Hello everyone! We are officially in week 2 of the BE Inspired radio program! We are anxious and excited to continue 'learning the ropes' so we can start being more interactive with the women in our community. Our hopes are to utilize this program as another platform where all women can come to share their stories and pool their resources in order to make a larger impact. We encourage you to get involved by sending comments, tips, questions, concerns, answers, etc to info@bewomenonline.com. We also encourage you to take part in this week's BE Challenge! Take one day off from texting! If you need to reach for your phone, DIAL it and TALK to the person on the other end! If you MUST say something in writing, send a handwritten note (definitely a lost art!) instead! We want to hear your results! Contact us so we can share these stories on Friday morning's show. Lastly, but most importantly, be sure to officially become a BE member by registering for a profile on our website! You will be notified periodically as new developments occur, and alerted to ways you can get involved and help make a difference. We are thrilled to have you each on board and know that your valuable qualities and abilities will inspire those around you! We look forward to all that is yet to come!! (and PS ~ we obviously didn't realize the video was on at the very beginning of today's show! But at least it's good for a laugh!)

Ok picture it.......Thursday afternoon and I am excited and pouring through the Disney Vacation Packages in anticipation of our upcoming trip with the kids.  I gather all the information I think I need, and sprint to my purse to get my credit card, ready to book this great adventure!  I pick up the phone smiling, and dial the 1-800 number listed on the screen.  I start to tap my fingers excitedly as I wait to hear the friendly voice on the other end answer.   But my smile quickly turns to a frown as I am awoken to the reality that the monotone voice on the other end is a computer recording.   "Welcome to Disney, please press 1 for %$&#@*.....    2. for %^$#%^*  and on and on.  I can't believe my ears, as the voice goes through nine different options, before going back to option one.  In a state of complete disbelief I realize I have not heard one option, and start pushing buttons frantically in hopes of bypassing the computer, and speaking with a live person.  Instead, I keep getting the same recording, Welcome to Disney, Welcome to Disney, Welcome to Disney.  I finally give up and give in and press the number four.  I start to feel the excitement building again as the sound of the ring fills my ears.  And then the unimaginable happens, the voice on the other end answers and says, " Welcome to Disney's disability services, How may I help you?"  This can't be happening.  I mean seriously, I believe in saving money, but when you pay almost $100 a day to walk around and take pictures with a bunch of cartoon characters, spend $50 on a meal that I wouldn't feed to my dog and come home with $200 worth of junk I know my kids won't pay attention to three days after the trip, you would think they could hire a few more employees to answer their phones.

Finally, after two hours of trying to book the trip I realize I hadn't dialed the number for Disney, and had been sucked into a look alike website that books Disney vacations.  I am now ready for a vacation from the the vacation I have just booked.  What is wrong with our system?  Customer service hardly exists, and when it does, it's impersonal and disconnected.  Why is it ok to email, text, face book, and twitter instead of just picking up the phone or meeting someone to chat?  Do computers really save time and money, or are they costing we the consumers more time and money?  I know I personally would pay the extra money to be able to talk with a warm body, I know it would save me time, and definitely the stress!  What can we do to change this?  What can we do to make a difference?

We shared briefly on our BE Inspired program this morning the needs of a local, homeless 17-year old boy. He has currently been forced into this situation, and any help you can give would be greatly appreciated! He is extremely musically inclined, both in writing lyrics and playing instruments. His long term goals include attending either Drake or Southwestern Community College in January, both of which have great music programs. He currently has his GED and is searching for a job, however due to not having a home, phone, etc.... this has been extremely difficult for him. The re-engagement center has provided him a bus pass for transportation. They are also working diligently to help him complete all his Fafsa financial aid paperwork in order to make his education dream come true. He truly is a great kid, he just needs the support system that most of us normally have. We would love nothing more than to have you assist us with his immediate needs, which mainly include any clothing (jeans size 3) that you may have access to or shoes (size 11). If you or anyone you know are able to contribute, please contact us at jessica@bewomenonline.com. Thank you all so much!

