Savanna Robinson

A peek at the Direct Sales World

12/11/2018 By Savanna Robinson Leave a Comment

It’s a strange thing, the Direct Sales world. Companies may sell via catalogues only, websites, or through party plan. Some even do a mix of those three or even more ways. As the world has opened up more with the advance of the internet and social media, so have the avenues through which you can find a direct sales company. If you know where to look, they are EVERYWHERE!

As a consultant you are trying to find your footing in the world of sales based from home (usually), and compete with all the big businesses that have huge advertising budgets. As a small business that sells via party plan or website only, you can sometimes be seen as inferior to those bigger companies. And due to the nature of some people in the past, can be seen as spammy or ‘one of those annoying party companies’. So you try to find your own way and voice to be heard over the thousands of others out there!

Not all Direct Sales companies are the same. They all have their own brand values and conditions for consultants (and clients too sometimes). Such a vast range of products can be bought from a Direct Sales company these days too! Beauty products, clothes, food, jewellery…even toys for grown ups. Of course, not every company is available in every country (though potential customers wish they would do so! and soon).

Just as all companies are different, so can the culture of being someone’s ‘Only’ consultant. Those that carry the same products with every consultant strongly cling on to their customers, and it’s even frowned upon in the rules of the company to poach anyone else’s customers. But then there are companies now where each consultant has their own stock, which is likely to be different to any other consultant in the area. With these companies they are encouraged to share their customers around to be able to find items or patterns they are searching for. But whichever type of company, if you don’t look after your customers, they may not return ever again. It is essential to build relationships with them, and make them feel valued (which they are! Without customers, you don’t have a successful business).

Word of Mouth and great reviews can do wonders for whatever type of Direct Sales company you are with. So if you buy a product from someone who does right by you, let them know what a great job they are doing, and let your friends know who to go to. Your consultant will love you for it! Because you are not just lining the pockets of some big company director- purchasing with someone in direct sales is helping them send their kids to dance lessons, to buy a coffee with friends, to finally have a family holiday together! You are helping someone who’s trying to make ends meet and pay their monthly bills. You are helping someone just like you!

Why we should look after our hands.

11/11/2018 By Savanna Robinson Leave a Comment

You may start your day with a rigid beauty regime…cleanse, scrub, moisturise, foundation, colour, lipstick. (There may be even more steps in there, but that’s a kind of basics for some people). But unless you spend the rest of the day in front of a mirror or taking endless selfies, then you really won’t look at that end result many more times again for the day. Your hands meanwhile….you will probably see them countless times! Making your morning cuppa, on the steering wheel on the drive to school, when sitting in yet another meeting, eating your lunch. Your hands are always there within your sight. So why don’t we look after them just as well as we do our faces? Read on for some hand care tips and why we need to look after our hands.

Our hands, like our faces, also need some tender loving care or they will show our age just as much as our face can do when left unpampered. Some of the things they will need are a good exfoliant to remove those dead skin cells, a moisturiser for replacing the moisture that water takes out of the skin and oil to help keep those cuticles and nails hydrated! (Read more about the importance of moisturising here).

And when you’ve finished looking after all that for your hands, why not show off your own personality with some colour on those nails. Pop on some lacquer or wraps for a quick touch, or go for a gel enamel if you have a bit more time up your sleeve. Subtle pinks for those who just like a touch of colour, all the way to outrageous designs and prints for the bold at heart! There is usually always something you will be able to find that expresses who you are.

If doing some fancy designs with your lacquer, this may come in handy to keep it all neat.
Aimeili Liquid Latex Peel Off Tape Odorless Cuticle Guard Polish Barrier Skin Protector For Nail Art 15 Ml 0.5 Fl OZ

So why not treat yourself today! Look after those hands, as they do so much for you…don’t they deserve to be the centre of attention every now and then! I know mine do!

If you’d like to learn more about looking after your hands, why not come follow my Pinterest board on skincare.

