of pain.

NOW, think about why you chose to start a business in network marketing. You probably watched a video or spoke to your upline about financial freedom, getting your time back for family, reaching for your dreams and your passion for helping others. All of this gives you feelings of excitement for your future! The sky is the limit because anyone really CAN do this! So, why aren’t you?

The answer is nothing new, you have not stepped out of your comfort zone, but the solution is easier then you think. Maybe you are saying to yourself “But I have stepped out of my comfort zone! I make calls, I have parties etc”. The reason none of that will make a difference right now is because of your frame of mind and the feelings you are associating inside and outside of your comfort zone.

Doing actions outside of your comfort zone will get you no where until the correct emotions are there to fuel the fire!

When you are stepping outside of your comfort zone with the fear and anxiety of judgment or rejection still in the back of your mind these emotions are blocking everything you do. No matter how “by the book” you do it! The core of Network Marketing is relationships. Relationships are all based on trust. If you are saying something about how wonderful your products and company are and even though you believe it in your core your emotions of fear and rejection are sending another signal and losing trust. Any objection they give you is not the real reason! The real reason is they have fear of doing it because you have fear of doing it.  Until you find a way to change those feelings you will have some success but not the success you pictured when you started.

So, the million dollar question is… How do you change your own emotions and feelings that are so ingrained in who you are?

At the beginning of this post we played a word association game. That is the KEY to unlocking your full potential. You need to associate more feelings of pain by being INSIDE your comfort zone. You need to associate that PAIN OF STAYING INSIDE your comfort zone, not the other way around! You need to associate the joy and freedom you feel by taking your future into your hands instead of the confinement of your current situation. Associate staying in your current job with the pain of not spending time with your kids. Associate making those calls as each one being a step towards that family dream vacation! Associate that feeling of getting that same average check every 2 weeks with the fear of not being able to afford retirement or your kids college. Associate those parties with how awesome if feels to make a difference in someone’s life and having them say “Thank you, because of you I can ____.”. Associating your WHY emotions with outside your comfort zone and those fear emotions with inside your comfort zone will lead to an overall mind-shift for you!

Once you have realized that your true emotions are really the pain of staying stuck and inside your comfort zone and the freedom of truly designing your future outside of your comfort zone, the passion in your message you have been trying to convey all along will shine through! It seems so simple but believe me it is not something that can be faked. You MUST define your Why. Associate the feelings involved with your why with going outside that comfort zone! Associate those feelings of the pain that drove you to make that step to make a change in your life with the fear of your future if you stayed inside that comfort zone.

“The key to change is to let go of fear.” Rosanne Cash

Who is Cynthia? http://www.cynthiagratzer.com/cynthia-gratzer-the-savvy-mompreneur

Network Marketing Strategies for Success!

Network Marketing Strategies to achieve success play a vital role in business today!

So, what ‘REALLY’ matters in business?

Is it the product? The company? The trends?

I must say that those aspects do matter in business, and they are important…but not even half as much as the two most fundamental and imperative principles that are necessary to create true success in this industry.

Want to know what they are?

Mindset and Marketing

Those two ingredients right there are the most powerful skills and habits you could ever develop to succeed MASSIVELY in any aspect of your life.

Your MINDSET is your ultimate DRIVING FORCE to creating any type of success within this industry. And in all actuality your mindset is crucial to your entire life success and happiness.

The results you can obtain through the proper mindset will definitely give you more than you ever thought possible. I have seen levels of success, and happiness skyrocket because of having the proper mindset and without a doubt, mindset is the source to ultimate ABUNDANCE.

This has been proven time and time again, to say it does not work is absolutely nuts in my opinion. It is a timeless keystone for success, abundance and prosperity.

I must say that without my proper mindset and heart filled passion for helping others I would not be here today. If I was not willing nor open to developing myself, this all would not exist for me. So, as you
can see not only is it IMPERATIVE to obtain the proper mindset but it is NECESSARY.

And when you have an awareness and mindset like that you will come to realize that the possibilities, people, and events enter your life to MAKE IT HAPPEN. Trust me…I see it everyday through business partners and those in my life.

So really, WHY are you here?

What is it YOU are looking for?

Are you willing to develop your mindset? If not, you might as well forget finding success in network marketing.

Now that you understand the importance of mindset, let’s take a look at the second piece of the puzzle the piece you need to bring network marketing and success together.

Network Marketing Strategies are Required for Success!

I am betting you might just be one of the marketers our there who has not found the real Network MARKETING strategies that are required for success. Because most have not. Actually 99% of this industry has not.

You will come to find that most people are still using supposed network marketing strategies that do not work (and you just might be one of them, I was too once upon a time!).

