Spark & Hustle

Just got back from Spark & Hustle, an awesome conference led by Tory Johnson, owner of Women for Hire.  I learned so much from this conference, especially I can have it all, I just can't do it all myself.

Being the only guy at an all women's conference was an eye-opener.  It was a very positive experience.  Most people I met were impressed that I came.  My sister, Patty Lennon insisted I go, and you always do what your big sister says ;-)

I met these fantastic mom-preneurs, including Adrienne and Shannon.

Adrienne runs www.SeekingSitters.com, with a local chapter based out of Shrewsbury, MA.

Shannon is the founder of JBF - Just Between Friends Consignment Events.

Check them out!

Don't sit down!

OK, loyal readers, this doesn't have that much to do with family entertainment, but I'm always a big advocate of kids playing outside.  I don't love it when I see a number of children sitting with their Nintendo DS's on a beautiful day. Here's why you should ban children from the couch between sun up and sun down:


http://www.medicalbillingandcoding.org/sitting-kills/


Get out and walk!

Jim Manning

Birthday Party Expert, Celebration Coach, National Family Speaker 

1-888-33-JUNGLE (toll free)

Email@JungleJimBoston.com

FREE Birthday Party Tools at www.JungleJimBoston.com

Difficult children at your party? Here's how you can handle it.

I performed at a birthday party last weekend.  Made awesome balloon sculptures.  Led the kids in Jedi training.  Everybody laughed.  Everybody had a good time.  Well, almost everybody.  There was a young man at this party.  I'm going to call him Theo.  Theo was what many would describe as a bad kid.  Wouldn't follow directions.  Kept messing up my equipment.  Picked a fight with 2 other kids.  Tried to throw water on the birthday boy.  This was all in the first 10 minutes.


Now before your shackles go up and you think: bad kid, let me tell you: he's not.  And believe you me, this is the child I used to dread seeing at a birthday party I was performing at.  And of course, since I focused my energies that way, that was what I manifested.


Theo is not a bad kid.  Theo simply needs attention.  And now when I see a Theo at a birthday party, I don't get upset.  I don't worry.  Because I know Theo is going to be an integral part of this birthday party's success.  


What do you do as a responsible adult with a "Bad Kid?"  Here's my advice:

1. Focus on what they want.  I don't mean hand them the power tools.  What do they really want?  Attention.  One book that really influenced me when I was younger was "How to Win Friends and Influence People."  Here's a quote: "The only way on earth to influence other people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it."  They want attention.  Give it to them in a positive way.  One thing I like to do is to put the difficult child in charge of an important task, like making sure all the children sit criss-cross, applesauce, or letting me know when everyone needs a water break
2. Stand next to the child.  Another thing I do at parties is to make sure I am standing right near the child who is misbehaving.  I'll ignore minor comments, but I will make sure they know I'm watching them; I'm only two feet away, so they know it!  And again, they're getting the attention they want.
3. Limited choices.  If things get bad with a particular child, and sometimes they do, give them two choices:  Do you want to participate, or do you want to take a break.  Most often they want to participate, so its ok to let them know that this is the behavior expected at the birthday party.  

I hope this helps.  Most of the children I've met at birthday parties are willing to cooperate.  They just need a little guidance on how.  Best of luck!

Jim Manning

Birthday Party Expert, Celebration Coach, National Family Speaker 

1-888-33-JUNGLE (toll free)

Email@JungleJimBoston.com

FREE Birthday Party Tools at www.JungleJimBoston.com

Team Jungle!

So, who makes up the Jungle Jim's team? Is it just Jungle Jim? Definitely not! We're growing everyday.  Today let's talk about Carolyn Berg.



Carolyn is a virtual assistant. People often ask me "is she a real person?" I am happy to answer that yes, the DNA results were conclusive, and virtual assistants are real.


So a virtual assistant (typically abbreviated to VA, also called a virtual office assistant) is an entrepreneur who provides professional administrative, technical, or creative (social) assistance to clients from a home office. Because virtual assistants are independent contractors rather than employees, clients are not responsible for any employee-related taxes, insurance or benefits. Clients also avoid the logistical problem of providing extra office space, equipment or supplies.⁴  Thanks, Wikipedia!


<sup>Carolyn and I have been working together since 2007. I was very reluctant to hand over the reins of customer relations, but Carolyn was the man, er, VA for the job. Carolyn does a terrific job with all of our awesome clients, and I am very appreciative of the work she does.  


Not that there haven't been benefits to Carolyn working with a New England entertainer as well.  She has learned the intricacies of the Massachusetts highway system, including the 5 different names for each.  She now knows if a New Englander asks if we can perform in a "pa-hk," they are not referring to hockey.  Lastly, she now knows not to accept clam chowdah as payment for events.  


If call our 1-888-33-JUNGLE number, Carolyn will be the one to get back to you. Email us and she responds. She maintains the carrier pigeon flock, and all other forms of communication.  


So I'm a big fan of Carolyn and her team, and I wanted to give them a public shout out. If you happen to know of a small business owner who needs some administrative help, her contact information is below, and feel free to use me as a reference. Carolyn rocks!!!


Carolyn Berg
Cyber Office Solutions
carolyn@cyberofficesolutions.net
www.cyberofficesolutions.net
248-324-0802</sup>

Jim Manning

Birthday Party Expert, Celebration Coach, National Family Speaker 

1-888-33-JUNGLE (toll free)

Email@JungleJimBoston.com

FREE Birthday Party Tools at www.JungleJimBoston.com