Tastefully Simple consultant Jacki Pitkow enjoys raising her boys in Bucks County!

This week’s featured mama of the week is Jacki Pitkow, mom to two boys ages 3 and 5 years.  Her boys keep her busy by playing with cars, playdoh, crafts, going to the playground, and play dates.  Her older son likes to play his Wii and DS games.  She mentioned that parenting is “certainly an adventure! It’s wonderful to be able to support and see how my 2 boys grow and explore the world! I love to hear my boys tell me they love me, it warms my heart! I couldn’t ask for anything else! Seeing their accomplishments in life from activities like karate and preschool are priceless.”  She finds parenting to be challenging at times, as “boys will be boys and things can get a bit crazy sometimes! Keeping an even keel is really the best option but not always the case. The boys sharing toys can be a challenge and they don’t always want to share. This is one of the biggest challenges. Sometimes buying 2 of the same toys is the solution, other times is teaching them that they must take turns!”  A common challenge with which many parents can relate!

When asked how she teaches her boys about being kind, Jacki said, “my husband and I make sure they know how to share and we speak about donating and helping others out.  Because I own my own business, I have the option to donate to causes which I believe in. On a regular basis I host fundraisers and donate to non-profits. This includes Kisses For Kyle, March of Dimes and Susan G. Komen. I am always open to helping other organizations and would love to be contacted by the community for this.”

Being a work at home mom helps keep Jacki connected

Jacki is a work at home mom.  She explained, “I have a background in Hotel/Restaurant Management and worked as a banquet manager for many years. I decided to leave the business and enter the corporate world. It’s there I met my husband. When I gave birth to our 1st son my husband and I decided I would leave my project manager role. I wasn’t home with my son for very long when I realized I felt shut-off from the world and needed to reconnect! Going back to my love of the food business, I started to research options. My sister suggested this really cool company – Tastefully Simple! After some research and consideration, I signed up as a consultant with Tastefully Simple (a gourmet foods company marketed via home parties). Currently I am a team manager and will be celebrating 4 years in business this July. This is a wonderful mix and I love it! I have a wonderful team of ladies whole excel in their own ways. Being a consultant for Tastefully Simple allows me to control my schedule and choose when I want to work. My husband and inlaws help watch the kids when I have a taste testing party or business meeting. We also have some very reliable baby sitters which the kids love! I love food and Tastefully Simple has fabulous products and as a company they are very rewarding! I feel very lucky to be able to work with such a flexible schedule.”

Since Jacki is in the food business, she shared a yummy dessert recipe with Mama’s Little Helper.  It uses Tastefully Simple products, that she certainly could help readers purchase if they would like to make Crazy For Coconut Truffle Fudge Bars themselves!

Using social media for business and personal purposes helps Jacki stay connected.  She said, “I love social media and it’s a big part of my communication to my friends, customers and potential customers. I use Facebook for both business and personal connections. From a business standpoint, I’ve signed a consultant to my team as well as received orders and parties from promoting my business on Facebook. I feel this is one of the more effective platforms for me. Twitter allows for a wider audience and I do have a nice following, but I don’t see as much business come from it. I feel linkedin allows me to stay connected with my business contacts. I am also the woman behind tweeting and social media for the business group NBPA (Newtown Business and Professional Association) and feel all businesses need to have a presence online with social media! My goal is to start a blog to share with the world my favorite recipes, as well as insights on social media and the direct sales world.”

A favorite neighborhood spot to explore for Jacki and her family is Newtown.  From the variety of restaurants to visit, the parks for the kids, and many other local businesses they like to patron.  ”Bucks County is such a beautiful place and has so much to offer and explore!”  A great family tradition they have is visiting Disney every year.   She said that her kids love it and even though it’s a tiring trip, the family has a fantastic time. “It gives us a chance to all be together for a good amount of time! It’s precious to see the enjoyment on my kids faces,” she mentioned.

To relax without her kids, Jacki enjoys a night out with friends or her husband.  She thinks it’s important to have some adult time away from her kids to chat, eat and relax.  She also enjoys going for walks, listening to music and just taking in her surroundings.  She also mentioned that as a side hobby she likes to find the best deals that she can on the web for purchases before buying.  She said, “I love a great sale!”

If you would like to contact Jacki regarding Tastefully Simple, she can be reached via email at jpitkow@comcast.net.

Thanks Jacki for being a featured mama of the week on Mama’s Little Helper!

Mama Diane