There is more to network marketing than meets the eye and I’ll share just a small fraction of that with you here.

The fundamentals of true network marketing have surrounded your ‘warm market’. Which basically requires you going to friends, family, neighbors, co-workers and networks that you have previously built and gained relationships in. This is definitely an important factor to this industry but what most of us entrepreneurs know, is that these avenues run out fairly quickly.

So where does that leave you?

In a position to have to LEARN and gain the knowledge, skills and base necessary for a higher level of network marketing success or simply quit. And I’m betting that you do NOT want to quit, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this email.

The key ingredient to achieving anything you want in network marketing is having an endless stream of prospects to speak to. Even though warm market is a very important and beneficial ingredient to creating success in this industry expanding your mind and skills to ‘REAL’ marketing knowledge will ultimately give you a position of influence at your finger tips.

Today, when you learn how to effectively harness the power of the Internet, and master the fastest growing trend online today…Social Media… you will have an advantage over 95% of any other “Network Marketer” out there online. To obtain the skills of true marketing will give you a position of leadership and entrepreneurship that is practically non existent in the industry even to this day.

The POWER truly lies in Social Media. It isn’t about building your list and other guru internet strategies. Communities, forums, groups, blogs in sites like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Never before in our history, has entrepreneurship been so ATTAINABLE to the average person. Brand new entrepreneurs everywhere are sharpening their skills and creating wealth online that never would have previously been possible.

It’s all about the NETWORK MARKETING. Take that message to heart.

So I am going to lay it out on the table for you.

This industry is much more than just ‘income’. This is an opportunity to not only change your circumstances but your entire life. To master your MINDSET and MARKETING is essential to your success and will ultimately bring you anything you want, once obtained.

Are you READY…

-to learn PROVEN network marketing strategies?

-to empower yourself to a higher level of success?

-to inherit the knowledge necessary for life abundance?

-to partner with Top Industry Leaders?

-to create the PROPER MINDSET?

-to TRULY give back to others what will be given to you?

If you are READY and I mean READY… Then I WANT to work with you, I want to mentor you to reach every ounce of success you are striving for. I am looking to work with individuals just like you, who are READY to make this happen.

If you are dedicated and driven to creating abundance, prosperity and happiness in your life then you are exactly who I want to partner with… You are the type of person I will make time to develop and work with.

If you truly feel like this is you, that you are ready and that you have the driving force of something deeper than just ‘income’, then take a few minutes to fill out our team application right now!

http://www.cynthiagratzer.com/partner-with-me

The Fear of Cold Calling!

So, you’ve got some phone numbers, a slight fear of cold calling, and you have never tried to sell anything before in your life.  You don’t know where to begin or how to close the sale.  You finally pick up the phone and, without even being prompted, you vomit your product all over your prospect.  You never ask for a sale or even try to find out what your prospect wants.  You end the phone call with something like “Yeah, go to the website and check it out!”

Does this sound familiar?  I have to admit that I was in the same boat when I first started, but I’m here to tell you that practice makes perfect! There are a few very important things to keep in mind when cold calling a prospect.

A Few Cold Calling Techniques to Help Smooth OUT the Rough Edges

1. You’re the expert and you’re in charge
2. They have to validate that they are worth your time
3. It’s better to make a sale in 10 minutes than 45 minutes
4. You are interviewing them, not the other way around
5. Smile while you are talking to them

Too many people with the poverty mindset talk on the phone like they are interviewing for a job.  They give their credentials, explain why the prospect should work with them, and they are the ones answering questions.  This is all COMPLETELY backward!!  People want to work with leaders.  Being a leader will go a long way.

When you get on the phone, the first step is to introduce yourself.  This is obvious, but it gives you a chance to see if the prospect recognizes you.  If they don’t, you’ll have to explain a little more about yourself.

Explain why you’re calling them.  They left their name and phone number on your website, so let them know that’s why they are getting a phone call.  Begin finding out more about them, starting with things like “Where are you from?” or “Do you have any kids?”.  You need to genuinely want to connect with your prospect. Do not think of this person as just another sale or another prospect. They will see right through you if you don’t care and will be completely turned off.

After you get to know them, then you can slowly transition into questions more pertinent to business, like “Do you have any experience in network marketing?” and “How serious are you about building a successful online business?”.

This IS the most crucial part of your conversation because it does 3 things. First, it shows that you are interested in them.  Second, you can better understand how to solve their problems.  Third, it puts you in charge of the conversation because you are asking the questions.  Asking the right questions is the key to the whole thing, so take some time and write down questions that will get you information that you want to know about your prospect.

