All Clean Softwash May 2019

All Clean Softwash May 2019

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MAY 2019

No Wonder I Ended Up at All-Clean! With a MomWho Loves Yardwork

I’ve told you a little about my mom, Janet, in this newsletter before, when I told the incredible story of her discovering her birth mother through a DNA test. While that tale is beyond remarkable, it doesn’t really say much about what makes my mom so special. In honor of Mother’s Day, I figured it’s time to set the record straight. Mom was a kind and steady presence in our lives when my brother and I were growing up. She always knew just how to make us smile. I remember countless times when I was feeling down — after a disappointing day at school or one of those personal crises that feel like the end of the world to a teenager — she’d have the perfect quip ready to put a smile on my face. At that time, I thought it was just her expert comedic timing. Now I realize it was that combined with excellent parenting and a giant helping of motherly love.

Our zeal for property upkeep wasn’t limited to our home. We were avid landscapers — well, Mom and I were. My brother would describe his role as one of forced labor. On the weekends, you could safely bet that Mom would be out pruning the shrubs, mowing the lawn, and the like. To me, it was a

joyous bonding experience. Come to think of it, I probably should’ve included all of those years of at-home landscaping in my resume when I applied to work at All-Clean!

Mom still lives in our childhood home in Lake Oswego. Whenever I return, I’m flooded with memories of the wonderful childhood she provided us. I can only hope I offer my daughter, Justine, the same wonderful upbringing we had. In closing, I just want to say thank you to my mom. Thank you for everything. I don’t say it enough, but I truly cannot imagine what my life would be like without you. Also, you still have the best yard in the neighborhood. I’m sure that, like your generous spirit and kind heart, will never change.

Another of my mom’s preternatural talents is keeping a tidy home. She is a self- proclaimed neat freak even to this day. She began working once we started going to school, but she always had time to organize, decorate, and clean. Well, she also had the help of two captive employees. Between the two of us, I certainly got the strongest neatnik gene. I don’t think my

brother would even attempt to argue with that statement. As a small child, one of my favorite “games” was organizing the cupboards. I’d get up on a little step stool and move things around to my liking. My mom says it wasn’t one of those activities where a kid moves stuff around just for the sake of it; I actually wanted the cupboards to look nice and make it easy for us to get what we needed. Yes, in case you’re wondering, I was a quirky child.

–Jennifer Ricca

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The Power of ‘Mindset’

How Being Open to Growth Leads to Success

question. Subtitled “The New Psychology of Success,” this book chronicles the Stanford psychologist’s findings, which suggest an inseparable link between belief and achievement. According to Dr. Dweck, people tend to think about the challenges in front of them in one of two ways. They either have a “fixed” mindset — believing that their talents and abilities are static, intrinsic properties of who they are — or a “growth” mindset — believing they can improve every aspect of themselves with practice and perseverance. Those who approach life’s hurdles as an opportunity for growth are the ones who find long-term success. If you’ve ever said “I’m just not good at math” or “I’m not a natural leader,” you’ve fallen into the fixed mindset trap. If you believe there’s nothing you can do to change your circumstances, you’ll never strive to improve them. The same is true

of positive fixed opinions of yourself. Dr. Dweck points out that those who believe themselves to be “a great boss” or “an amazing athlete” are also doing themselves a disservice. Once you think your skills are tied to who you are as a person, you’ll avoid challenging them for fear they might be found wanting. This leads your talents to atrophy as you seek detours rather than facing challenges head-on. Dr. Dweck argues that, instead of falling victim to the pessimism and self-delusion that defines fixed mindset thinking, we need to recognize that the path to success lies in open-minded perseverance. “A person’s true potential is unknown (and unknowable),” she says. “It’s impossible to foresee what can be accomplished with years of passion, toil, and training.” Not only does “Mindset” drive this point home with well-documented experiments and studies, but it also provides a workshop to help people break free of their fixed mindset and find success.

For decades, Dr. Carol S. Dweck studied the phenomena of success. How is it that some people are able to grow their business, stay fit, or achieve their personal goals while others in similar situations stall out? “Mindset” is Dr. Dweck’s answer to this

Meet Laury Perry Our Customer Service Wizard

Have you called All-Clean! in the past year or so? If so, you’ve probably had the wonderful experience of speaking to Laury Perry. While her technical title is office assistant, we like to think of her as our customer service wizard extraordinaire. She’s been a member of our team since July of last year and is an invaluable part of our squad.

sudden, you see the perfect solution that allows everything to line up. It’s like dropping a Tetris block in the perfect spot.”