When your husband cooks for you – Joining the ‘Men who cook’ club again.

23/10/2018 By Savanna Robinson Leave a Comment

Tonight my husband cooked us dinner. Now in most households, this might not be such big news. Men who cook- what’s new? Well with my husband he has cooked for us maybe 4 times in the last 6 ½ years I’ve known him. And 2 of those have been in the last couple of weeks. Plus when your husband cooks for you and helps relieve some of the strain of the household duties it is such a wonderful feeling!

You see, in his past relationships his partners have criticised his attempts at cooking and ridiculed him for any efforts made as not good enough. He even had dishes thrown at him as they were not good enough in her eyes.

For someone with chronic depression, this was not great. My husband was made to think through this constant negative reinforcement that he was unable to cook. So he believed it was true for many years.

With a lot of sessions with his psychologist and a lot of encouragement from me, he finally decided to try again. Mostly to start helping me out as a partner should, but also to prove to himself that he could do it.

You may know a lot of men who cook and happily do so. But it has been very trying to live with someone whose answer to being called upon to arrange a meal is to say “Let’s get take out”. This might be okay every so often, but I don’t know a single family whose finances could stretch to do that all the time!

Even the favourite Aussie male past time of barbecuing hasn’t enticed him to cook more than one meal before. So tonight I celebrated that he has now created a dish in the Thermomix (with some back up from me on what things meant in the recipe) and his all-time favourite dish of spaghetti bolognese.

He may still call me to ask how some things are done. But he is slowly building back up that confidence to know he belongs to that group of men who cook once more. And I love that he is doing that! Maybe I will add this on to his Christmas wish list. How to Cook Everything: The Basics

Come see more posts about life with my husband here.

And let me know in the comments how you feel when your husband cooks for you!

Living with depression in marriage- Depression and relationships can it work?

Cruising with toddlers -10 tips for amusing toddlers on a cruise

17/10/2018 By Savanna Robinson Leave a Comment

We just returned from our second cruise with our toddler daughter and thus this has been top in my mind. Cruises are great cost effective holidays but what is there available on a family cruise when cruising with toddlers to do and how do you keep them occupied for a week or longer? These are the 10 tips for cruising with toddlers that we discovered and used.

#1 Choose a family friendly cruise line.

Some are better than others at catering to the needs of your whole family. Our last 3 cruises have been with Carnival Australia Cruises on the Carnival Spirit from Sydney, and they are just brilliant for the littlest members of your family. Do your research first to check they have great options for your toddler.

#2 Utilise Kids Club.

Cruise lines that cater for children generally have a Kids club option included. Although your child can cruise international waters from 12 months old, the kids club will not take them until 2 years of age. We still found plenty to keep our daughter amused when we married on a cruise just before she was 14 months old. Check the details of what they allow with their Kids club (do they change nappies, provide meals/snacks, only open certain times at sea and at port?). Carnival Spirit was a good fit for us with a 2-year-old (approaching 3). We just provided nappies and wipes for any changes needed during her time there. We had an old-fashioned mobile to carry with us so we could be contacted if she needed us.

#3 Set dinner time in the dining room.

If you are able to get a set dinner time where you go to the same table each night for dinner it so much easier with toddlers. Even if you end up with the late seating as we did (which was a struggle when cruising with a toddler, but we made it work with late rising), a permanent seating is so much easier as the waiters get to know you and the kids by name. They miss their own families from being at sea for 8 months, so will do their best to help entertain or distract upset toddlers, or even take them on a walk around the dining room so parents and other family members can eat dinner without running around the whole time. On our first cruise with her, she got cheap plastic kids sunglasses to wear at meals from the Maitre d’. This time she was into colouring, so got about one menu/colouring book a day, plus two rubber ducks and flower lei. And lots of photo opportunities with staff who just adored her being around.

There are usually several different types of eating places on board. Buffet style, sit down restaurant, café, fancy high priced restaurant. And all had things that fussy toddlers will eat. And are willing to get different dishes if something is not liked. On one occasion when Miss 2 wasn’t in the mood for eating when her meal came out, they even got a fresh one brought out when she started to get hungry again.