All of these questions are NOT company specific.  In other words, don’t talk about your opportunity or product yet because then you sound like a salesman.  It is an awesome point if you find something they are struggling with and you have the answer! If you talk to them first about themselves, you sound more like a friend showing another friend a useful product.

Now it’s time to find out how much they know about your product and answer their questions.  Start this off by asking if they checked out the website they looked at after they opted in.  If they haven’t, tell them to go back and review the website (give them the URL in case they can’t find it) and set up a specific time and day to call them back.  If you have to spend an extra 20 minutes explaining every last detail you are not going to be duplicatable.

If they have reviewed it, ask them what they think and what questions they have.  Explain to them how the product will solve their problems.  Relate your product to something specific that they talked about in the beginning.  If they mention that they have been in MLM’s and haven’t had success, pinpoint why they think that is and relate it to the tools that your system has to overcome this. This shows that you are actually listening to the conversation and not just selling.

It is very important to listen for “buying questions”.  These are when they begin to ask you specific questions about buying the product.  These can be like “Can I pay with Mastercard?” or “So I can get my money back if I don’t want to keep it?”.  When you hear these questions, a ‘click’ should go off in your brain because this person wants to buy your product!

Closing is the easy part, but often overlooked.  If you don’t ask for the sale you won’t get it!  Say something like “How about we get you started?”  If you don’t ask them to get involved, many times they’ll forget about it, or even think they can’t get started because you didn’t invite them!

Don’t be afraid to get off the phone at any point along the way.  Your time is valuable, and as soon as you realize the prospect doesn’t want anything or if they are someone you don’t feel is a good match for your team, get off the phone!  Remember, they have to validate why they are worth your time.  I call prospects periodically that go off on wild tangents for 5 minutes as soon as I introduce myself.  Redirect the conversation back to the subject ASAP or end the call.

Smile and be confident. As soon as you pick up that phone before you dial you need to have a smile on your face. Put in a mirror in front of you if you need to. Because so much of what helps the buying decision is emotion you need to reflect the emotion they will have after purchasing and using your product. Happiness! There are a lot of people that might be offering what you are offering but not everyone is as happy and confident as you.

This is obviously a very loose sales script, but this should help you get started with your phone calls.  Plan and write down a script that works for you, and don’t forget to brainstorm good questions for your prospects.  When you get really good at asking questions, you can even get your prospect to basically explain to you why they need your product!

The fear of cold calling plagues many network marketers today

One of the best ways to overcome the cold calling fear is to practice, practice, practice. Take your biz to a whole new level and call with confidence.

If you liked these tips then please share them!

A Declaration of LOVE with Egg… these are sooooo adorable!!!! Great for Wedding Showers and more too!

You will need:
- Eggs
- A Milk carton or any juice carton (cut open, washed well and dried)
- 1 Chopstick (round one is ideal)
- Rubber bands

How to make a Heart shaped hard boiled egg
Step 1: Cut the milk carton and fold it in half lengthwise.
Step 2: Make a hard boiled egg.
Step 3: While the egg is still warm, peel the egg and put the egg on the milk carton, place a chopstick on the center of the egg, and put rubber bands on the both ends.
Step 4: Leave it for about 10 minutes. (Keep the egg in the fridge if it’s summer time.)
Step 5: Take the chopstick off and cut the egg in half.

Kids and Sports Definitely go Together

Kids play sports… it has always been that way in the past but the trend is moving away from that. Why? Today’s society is all about being the best or thriving to be. Having 2 boys I was shocked at how crazy competitive sports are even at such young ages like 7 and on. My husband says it has always been that way and I think that is true to a certain extent. I think it is all relative to the times.

The Verdict is in… Many kids are moving away from organized sports

With the obesity epidemic in America, this is not a move in the right direction. So why are kids having a different look at organized sports? Here are a few reasons.

Some Reasons Kids Lose the Love for the Sport

1. Too much pressure – Kids like to play with other kids and have fun. Many sports teams especially in school have taken that away. The pressure to win is paramount to any enjoyment they may have gotten from participating in the activity. For parents who live through their kid’s successes, the weight can be crushing. Instead of building their confidence it can have the reverse affect.
2. Negative feedback – Yes, you did your best in the game but you didn’t win. That is all coaches and sometimes parents can see. That could be the result even for the star player on the team. With every game, there should be something to be proud of, but constant negative feedback is not an incentive to keep playing your best.
3. Exhaustion – Practices can go long and hard especially after a loss to another team. Kids can feel like they are being run into the ground. This can also be detrimental to their bodies. During the adolescent and teen years, the body is still growing. Stunting that growth can be dangerous.
4. Burnout – When you are inundated with the first three, the fourth is inevitable. You don’t want to play anymore because there is nothing in it for you. For many kids, there never was except what everyone else expected from their performance.

