The weekends I did not 'work' the business.  I spent the whole day watching my son and his little quirks.  I am moving at the end of the month so packed 1 box Saturday and 1 box Sunday.

I also got the feeling of regret that I made a mistake and should not have signed up so quickly.  Never a network butterfly, how am I going to get out and meet people when I have been a virtual hermit for the last 5 years (3 in school, 2 with my 2 year old son). 

I really believe in this product but I've been knocked for a loop with my self-esteem lately that I am not confident in myself anymore it seems.  On a good note, The Wine Factory, sent me an advertisement on a SendOutCard and 2 ladybugs graced me with their presence (1 on my top floor balcony and the other on my car windshield).  Not sure if it is just ladybug season but I'll take any good omen I can get.

Tonight I am stressed out and can't sleep.  I found out Friday that my mortgage for my new place that was susposed to be preapproved is not in place and I move in 17 days.  At 1am, the realization that shit has hit the fan and I might be in a lawsuit if things don't work out finally hit me.

Also, I've been off work because my boss threated me "Keep your office door open as it is company policy (since he made it up) or you can leave the company - so the threat was If I don't leave my office door open (why have doors?) then I'm breaking company policy and he is going to fire me - no, make my life a living hell (like he hasn't already made it) until I quit.

So, since the last 8 months of hell I have been stressed and the boss is looking for ways to try and get rid of me (come on - keeping my office door closed excuse so he can fire me!), and I was started to get angry at my 22 month old for being a toddler, I took 2 weeks health leave and am not sure if I will return as the boss will only fire me.  I'm not sure if it is legal but I've received 2 calls from work asking me to come in and clean out my desk and they will arrange for my boss not to be around.  Not sure if that is a good sign or bad sign as I know my coworkers mean well but as Benji, the senior estimator I worked with, told me - don't trust the other coworkers as they are in bed with the boss.

If anyone reads this, please send good thoughts my way.  I could use the help.  Thanks.

My name is Elaine.  I am a 36 year old recently unemployed single mother.  I just sold my 2 bedroom apartment and bought a 3 bedroom townhouse.  I'm hoping to be on employment assistance for a few months while I look for a job during the recession and find a way to spend more time with my son.  For the next 2 years, I am going to try an MLM home based business experiment and record how it goes.

May 31, 2010 - I quit my job due to unhealthy work conditions, a chauvanistic pig of a boss, and so much stress I was constantly sick and went to a friends house to destress.  She shows me Success magazine which is devoted to a home based MLM direct selling business called SendOutCards.  After reading the first article, I think "This is a cool product".  You basically pick a card online, add a photo, a personal message and click the send button.  A brick and mortar company in Utah established in 2004, prints up the card, puts a stamp on it and mails it.  I am hooked and want to know more.  A call is placed to the sponsor to meet.

Tuesday, June 3, 2010 - I arrive 30 minutes early at a house to see 2 people chatting about the flowers in the front lawn.  I introduce myself to these two very lovely ladies and we all go inside and talk about house renovations.  I was told the meeting would start at 7:30pm.  2 more people show up at 7:30 and my friend shows up at 8pm.  The presentation starts late.  We don't notice as we are all having a great time chatting and eating.  I realize since my pregnancy and birth in 2008 that I haven't gotten out and really really miss the company.  I'm having a great time. 

We watch a opportunity presentation on the laptop.  It is too long and if I wasn't  keenly interested already but just mediocre about the idea, I would have walked away after 5 minutes.  The pressentation drones on and the uninterested ladies start making fun of how the word "Entrepreneur" is pronounced.  I'm a bit irritated because I AM interested and want to hear what the presentation is saying.  I always like to know everything about a product I am interested in to make an informed choice.

The presentation ends.  I get to test the system and send out a card.  $398 for the Entrepreneur package, $25 additional money for postage, $31/month for100 points per month automatic, 200 points free, plus $35/year distributor renewal fees.  Total  $489.00 sounds reasonable to me.  When I do the math on June 5 over a 12 month period the cost is $1,105.00.  Now - the question is - Will I make my money back over the next year or will it take me 2 years or will I not make a thing?

It is $0.31/postcard, $0.64/card plus postage.  I sign up.  My name is put under my friends number after she signs up as she showed me the magazine.  I'm feel annoyed and don't know why?  What is wrong with my friend profitting off me?  My credit card is maxed out and declines the transaction.  It declines the next day and the next and I call to get my credit limit raised while I wait for my payment to go through.  It is raised no problem.  I create 2 accounts by mistake.  I have to fill out a cancellation form and fax it through to the head office in Utah.  It will take 10 days for my refund to show.

My website is www.sendoutcards.com/elainew

I am told to send 1 heart felt card out a day, try and send 1 DVD opportunity with a card out a day and 1 gift a week.  $5 gift card - $20/month - make that $1,345.00 over 1 year - $947.00 2nd year  TOTAL over 2 years - $2,292.00

I'm excited.  Go home and post to a network media "Entrepreneurs Wanted".  June 4, I get 2 email inquires.  I give a general overview of the company in my reply emails.  One wants to meet in person.  The second wants a DVD sent to him.  I send a card and DVD to one and arrange to meet the other with my sponsor.

Friday June 5, my sponsor and I arrive at a Starbucks and get drinks at the appointed time.  My 2 year old son is with me because I wasn't thinking and told the daycare I would not bring him in.  He acts up.  The prospect is late.  He calls and says he was there at 2:50pm and we were not there.  3pm was our meeting time.  He comes back.  He is young, about 21.  There is small talk about soccor and how he sold jackets on ebay for a year and the MP3 players on ebay.  He was looking for a marketing stationary type company.  I think "This is not what he is looking for."

My sponsor attempts to log onto the internet.  The computer is slow loading then doesn't logon.  He has to wait.  She fumbles with several CDs and finally puts the right one into the computer.  15 minutes have passed.  The long winded presentation I viewed on Tuesday is put on.  5 minutes into the presentation he looks interested.  10 minutes, he is getting bored.  It drones on.  Half way through the presentation, the guy has full flight mode in his eyes.   He says he is on a time limit and can she just give him an overview.  She does.  He says he'll think about it and bolts for the door.

I turn to my sponsor and say "I don't think this is the right business for him."  She is not sure but says he might sign up on my website yet and if he does, I would get a notification email.  I doubt it.  I've been in sales long enough to know when someone is not interested and ran a successful ground up business during school and before my pregnancy.  I sold off the business after my son was born as it was too much work.

She says "Don't feel bad.  There are still more."  "I know" I reply, "I'm not worried".  She looks shocked.  Guess most people would be depressed.  She doesn't know about my choice to try this experiment.  She talks about inviting my friends.  I tell her I am a bit challenged in that department as another friend in the same circle does home parties and has bugged all my friends so much that none of them will listen to any new business ideas now.  I advise her I did let a friend know who started asking questions - prior to me getting an account - but she is a stay at home mom and they can't afford even the $99 retail start up fee. 

She tells me about the $25 gift account I can send her as I would still get residual income from her card purchases.  It's an awesome idea.  I think I will send it - eventually - just not yet.  My friend would think I'm tring to sell her something instead of it being a gift and I don't think she would use it enough.  I advisemy sponsor that I'm going to look at open houses this weekend to try and meet people and I'll just send cards to my friends.  The wedge my other home party friend created is pretty deep.  I decide to send a card to my home party friend.  I have a pleasant conversation with my sponsor then leave to take my son, who is wiping up spilt water with a paper towel at 22 months old - up off the floor home for a nap. 

I send out a card to my home party friend, check my emails (nothing), then spend the rest of the day playing with my son. 

I meet my sponsor at a different house Monday.

The condo has a new coat of paint, new blue christmas lights and Flitz and Tuck, 2 new fake snowbirds  perched in the fake Christmas tree, while Georgia, a 5 month old siamese kitten and newest edition to the house, is three-quarters of the way up it mewing in her attempt to eat the white feather tails.  I suspect she will fall out any minute.  If the Dalmation is the dumb dog of the canine world..the Siamese is the dumb cat of the feline world. 

Another new thing is my remortgage for a special assessment.  I decided to take the opportunity to get a little extra dosh afterall, I bought the place, might as well make it work for its living too.  With all the new things going on,the idea to remake me seemed very attractive.  Extreme make-over it's not but its about as close as I can afford.  So, off to London Place Optical to see if I am still a candidate for laser eye surgery.

The idea of getting my eyes fixed has lit a fire under me and this year I am doing something that I do not usually do and am getting rid of 3 years 'student' fat and starting to take care of myself.  So along with my eyes and my teeth, I went out hunting for a gym to see if a gym was my 'trigger' to motivate me.

However, in my travels, I stumbled upon Cardo CDs.  I purchased them to play when and if I decided to climb up on my cobweb ridden stationary bike.  Yesterday, I pulled the dorment machine out of storage and clammered on it, waited for the CD to play and Boom!  My house was instantly transformed into a gym with the music.  It was like my body perked up and said "Hey, we're in workout mood, let's go!"  After all these years, my trigger wasn't a machine, a gym or a class, it was good old fashion bounce bounce bouncey music.

It is only Day 2 but the whole fear and groan and peddling my way through 30-60 minutes is no longer a chore to me.  I never knew that all I needed was the 'music of the gym' and not the actually gym itself.  That is such a cool feeling.

This year I foresee big changes and it is all starting with my eyes. 

Hello Folks,

It has been a while since I posted.  I finally finished my 2nd year at BCIT and managed to land a summer student job with a company call Solterra Construction Corp.  It is owned by a BOSA brother which in the construction industry, is a huge name.  I am working as a project coordinator and feel like I am flying by the edge of my seat as I don't really know what I am doing although I did learn a hell of a lot at school.  The only consolation is they know I am a student and I have a lot to learn so they are letting a lot of things slide with me.   The project manager is a bit frustrated with my lack of knowledge but hopefullly my low wage compensates for my lack of 'knowledge'.

I injured my back on Saturday. In an effort to bring in a bit more money, I am selling my old double bed.l  This guy was interested so he met me down at my storage locker and said he needed help  delivering it.  So I tell him, I have a flat bed trailer.  So I hurt my back unfolding my trailer and when I get there, the bugger doesn't even use my trailer and says "Oh, I'm just going to put insurance on my truck".  Fucker!  So he asks what I am doing for the rest of the day and if he can pick up later.  Loser!  Like I don't have other shit to do today AND to top it off I hurt my back.  So immediately after, I leave storage and head to see my chiropractor who manages to pop my SI joint back into place but because I have strained my back muscles, my back is still totally in major pain and I can't even sit.  Majorly sucks big chunks.  So at 6pm, I receive a call but I am soo stiff that I can't even move.  I tell him I can't meet him back at the storage because I can't even drive my car.  So loserman says "Well, I can't do this tommorrow.  You'll have either meet me tonight or pay me back my deposit".  So I say, fine, I'll pay you back your deposit.  Not sympathetic whatsoever to my back injury that was cause originally because he wanted my trailer to deliver the bed.  Total LOSER!!!  So I told him he has to come to my apartment complex and he can get the deposit back off me because I can't go anywhere.

Okay, that is my rant for today.  Today, I am not doing too badly.  I'm drugged up on my usual ADHD meds to keep me alert, but I am also on Extra-Strength Robaxatrin, Extra-Strength Advil, and Extra-Strength A535.  I am also sitting in a super comfy chair so hopefully everything is working out okay and I'll be back on the job tommorrow.

The other thing is I am sitting in my friend of 15 years coffee shop that just opened.  It isn't his shop but he is the manager off it.  Not sure what there is about him that makes my heart go bumpy-bump.  Guess all these years I have always held a deep love for him but my thread likes to weave with his once in a while but it never seems to be a perfect match.  We are 2 of a kind him and I and yet we are sooo different.  I guess my real wish in life is for him to see me as his perfect match and have a child with me but some flames should not really be fanned but boy does it make my heart feel great when it is fanned!  LOL