Saturday, March 19, 2011

Homemade Toothpaste!

We have been going through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. In an effort to make my "Wal-Mart/Target" envelope money go further, I've been researching what I can make myself for cheaper than I can get at the store. Not only did I find out that toothpaste is much cheaper to make, but it's actually safer! Apparently, fluoride isn't a great ingredient to brush our teeth with!

This morning I made my own toothpaste! This video calls for oil of peppermint. If you're using peppermint extract, you're going to need a whole lot more than a drop...otherwise it tastes terrible!! I'm excited about my newfound Dave-Ramsey-approving, safe-teeth-cleaning, Zach-Galifianakis-endorsed (not really), toothpaste.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Who's Listening?

Public speaking is a beast. If you do it on any kind of regular basis, it can be provide thrilling highs and disappointing lows.

As a member of the Rankin County Chamber of Commerce, I am on the Elder Services Committee. First Fridays for Seniors is a monthly event designed to educate and inform the aging population and their caregivers about services available to them in Rankin County, Mississippi.

Today, I had the opportunity to educate the attendees of First Fridays about Reliv! I used my notes from a talk I did last year. During the talk, I was admittedly nervous, and had thought after I was done that there would be little interest. I could tell there was at least one or two who were tracking with me and giving me feedback via their body language.

After the talk, I was encouraged that those who evidenced curiosity approached me with feedback. But I was pleasantly surprised that some who seemed to be looking right through me also wanted more information. It was very exciting to have caught the attention of those that seemed to only be feigning interest.

Organization and preparation are key to public speaking. The more prepared you are, the more confident you will be. The more organized you are, the clearer you will be. Mix these 2 ingredients together and you never know who might be listening!