In addition to her lightspeed puzzle-solving skills, Laury also appreciates the human element of her role. “I love the people I work with, and I really enjoy getting to know our customers,” she says. “Don’t tell anybody, but sometimes I stay on the phone just to chat with people and learn about their homes and lives.” Don’t worry, Laury, your secret is safe with us — just kidding, it’s definitely not. We can’t help but tell everyone how great you are to talk to! Outside of work, Laury is a dedicated gamer and science nerd. When she’s not battling her way through “Kingdom Hearts 3,” she’s probably out in the woods with her trusty handheld microscope. At All-Clean!, we don’t have an XP system for our employees, but if we did, you can bet that Laury would’ve leveled up many times by now. We’re lucky to have her on the team. The next time you call us, you’ll have a chance to find out why.

You couldn’t create a better office assistant than Laury if you had one of those video-game character creators to do so. She’s friendly, has the memory of an elephant, and is an expert at spinning multiple plates at once. Creating a schedule that allows for maximum efficiency and customer satisfaction isn’t always an easy task, but it’s one Laury relishes. “I like to think of part of my job as solving a puzzle,” she says. “It doesn’t always look like there’s a solution, but when all the pieces move into place, it’s an amazing feeling. All of a

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INGREDIENTS • 1 1/4 cups strawberries, chopped • 1/2 cup granulated sugar • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice Strawberry Mango Paletas DIRECTIONS 1. In a small saucepan, toss strawberries with 1/4 cup of the sugar and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. 2. Add 1/4 cup water and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Cook strawberries until mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.

Sudoku

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt • 2 medium ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, and chopped

6. In the blender, purée strawberry mixture until smooth. 7. Into eight 3-ounce ice pop molds, spoon 2 tablespoons mango purée. Add 2 tablespoons strawberry purée to each mold, then top with remaining mango purée, leaving 1/2 inch between filling and top of mold. 8. Using a small knife, gently swirl mango and strawberry layers together. 9. Insert wooden ice pop sticks and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours and preferably overnight. 10. Dip molds in hot water for a few seconds, then unmold paletas and serve immediately. 3

3. Remove from heat and stir in 1

tablespoon of the lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt.

4. Let cool completely, about 45 minutes. 5. Meanwhile, in a blender, purée mangoes with remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until smooth. Scrape into a medium bowl and clean the blender.

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Inside This Issue

A TRIBUTE TO MY MOTHER PAGE 1 HOW BEING OPEN TO GROWTH LEADS TO SUCCESS

SPOTLIGHT ON LAURY PAGE 2

STRAWBERRY MANGO PALETAS PAGE 3 HOW TO CELEBRATE INDULGENT MAY HOLIDAYS PAGE 4

How to Find Success in a Month of Excess May’s Food-Related Holidays Are a Thing of Beauty

Set the diets aside and poke another notch or two in your belt because May isn’t pulling any punches when it comes to sweet and savory holiday regrets. From National Hoagie Day and National Pizza Party Day to the holidays that really spell it out for you like International No Diet Day and National Eat What You Want Day, we’re all looking forward to an excuse to let our stomachs hang low this month. For those of you who plan on partaking, let’s take a look at the best junk food-related holidays this month and how to celebrate them!

lazy, throw an apple pie potluck and watch your store-bought delight steal the show as your audience praises your craftsmanship and attention to detail — just how Sara Lee taught you.

NATIONAL HAMBURGER DAY Tuesday, May 28

As if one day wasn’t enough, it turns out that the entire month of May is recognized as National Hamburger Month! Meat lovers rejoice as patties of heavenly beef are

NATIONAL APPLE PIE DAY Monday, May 13

passed around the table for all to enjoy. There’s no shortage of ways to celebrate this patriotic pastime. From grilling out with the neighbors to making sliders for your new love interest, there’s a little something for everyone, especially considering the advances we’ve made in burger technology in recent years. If meat isn’t your thing, throw a veggie or tofu burger on the grill and season it to mouth- watering perfection. We won’t tell the beef purists if you don’t.

Gather your friends and family around the table and dust off Grandma’s old recipes, because it’s time to treat yourself to the most American thing since, well, itself. National Apple Pie Day is a great

opportunity to spend quality time with your loved ones while baking the most traditional American dessert. Make the process a game by pairing off into teams for a bake-off; you can even pit the kids against the adults — with a little supervision of course. If you’re feeling a little

Eat up, everybody. Happy holidays.

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