TIBER RIVER

Shana Tovah!

To Beverly, Kayla, Jeni along with our wonderful customers and friends who celebrate.

May your hair, your teeth, your face-lift, your abs, and your stocks not fall.

And may your blood pressure, your triglycerides, your cholesterol, your white blood count and your mortgage interest not rise.

May you get a clean bill of health from your dentist, your cardiologist, your gastroenterologist, your urologist, your proctologist, your podiatrist, your psychiatrist, your plumber, and the Receiver of Revenue. 

May you find a way to travel from anywhere to anywhere during rush hour in less than an hour, and when you get there may you find a parking space. 

May this Yom Tov, find you seated around the dinner table, together with your beloved family and cherished friends, ushering in the Jewish New Year ahead.

May what you see in the mirror delight you and what others see in you delight them. 

Wishing you Health Happiness and Prosperity!

Love, Michelle and Adriana

(See below for the rest of today's post)

 

An Exciting Weekend in Winnipeg!

It is a fun, fabulous Friday today!  Wow, is there a lot going on in our great city this weekend. 

First, let's talk about the Give Away Weekend because that is going to be part of our Fun Friday Contest today.  I challenge you to leave your unwanted household items at the curb this weekend so someone else can enjoy your treasures.  Let's do our small part to keep more garbage out of the landfills!  Please leave us a comment and let us know what you left out this weekend.  I think I might put out half of my garage and maybe my kids too - just kidding of course (but it has been one of those mornings today).

Some other exciting goings on in downtown...

• A Lighting Design Competition on Broadway created by world-renowned lighting designers
• Taste of Downtown Winnipeg in Memorial Park (nibble cheese and sip cabernets and chardonnays - this is MY kind of event!)
• The Big Dance on Broadway - Winnipeg's Biggest Dance Party from Osborne to Carlton
• Winnipeg 10 & 10 - register at www.runningroom.com for a 10 km or 10 mile run or walk
• Ciclovia - Walk, jog, or cycle all the way from Assiniboine Park to the Forks while stopping at Broadway for a farmer's market, fitness demos, and kids' zone (I think I may take my kids for a little cycle tour tomorrow afternoon, how fun is that?!)

Check out www.lightsonbroadway.ca for more info on these exciting events.  Also, don't forget the Green Living Show at the Convention Centre is on too.  Three cheers for Winnipeg!

 

Are antibacterial soaps necessary?

I was emailed a question about antibacterial soaps and thought it would be a great blog post to go over.

According to a University of Michigan study, antibacterial soaps are no better than regular soap when it comes to killing bacteria.  Even worse, Triclosan, the antibacterial agent in typical hand soaps) may even help some bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics like amoxicilin as well as stay in our environment for many many years (it's been found in sludge more than 30 years old).

The study, published in the August edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases, reviews 27 studies conducted between 1980 and 2006, and found that the kinds of Triclosan-based antibacterial soaps sold to consumers were no better than plain soaps for removing bacteria and for preventing symptoms of infectious diseases.

Furthermore, the study found that e-coli becteria could survive exposure to the low levels of Triclosan used in consumer products.  I blogged about this a few years ago - click here to read it.

So, what does this mean for us?  Wash those hands well!  Regular soap and water does the trick as long as you wash like you mean it.  Sing a song (Happy Birthday is the one usually recommended) while you wash those hands.  You'll end up with wonderfully clean, germ-free hands as well as a smile on your face for feeling silly for singing a song ;o).

Enjoy the sun!!

Hump Day

We had a great team meeting last night and we implemented a No Complaining Challenge based on The No Complaining Rule by Jon Gordon.  The book is about the impact of negativity in the workplace and how everyone can me more conscious of the energy they are putting out.  Positive thoughts = success!  Check out the videos on www.thenocomplainingrule.com, they are good for a few laughs.  If you watch the second one, you'll see why I titled this blog "hump day"...if it's that bad, move on!  I am super grateful that I get to get up every morning and love what I do!  This business isn't work, it is a part of me.

I would like to congratulate Jenn S for winning a purse size bottle of our delicious Bobbing for Apples Lotion.  Please email me at michelle@tiberriver.ca and let me know which location is most convenient for you.  Thank you to everyone for their comments, please keep them coming!

Thank you to Vanessa for mentioning the Green Living Show this weekend at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.  Be sure to check it out at www.winnipeggreenshow.com This is the first year and hopefully Tiber can get there next year!  Stop by the Lifestyle Pass section of the show.  They are pre-selling passes and they are a fantastic deal!  Tiber River included 4 offers this year: 2 for 1 Tiber-Riffic Manicures, a complimentary brow wax, $10 off a Customized Facial, and 50% off one product of choice.

I'm off and running, catch up again on Fun Friday!  Is everyone having fun??