#4 Stairs are your friend.

Believe me, there are SO many stairs on a cruise ship, and your toddler will love to go up and down them all multiple times. Even if the ship is being a bit rocky. Of course, this is much easier with toddlers that have been walking for a while. I personally tripled my usual step count every day on the cruise just by following her around. And you get the added benefit of burning off those 3-course meals too! There are lots of levels to explore and take a long walk if that’s what’s needed to burn off some excess energy.

#5 Shows

The productions shows that are for general viewing are enthralling for toddlers with the lights, music, and dancing. Our little darling even clued into the fact that shows happened after dinner, and where they happened, so would try to sneak out early from the restaurant and start heading that way seeing they were both on the same level.

#6 Shore tours

Little kids enjoy tours at ports of call just as much as adults. A lot of the bus tours through Carnival take under 3 for free if sitting on a parent’s lap. And baby carriers are so useful for walking around and exploring the surrounds as a family. (I may have even jerry-rigged a sarong as a wrap to carry a tired toddler when I left my carrier onboard for one port).

#7 Elegant night

Toddlers can get dressed up fancy too! It is something a little bit special that they probably don’t get to do too often. Be sure to pack a bib or similar that will cover their outfit for if they decide ‘that spaghetti bolognese is life’ like our toddler did. And they will be so cute you will want to take heaps of photos, which leads me to #8.

#8 Photo opportunities

Cruise ships ALWAYS have photographers snapping shots at different moments on board. From coming onboard, to dinners, to ports of call to elegant/formal nights. So many opportunities to buy some great formal shots or just take your own candid ones. Most toddlers love to see photos, even if they won’t cooperate for all snaps.

#9 Free movies screening

Toddlers really seem to love anything on the big screen! And you can easily whisk them away if they start to get bored, unlike your usual movie theatre. In-room channels usually offer movies on rotation too. ABDKIDS was even shown on Carnival Spirit when the satellite was cooperative and in range.

#10 Opportunity to meet other little travellers

If you are on a family friendly ship, you are very likely to meet other families with little ones too. Our toddler made friends with a couple of boys a bit older than her seated a couple of tables away at dinner. It was such a delight to see them play around in between dinner course and chat with others from their family. Our little extrovert was not at all shy about telling everyone about her day and showing off her latest outfit.

As you can see, although toddlers can prove challenging at times, you can still find plenty of things to keep them amused on a cruise. Please come back and let me know of any other cruising with toddlers activities to do on board!

Road trips with kids – toddler road trip essentials

Why owls are cool!

16/08/2018 By Savanna Robinson Leave a Comment

My teenager thinks I am too obsessed with owls. She says I’m a little bit crazy about them. And that I influenced my youngest daughter to like them (but she prefers ducks and dinosaurs really…and of course ducks are really just a gateway bird to owl obsession). So why is it that I think owls are cool? Even just why ARE owls cool?

Firstly, there was a marked increase in cool owl patterns and items that came out while I was pregnant with my second daughter. I ended up getting so many things in owl themes; bedding, clothes, a wall decal for the nursery, a music toy for bed time. Everything I could find in an owl pattern I got. why owls are cool

Then there is the teacher aspect of owls. Owl are reputed as being wise, scholarly like Owl in Winnie the Pooh. This fits well with being an educator of children for nearly 20 years. why owls are cool

And of course we can’t forget the night owl. I’ve always been a stay up late, get up late person (just ask my mother). The perpetual night owl. why owls are cool

Cool facts about owls

There are lots of cool facts you can find about owls.

Owls have powerful talons (claws)…something my mum has pointed about my nails for years. That I inherited Nana’s strong nails. Which now might be prettily decorated with my Jamberry products. why owls are cool

Owls have large eyes – pointed out by my eye specialists over the years.

