Don't forget areas that would tan naturally in sun, back of your legs, knees, arms, and neck. When applying to your face, remember to smooth it on your eyelids and into your hairline -- avoiding your eyes and hair. For people with sensitive skin, there are self tanning lotions formulated specifically for your face and will result in a more natural look.

If you will be wearing your hair up, don't forget to apply self tanner on back of your neck, and behind your ears to look more natural.

When you're finished, wash your hands thoroughly if you chose not to wear gloves, so your palms don't turn an unnatural color. Use a hand towel to dry them completely. Before lotion dries, it's more likely to tan what you're wearing too, so let yourself dry and put on some loose clothing. If you're going to be sitting on a cloth chair or couch, sit on a towel to avoid staining.

For a deep, dark tan before a special occasion, apply self tanning lotion before bed, and again in morning. Before you go out, check yourself in mirror for any streaks and correct them with a damp paper towel. Apply bronzing powder to your face and shoulders for a finishing touch, and hit town!

Lastly, I decided that it was time to try and start a business of my own. As I said, I did not want to work in an office, I really liked my freedom and my new found creativity that I hadn’t known existed (or hadn’t allowed to exist) before my latest revelation. I began by talking with friends who were entrepreneurial in spirit. Some took odd job/ handyman approach, some were contractors and one is even a published author! (You can visit her web site at address below, but be sure to come back and see me.) All were getting by and staying active in working world on their own terms. I looked into sales such as party goods and home decorations and found that I just wasn’t passionate about those items and that just wasn’t for me.

However, sometimes best things come out of blue and that’s what happened to me.

I was speaking with my mother about making rootbeer. She made it when we were kids, by actually digging root from a tree (or bush) . . . not sure. Well anyway, she couldn't remember what kind of root it was and I entered a search for root beer and stumbled onto Watkins Online. I was intrigued with products. When I realized it was a work-at-home opportunity, I was doubly surprised, since I had just recently decided to try and get something started.

As I dug deeper into Watkins story and company background, (bb reports, message boards, Winona local news, etc.), I realized that this looked like a solid company, with good community ties, good ethical background and management, and a great product line to boot!

Well, I got off track and never found answer to my rootbeer question, needless to say. But I’ve found a way to incorporate my desire to rekindle relationships, make new and lasting friendships and feel productive without taking time away from my family. These things are most important aspects of my life and I’m glad that I’ve been given opportunity to gain some insight into my own needs and actually do something about satisfying them. Hopefully, sharing my experience will help others to find out what exactly it is that they are missing in their lives and make some positive changes.

Pat Choinski is a 40 something baby boomer, married with two children, and lives in the Northeast. She's an independent distributor for Watkins products and looks forward to making her business a success.