 

In case you missed this morning's show, tune in to hear the results of this week's BE Challenge, Jess's BE Find of the week, Teresa's BE Savvy tip, & Elisabeth's Newsworthy Story of the Day! Thanks for joining us, tune in again Monday morning for your daily dose of news, laughs, and inspiration!

One portion of the program that I am responsible for is the 'Daily Good'. This is where I share ways in which you, our listeners, can get involved to benefit a cause. I recently came across a website called www.peanutbutterplan.org. The site states….’This is an idea. A plan. A peanut butter plan. The concept is simple, but immediate. Even if just for a little while, we’re trying to alleviate hunger. It all counts.’ How it works is the first of every month is peanut butter and jelly day! Basically, you invite a bunch of people over and simply ask each of them to bring 3 of any of the following; loaves of bread, bottles of water, jars of jelly, or jars of peanut butter. Then....voila! You make the sandwiches! When you are done you pack it all up and go to any place where people are hungry. The SF Chronicle did a story that states ‘It's called the Peanut Butter Plan. Like many of the best plans, it's simple: Strangers get together, make peanut butter sandwiches and immediately pass them out to homeless people. No federal subsidy, no foundation, no vouchers. No official sanction from anybody. Just strangers, good will and peanut butter.’

 The Be Rant Begins!

This morning marked the first of many of our "Be Inspired" radio shows.  You can tune in Weekday mornings from 6-7 am, or anytime of day (it's recorded and streamed for your later viewing pleasure) at macsworldlive.com, click on Des Moines Local Live!

One of our radio show segments, I think soon to be our favorite, we like to call, Be Rant.  I had the pleasure of starting the week off with my own...

enjoy!

Elisabeth

“We’ve all been there, waiting in line under those looming golden arches, wondering again why we felt the need to stuff our unsuspecting family full of breaded pieces of the most well known appendage of the chicken, the nugget--when after ordering the pint-sized grease in a box with a plastic toy the dog will undoubtedly chew to a mangled mess later, the voice crackles across the intercom, is this for a boy or girl?  Ok, now, seems a rather innocent question right…is this carton of petrified carbohydrates for a little car-racing, video game playing boy, or a princess-like, doll dressing girl?  But, let’s look at the implications of this statement for a minute. 

Yes, I know I know, our society thinks its A-Okay for boys to play with cars and girls to play with dolls, and I’m not disputing that it is, it’s the norm right?  Switch it around and suddenly the room gets really uncomfortable and moms starts whispering about sexual orientation—in 4 year olds!!!!!  Forgetting completely the fact that kids are drawn to bright colors and cool shapes, and, more often than not the toy that is highly coveted by other children in the room, be they male or female.  Ok sorry, that’s another topic for another day—Back to what garage sale free boxes are filled with throughout the world, that are keeping china’s plastics economy alive--The McDonald’s toy, now, science has proven that there is scarcely an area of the brain that from a very young age girls and boys don’t emerge through differently.  It happens in all continents, and in all cultures.  No one disputes here the difference between male and female.  However, it is also important to protect our children from stereotypical molds, molds that may in fact affect their “true nature.”  Right?  Right.  No one wants their offspring tainted by the guy down the street that mows his lawn in his skivvies. 

So my point here is this.  We create a nurturing environment at home, one where we try very hard to not use phrases like “bad boy” and one where we try to give our little ones Science books and art books, baseballs and paintbrushes, so they can discover who it is they want to be and what they like to do.  So why then do we allow a fast food chain no less to help define what our children believe to be normalcy?  Say I’m overreacting, but, really, think about it for a minute…If in a drive through boys were given pamphlets on the Republican party and girls were given pamphlets on how to please your husband someday you would be SO angry!  So why then is “boys get cars, girls get dolls” dismissed as no big deal?  Small forces, the everyday ones teach our children what is normal.  We can talk 'til we are blue in the face to our kids, but it is our actions that they learn from.  Maybe the drive through isn’t your battlefield, but I encourage you to evaluate what predispositions ARE being instilled in your children from outside sources, and just let them decide for themselves if they’d like a car or a doll?