Owls are quiet in flight – just ask anyone who’s walked around a shopping centre with me…. I suddenly am on the other side of them, without them even knowing. why owls are cool

Owls are farsighted- and now for the first time I am, after being short sighted since birth, after cataract surgery I can see great for distance…but need reading glasses for close up.

Owls have been symbols of wisdom and magic in ancient Greece, Asia and America. Just think of Owl in Winnie the Pooh for wisdom, and the numerous owls in Harry Potter. why owls are cool

Owl memes

Sparkly Bright Eyes is such a cool name for an owl. As someone who wore glasses for her childhood, then contacts for another 20+ years I constantly felt like an owl peeping at things. So the transition to owl obsession wasn’t so far fetched. These are just a few of my favourite owl memes that I hope you might enjoy too.

why owls are cool

I even have a Pinterest board about all things owls. Come and check it out here. why owls are cool

If you’d like to follow me more, to see what other owl stuff I come up with, come follow me on Facebook here.

Sometimes life as a mum can be fun, like when this post was inspired by my teen. But other times it can be tough. Read more here.

Having an MRI scan

09/07/2018 By Savanna Robinson Leave a Comment

If you have Multiple Sclerosis, you are quite likely to need an MRI scan at some point. But what is it, what does it do and most importantly what is it like to have an MRI scan? Read on to learn about this medical imaging technique.

What is an MRI scan?

MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. It’s a medical imaging technique that uses strong magnets and avoids exposing the patient to radiation (which we know is bad in large amounts). It is used in medical diagnosis of many conditions such as MS as it can provide images of the body’s organs.

Neurologists like to use an MRI scan to see if there are lesions in the brain and spinal cord of MS patients. And they track if these increase in number whilst patients take their disease modifying treatments. They are also used in other medical conditions where the other imaging techniques are not giving a clear diagnosis.

Aside from the dreaded lumbar puncture, the MRI may be the most feared thing in the diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis. Particularly for those who suffer from claustrophobia. This is because the MRI machine is basically a small tube you lay down in, in a room all by yourself, and have a lot of very loud sounds thrown at you. For those who cannot stand the confined space, most places can offer an MRI with sedation. This is an option I’ve known a few MSers to use, so don’t be afraid to ask for this option if you need it.

Having your MRI scan

When you get to your MRI scan, you will have to fill out a questionnaire (if it hasn’t already been sent in), asking questions about potential metal in your body. You’ll then be asked to put on a hospital gown. And you will be called upon when it’s time for your scan. Which is never EVER on time. If a patient moves during their scan, that sequence needs to be redone, so they do love patients that can keep still for their time and keep them more to time for others.

You’ll lie down on the sliding table that goes into the tunnel and will be handed an alert button for if you are having troubles during the scan and need to get out. Different pieces of equipment may be slotted in around you, to help keep you still, and keep you comfortable during the time (my last scan was about an hour and a half long for brain and spine). You may be given head phones, and the option to listen to music…but in all honesty I’ve never been able to hear any of the music during the scan…just the breaks in between. At some point you may also need a contrast injection, depending on what your specialist has ordered. I know neurologist seem to like this to see if there are new active lesions.

Be prepared for lots of loud banging sounds, like a jack hammer digging up cement right outside your bedroom window. Sequences can range from around 1 minute to about 8 minutes in all the scans I’ve had. The best places will even let you know how long the next one will be, so you get a bit of a breathing (or twitching) space in between. I find that I also get a lot of numbness in my arm holding the emergency alert button. Fortunately I’ve never had to test if my hand will work in that numb state.

And then it will be over. The silence after the scan can seem eerie after such a long period of loud noise. And it’s a relief to feel the table slide back out of the tube and there be someone there to help get you up. It seems that these days most MRI scan results and reports are sent straight to the doctor, so you don’t even have to wait around for the scan to be printed up. Be sure to follow up with your specialist for results of your scan. And that’s pretty much it. Until your next MRI is needed.

What is MS? And what exactly does it feel like?