Dost thou love life?

I read a quote yesterday that really hit home with me.  I found it quite compelling and wanted to share it.  It is...

Dost thou love life?  Then do not squander time, for that is the STUFF LIFE IS MADE OF. - Benjamin Franklin

In his autobiography, Benjamin also lists 13 life virtues he feels are worth pursuing.  I have loved these for as long as I've known about them and wanted to share them too - and I wanted to tell you why I'm writing about Ben Franklin and not Bellini soap.

Tiber River, and this blog, are reflections of Michelle and myself.  They are about a life well lived... in beautiful skin.  Life is full of many things and this blog would not be us if we only talked about soap and lotion - we are so much more than that, as is our business.  It is what makes our company what it is.  It guides us in all decisions because we aren't just about making money, selling products and promoting products.  We are about living a happy, joy filled, adventurous, interesting FULL life and that includes our professional as well as personal lives.  And that is what you will find here - the personal and professional side of Tiber River.

So, without further ado, here are the 13 life virtues that I try to live my life by....

1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

2. Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.

3. Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

4. Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

5. Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; ie. waste nothing.

6. Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

7. Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

8. Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

9.  Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

10. Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes or habitation.

11. Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or avoidable.

12. Chastity: Rarely use vernery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.

13. Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

I have this made into a poster and it hangs above my computer, in our living room.  I look at it every day, talk about it with my kids and think about it every time I let junk pile up on the dining room table.  They are also prinicples that Tiber River is built on, because they are important to Michelle, myself and our team members.  

So, if these things are important to you as well, join us here for an interesting discussion of our business, our lives and our struggles.  

Enjoy the day!

Fun Friday!

What better time to start our Fun Fridays than the Friday of the long weekend!  Fall is officially here so our weekly Fun Friday contests will begin.  The inspiration from this contest came from my friend Crystal as a little pick me up when I broke my ankle last year.  We would spend time together on Fridays and this is what we called our special dates.  We would enjoy lunch, a bit of shopping, and sometimes even a quick trip to the spa.  Unfortunately, life has taken over and we haven't celebrated our friendship in a VERY long time! I miss her, I think I will call her today and set a date. 

Today's contest is short and sweet - what do you love most about the Fall?  Do you enjoy any special traditions this time of year?  Please leave us a comment and I will draw for a winner of our delicious Bobbing for Apples lotion on Tuesday.  By the way, our Fall products will be on the shelves this Wednesday.  Our delicious Bobbing For Apples and Blackberry Sage are back!

Personally I LOVE Fall!  I love the smells of the air, the colours of the trees, and the sense of organization and routine that happens this time of year.  It is always my time to refocus, regroup, and get things done.  It's also a reminder that the holiday season is just around the corner and that is my favorite time of year.

Have a great long weekend everyone!

Michelle

Canola Oil?

Yes!  Canola Oil.

As per your request, I will start explaining the different ingredients we use in our products.  This week, I thought I'd talk about Canola Oil.  We had a customer come in yesterday asking if we used GM (genetically modified) canola oil and it got me thinking about this wonderful oil and its many special qualities that people may not be aware of.

If you Google Canola Oil, you're likely to find many references to how bad this oil is, how it causes degenerative diseases, and so on.  You know, all the common horrifying references to supposedly bad ingredients.  However, as I have cautioned before, do not believe everything you read.

In fact, Canola oil is one of the healthiest oils available.  It is high in mono-unsaturated fats and omega 3's.  In clinical studies conducted over the past 20 years, Canola oil has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce clot formation, which in turn decreases the risk of heart disease and strokes.

We use Canola oil in almost all of our products.  Our lotions, scrubs, bar soaps and butters all contain it. It is grown and processed right here in Manitoba, thereby reducing energy costs associated with transportation.  

The question yesterday was "Do we use GM canola oil?"  The answer is yes, sort of.  You see, most of the Canola oil processed in Canada comes from GM plants.  However, that does not mean GM components can be found in the Canola oil itself.  It's kind of like our bar soaps.  We use Sodium Hydroxide to make our soaps (that's what make them a soap and not a detergent).  However, after the saponification process, no lye remains.  It is used up in the soap making process.  It is the ingredient that converts the oils and waters into soap.

To quote the Canola Council's own website, "Canola oil produced from GM plants is safe and healthy. And - canola oil itself does not contain any GM ingredients. The GM modification is made to one canola gene and it is a protein. All proteins are removed from canola oil during processing so canola oil made from GM plants is no different from conventional canola oil."

So, for us, after doing all the research, we know that Canola oil is a wonderful, useful, healthy oil that brings many special properties to anything it is used in.  For more reading, see the following links:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/canola-oil/AN01281

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/canola.asp

http://www.canolacouncil.org/canola_oil_the_truth.aspx