One last note, Heed this warning, I am not encouraging you to harass the 14-year-old voice on the other end of the intercom, if you do, it will only result in her calling over the 16-year old manager on duty, and proceeding to take an extra hour in the drive through line—while cars line up and scream obscenities at you from behind, and where I’m pretty sure your burgers will be spat upon (and that’s if they let you off easy).  This is my Be rant of the week.”

There are so many new and exciting BE updates to share!  Thanks to all of you who came out and braved the weather to be at our October BE "Fit" with Farrell's!  There was a great time had by all, and the new BE Fit Farrell's session has started at the EP TRUE location!  It is not too late to sign up, and we can promise a lot of great laughs and fun!

Coming up on November 14th is the BE Social, Cut For a Cause.  The evening will begin at 6 at Rick Mosley Salon where myself and up to 14 other women will graciously donate their hair to create wigs for adults and children who have lost their hair due to medical conditions or treatments.  BE women will be able to enjoy appetizers and drinks courtesy of Trostel's while cheering on these brave donors!  Of course we need your help.....we currently have 5 women who have volunteered to donate their hair, but we need 10 more.  If donating your hair is not an option, bring a cool hat or scarf to donate!  If you have time to join us for the post-cut party, we will be heading over to Trostel's Dish for live music, food, drink and of course as much fun as we BE women can create!! 

The BE Inspired event is rescheduled for Saturday April 24th, at the Polk County Convention Center!  Get ready for a night of live music, great food, drinks and a whole lot of fun, as we plan to empower and move the women of Des Moines to BE INSPIRED!!!

The BE Inspired radio show begins this next Monday, October 19th at 6 a.m.  Yes, ladies we will be up at the crack of dawn, with bed head and house coats to bring you a little inspiration for your day!  If it doesn't work to tune into macsworldlive.com at this hour, download the pod cast later!  Let us know if you have anyone you think would make a great guest, and likes to wake up before the rooster crows!

The BE web site will take on many new faces in the next few months!  Our first big transformation will happen next week as you will be able to join our company!  Yes, that is right!  We will now join hands in the effort to make "me" a stronger "we."  When women or men in the community ask who the BE Girls or BE Women are, you can proudly stand tall and say, I am a BE Girl, Woman, Lady, or anything  else you want to BE!  Kimberly, Teresa, Jessica and Elisabeth are the women behind the scenes of BE, but it is each and every woman, who they are, and what they give, that makes BE successful!

We are always looking for Guest bloggers and of course any stories of inspiration for our newsletter!  We are in constant need of volunteers and any ideas you have for making this a place where all women can come together both on line, but more importantly face to face to give what they have and get what they need!!!

Rain, rain go away! Today seems like a day to put something in the crockpot, curl up on the couch, and read a good book! Anyone know a good cleaning fairy that also does laundry and is willing to take my kids for the day??! Anyone? Anyone?! Well, there goes that idea....

If you haven't had a chance to meet our COO (Chief Operations Officer) yet, take a few minutes to watch our taping with Mac and Rooster on Macsworldlive last week! http://macsworldlive.com/the-b-girls-are-live-in-macs-world-how-do-they-do-it-listen-and-find-out/  The girls and I are so excited for the start of our own radio show, BE Inspired! Thanks to everyone who voted on the show title, we're honored to have your input and support as we embark on this latest endeavor! We've got a TON of fun things lined up so we promise to make it WELL worth your time at 6am! Our hope is to give you a lot of great information and even more laughs to get your day started on the right foot. The laughs will most likely be at our own expense, but hey, it's early! (plus we'll do whatever it takes to put a smile on your face!)

Thanks to everyone who came to our October social 'BE Social, BE Fit'. We all walked away with some GREAT information about the FXB program and the importance of getting and staying fit. We've had numerous people sign up for our 'BE Fit' class starting this Monday (12:30pm at the EP True location for those of you still interested), and we look forward to supporting one another throughout the next 10 weeks! This is just one of the many facets of BE and what we are hoping to do within our community; bring women together in an effort to inspire them to make changes not only within themselves, but also in those around them. By making positive lifestyle choices yourself, hopefully you inspire a close girlfriend to do the same! Stay tuned for details on our November social 'Cut for a Cause' ~ we are looking for 5 more women to donate their locks to a wonderful cause!