Tips to Help Re-Kindle a Child’s Love for Sports

Now that you know what keeps kids from staying in sports, here are some ways to coax them into a lifelong enjoyment of group activities.

1. Pep talk – Kids put a lot of pressure on themselves to perform anyway so why add to it? Ease their anxiety by telling them to do their best. Stress that they are there to have fun and not to take themselves too seriously.
2. Positive feedback – Support your kids whether they win or lose. Cheer for them and also have something positive to say about their performance in the game. They are most likely already feeling as though they have let someone down or themselves. Acknowledge that. Address it and find the good also.
3. Practice makes perfect – Encourage practice but talk to the coach if you think they are taking it overboard. Also, be sure that your child is getting the appropriate amount of calories and sleep to enhance their performance, not detract from it. Schedules today can often prevent good nutrition so nutritional meal replacement shakes are a great snack for kids on the go and provides the protein ad carbs needed to keep their energy levels at their best.
4. Encourage time away – Many kids play sports in school and then again during the summer. If this is their idea, then that is fine. But, maybe they just want to have free time once school is out. Trying other sports or even other group activiites such as going skating or an open bounce at your local are bounce party house to keep them engaged in physical activities and prepared.

Youth Sports are good for physical activity and learning to work as a group. Encourage but don’t push too hard. Kids can try their best but won’t win them all. Find the balance of fun! Remember they are kids!

We LOVE our popcorn in this household! One of our favorite things to do on the weekends is a family movie with a big bowl of popcorn mixed with our famous SECRET ingredient. Yes, something my grandfather started with me and now I can’t eat it any other way. Kids come to our house and ask for our popcorn with the “Secret Ingredient” because our kids won’t tell them what it is. Believe me it is the only thing from my kitchen that I actually cook that is getting request. Heat and food do not mix well with me because it usually involves some sort of charring.

After our latest family movie night we were cleaning up and we dropped our favorite popcorn bowl! (yes, for those of you that know me well and keeping tabs on all that is ceramic I have broken lately this one wasn’t me!) It was a large old pasta bowl I had gotten with a set when my husband and I had moved in together before we were married. It was perfect because rather then being deep it was wide… perfect for getting the maximum amount of our secret ingredient smooshed onto your popcorn. YUMM! We had a lot of good popcorn in that bowl!

No problem.It was a free day and we had nothing to do except watch College Football (sorry babe!) so I suggested we run up to The Glazery and paint a new family popcorn bowl. The Glazery is one of those little places you go in and select a blank ceramic thing to paint and even if you are not artsy it turns out awesome. Perfect, right up my alley! We went in and selected the perfect bowl and after the shop guy showed us what was traditionally used as a popcorn bowl we explained the obsession and dedication we have to making each popcorn piece that best. He looked intrigued and I feel confident he went home and tried it. The kids picked out a couple things to paint too so we could get the base painting done on the bowl without them trashing the store. It was the 2nd day of January so I thought it best to not break a resolution of yelling at my kids so soon, at least in a public place where everyone would know.

What we did not know is how looooong it would take to paint a simple bowl. Each coat of paint must be painted on 3xs and be completely dry between each coat. This meant we were literally watching paint dry the majority of time we were there. We even had fans to make us feel as though we were hurrying the process along. About 2 hours in and only halfway done we realized we were going to have to stop and eat. This is when I realized my hubs was missing doing one of his very favorite things, watching football! It was right in the middle of all of the College Bowl games, ooops! He had just been sitting their quietly painting, Thanks Babe! We did get to watch about 30 minutes in the bar next door. Yes, this pretty much knocks me out of the mother of the year award for 2012 because I had my kids in a bar the 2nd day of the year but if it redeems me at all I only had a Diet Coke. It was also the closest option.

Finally we got to the fun part! The inside. We each picked out a “popcornish” color, T painted our name in the chosen color of each us and we did thumbprints to look like popcorn to match. 4 names, 4 colors! 

After 4 hours of painting we were done! Wow, that took patience. Now we only had to wait 1 week to see how the finished product would look. A week? Yes, in fact this entire progress was a test of my patience which is something I often lack. So we left with this…

and a week later picked up this…

and our very favorite part…

This is one of those things as a family we will cherish forever! It took so much longer than expected but we got out of it a day that we will always remember and every time we use it someone will say “Remember how long that took” and we will reference one of the things that made us laugh while we were sitting there watching paint dry. The memory will just be one more secret ingredient that will make the popcorn taste so good coming out of this bowl!

Want to know what the ingredient is?  Can you guess? What is your favorite thing to add to popcorn? Ours is GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE!