Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Andie Kallinger Photography

Just wanted to share our recent photoshoot with Andie Kallinger. Andie is AMAZING with babies/kids/adults/pets, she gets great shots and is wonderful to work with!
I HIGHLY recommend her!
Call her at 818.679.6769 or email her at andie@photosbyandie.com
You can see more of her work at www.photosbyandie.com

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Whoops - I did it again!

Hello, my name is Jen Levinson and I am a pack rat. I hate to admit it, but clearly, I am since last summer I had my garage cleaned out and managed to fill it again in less than a year. Who saved me? The 1 Day Garage Makeover people! They are seriously AMAZING and worth every penny spent. It is so nice to be able to WALK in my garage...yet alone park in it! Ask yourself - Can you park your car in your garage? Do you find yourself embarrassed to have the garage door up because the garage is such a mess? Do you trip over items every time you walk in the garage? If you find yourself relating to any of the above questions, as clearly I do, I have a solution for you! The team from 1 Day Garage Makeover came over again yesterday. They arrived at 9am, and left 4 hours later. They cleared out the garage and I was outside for a ½ hr. as they were asking me - should they toss, keep or donate. Piles were made and I went back in until 1pm, there was a knock at the door and the garage was SPOTLESS. Jens List members get $25 off. The avg. garage ranges from $300-$500.Estimates are free – 818-451-8530 – I know they are booking fast, so if you are interested, I would call sooner vs. later!
http://www.1daygaragemakeover.com/
Here are the 2nd set(how embarassing)of before and after photos!

Monday, March 08, 2010

WOW...what a day!

If I didn't already know that there were only 24 hours in a day, I really would have thought someone added about 10 extras hours to my Monday.
Today was a big day. I sent over 13,000 people the Jens List newsletter using a new mail server - one equipped with allowing members to follow me on Facebook and Twitter and have everything they would need to access the website at their fingertips.
The program is all new to me. It took me twice as long this morning to do what I have been doing the past 4+ years to get the information out to everyone. Then came the emails from everyone telling me how much they liked...and well...didn't like the new format.
Where on an average day, I receive 300 emails, today was double. I can normally get through them all without panicking, but 2 of the kids were off of school today so even during nap time, there was really no down time!
It's ok...I keep telling myself, as I snack on large marshmallows to cure my feeling of being overwhelmed! Change is hard for most. I am the 1st to admit it is my weakness. Practice makes perfect and practice is what it is going to take to get me used to the new system.
In the meantime, I will move along with being a mommy to the 5 boys, a wife, a friend, the room mom duties, sisterhood board responsibilities, fulfilling the Silent Auction Chair expectations, classroom volunteer, chef, driver, nurse, vet, housekeeper, accountant, therapist, etc. etc. etc.
It's no wonder I feel as if there are 34 hours in my day!

Sunday, March 07, 2010

Change Stinks!

I am a simpleton. Most everything I wear can be washed in the washing machine - after all, with 5 young boys, it is a miracle if I am my shirt remains clean when I walk out of the house in the morning! I don't drive a fancy car, just one that will shelp everyone to and fro. I have one pair of earrings that I never take off and a wedding ring that adorns my left hand. My idea of a night out consists of a good movie and or dinner with the kids at Islands.
Needless to say, I do not need much except family and friends to be happy. I have always thought that I would have done wonderfully living in the 1950's, where technology was not at the forefront and it was simple things in life that were truly important to the rest of the world.
I am a simpleton. So, when Jens List grew from me passing along some neat info to a few select friends, to 13,000 people in the Los Angeles area and beyond, I was convinced, by more than just a few people, that it was time to move past the antiquated email system of providing a newsletter. That said, it took a long time to implement the new format, one in which I completely and entirely am afraid of, but with perseverance will get used to and I am sure, like...somewhere down the road.
Change is hard. No matter what it is you are changing. However, being that technology and I don't seem to be the best of friends, getting acquainted to a new system has been not only time consuming and extraordinarily challenging but frustrating at the same time, as I feel the innocence of what was once built is being taken away.
Life progresses. Business expand. Things move forward. Jens List is one of those examples and while I am sure everything will become second nature as time goes on, right now, please bare with me and practice patience as I master the new art of the Jens List newsletter!
Practice does make perfect. Nobody ever told me how much practice it takes, but I am dedicated to making this transition as smooth as possible.
Thank you again to everyone who has supported me over the years. From something that was never supposed to be, Jens List has taught me so much, given me the opportunity to learn and has opened my eyes to a part of the world that I am not sure I never would have known about!