from Julie Potts:

Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2003 8:44 AM

This is good advice if it applies to you. If not, you can use this to show other women how   the MK career could make a difference in the summers with their children.............

I have had numerous requests for tips on how to handle the summer-kids while striving to reach goals and especially the need to make money for summer camps and summer vacations.  Many of these ideas can be used year-round.

For qualifications let me give you some of my background........began with a 4 month old daughter and son born 10 months later.  Earned first GrandAm as a Consultant 9 months later with a 9 month old and 23 month.  Drove free for 2 years...earned second car and then went into Directorship....kids are now 3 and 4 years old.  Won the first Cadillac when they were 5 and 6 years old.  Nicole is now entering High School and Chris is last year of Middle School and  I will say that not paying for a sitter is wonderful........but I will also add that I have never paid for a sitter for more than 10 hours in one week.  I am married to CJ who is in the construction business so his hours have always been late and sporadic.  He could be home at 6 or at 9 pm.  When he was home he has always been great about "parenting" the kids so I could do my thing.  Understand that almost 14 years ago when I joined...we had to have my income....it wasn't optional!!!!  Oh yeah...on top of all of this, we have moved 6 times to cities where we had no family living nearby and everyone was a stranger.

I know many Directors have better stories to share with 6 or more kids and single mom's managing this business with their life............but isn't that why we are all in MK------to design our own lives????

So here are some tips for childcare:

In Fla and Ala, I found some adorable retired women that were also empty-nesters that loved children and had flexibility.  Ask everyone you know who they may know.  The key is to not ask, ''Who do you know that baby-sits'' because neither of these women intended to 'baby-sit'.  I asked them if they would be ''interested in babysitting from time-to-time''.  It was wonderful because both women were virtually on-call.  We began the week and I would tell them what appts I had and when they had appts, etc they would let me know asap so I wouldn't book those times.  Once they were booked -they would come---even if it cancelled, I would let them work for one hour and I would go out and hand out my cards or I would send them on a walk and I would get some phone calls in.  Yes, there were a few times when the money for that hour didn't match with my profit of that hour---------but I was building a business and tried not to think so small.

There are also very capable teens that you could prebook for special days like Tuesday and Thursday and I would make sure that those two days were booked with out of house appts.  I set the babysitting price at a reasonably price of what I could afford in advance and she could say yes or no.  Once the kids were in elementary school, I only paid $3 an hour for both because I knew how little maintenance they were.  But I would set the price in advance so the sitter can decline if she feels she is worth more.  If I did ever pay more than I always made a list of some other things that needed to be done....like making sure the dishes were cleaned up etc.

I have had High School Girls who also seconded as an office assistant as they got even older.  She would do office work too...like inventory, mailings, cleaning mirrors.  I have even bartered with them for Mary Kay.

For over night trips when CJ may be gone too, I have hired a school teacher to come stay so she would bring them home from school and take them to school too once they were older.

I have traded sitting with Sister Consultants for years and in most locations.  Because we were all in the business and understood cancellations, this worked out great...........and when it was my turn to have the kids, I would actually get a lot done in my office too because the kids were all off entertaining themselves.  I would only need to stop for an occasional drink or snack break.

When the kids were munchkins, I never tried to get a full hour of phone time in.  I had my profile box, datebook, sales tickets and cell phone organized that I could run the sprinkler in the yard and sit in the chair and make a few phone calls.   I even remember taking my portable office into the laundry room when Dad was home, but to be interrupted by little hands on the door........so I went outside and into the carport storage room to make calls.  I truly believe in find-a-way or make-a-way!!  You have to steal a way minutes on the phone so you have to organize!!  I tried to make everything fit into one tote bag for taking to the park and getting calls made once cellular phones were popular.  We've been bowling and I've made calls.  The children's museum and made calls.  Remember that you are in business with other mother's and they are dealing with the same noise in their background too.

I would take Nicole and Chris with me, except for the one to three year old years.......but I had those 2 'nannies'  Best part of this plan.........my kids are very social and can handle themselves around anyone now!  Ok and there was no babysitting fee to pay.  Plus it would have to be a VERY quick appt.  Kids will play nicely for about 25 minutes and you better have the close done before they come in asking for snacks, drinks, or that they want to go home.  I learned the hard way.....if I wasn't done fast enough then I would lose the sale until the next day.

My meetings, even as a Consultant, were VERY important for my personal well-being as well as for my business training and motivation so I have rarely missed a weekly training in over 13 years.  When CJ was getting home at who-knows-when, I would go ahead and have a teen girl in the neighborhood booked for every Mon night at 6 for me to leave.  She would stay until CJ got home. Sometimes it was 2 hours and sometimes it was 15 minutes. But I always had guest booked so I couldn't be late, especially as a Director.  I always paid her for one hour though.  It was worth my sanity!

During the summer, I would work the mornings and then do something fun in the afternoon so the kids were warned to be on good-behavior so that we could go...to the pool, park, etc that afternoon.  Then I may do more work in the evening once Dad was home and he could take them to the pool or play in the yard.

Kids love to go to friends homes too.......try to schedule so they are all gone at the same time to hold day appts.

Invite them to your house for makeovers and bring the kids to play with yours too.

I chose the MK business so that I could spend more daytime with the kids and so that Dad could watch them in the evening that is what we did for many years at the beginning.  My husband, even though there were many times that he grumbled about watching the kids especially when they were babies, never asked me to stop MK or limited my work times.  He would grumble if I picked up the phone during dinner so I got a special ring for business then eventually a different phone line.  He would grumble if I worked every night of the week.....but I have always taken off the weekends and that was family time!  No Mary Kay.   But as the years have gone on, I still do very little on the weekends but everyone is busy off doing sports, etc so I do get on the computer every once in awhile or clear off my desk.  I still try to have dinner fixed or planned for them to fix.  We do try to have family dinner, which we feel is very important.  After school, I give the kids at least 2 hours to unwind and help with homework.

But......just be creative and if there is a will, you will find a way!!!  I had the undying will NOT to get a job with regular hours that would take me away from the home much more than the few hours that I do work.  SO I had to make this work----or go to work!!!!!!  I worked in day cares for several years in High School and College and I vowed that my kids would never be subjected to that environment........and I have held to that thanks to Mary Kay.  They have NEVER been Day Care and even the summer camps have been limited so that we could be free to travel to family or to the beach.  YOU CAN DO IT AND HAVE IT ALL!!!  THANKS MARY KAY!!!!

Julie Potts

$1000 weeks are a girl's best friend!!

"...my cup runneth over."  Psalm 23:5