week of arrivals

I ordered quite a bit on Monday and I wasn't expecting all of it to come this week. Flip covers, my monthly Melaleuca order...it's just been an exciting week!

I've been slowly switching over to Melaleuca over the past few months and I honestly haven't found a single product I don't LOVE.

Things I love about the products:
GREEN!!! all-natural products. I can clean my house with my 10 mo old right beside me.
CHEAP - not kidding. Take the cleaning stuff for example: it's concentrated because they assume you have water, so you don't pay for water. I spend about 50% of what I used to spend on vitamins/cleaners/bath&body.
They work. REALLY well.
You're not buying anything new. You're just shopping at a different (better and less expensive) store. I don't buy anything I would be buying anyway (e.g. dish soap, body wash, laundry detergent).

Things I love about the company:
I do NOT sell products. I just tell people how awesome Melaleuca is.
100% money-back guarantee (not that I would send stuff back)
Customer service is fantastic.
They are over 25 years old.

I had my mom try one of their lotions to help with her psoriasis, and she loved it. Now the hard part begins. I'm not that much of a social person. I wanted to start representing Melaleuca because I really like the products. I am in no way, shape, or form, a salesperson, so I'm very glad that there is no product to sell.

The main problem with getting things going with Melaleuca is I'm not really one of those people who just talks about stuff. I don't talk much about my parenting style, my view on politics, what cleaners I use and love... *sigh* I think I need to break out of my shell. I mean really, how bad is it to talk about things you really like that are environmentally safe? Most moms would love to clean their kitchen and not get nauseated because of bleach products.

I'm more of a seed planter.
"Oh wow, your kitchen looks amazing!"
"Thanks, I use all natural products."
"Isn't that expensive?"
"Not at all."
**6 mos later**
"Hey you said what you use isn't expensive...what kind of stuff do you use?"

It takes a long time for things to grow.
But I'm surprisingly patient with things like that. :)

Flip covers...

...came in the mail yesterday!! With a free 4.0 to boot!

They are all washed and ready to go! I loooooove my bumGenius 4.0 pockets, but I was really anxious to try a hybrid diaper. I like how the inserts fit in the covers (I guess I'm a bad stuffer...I tend to get bunches in my pockets), and Bug doesn't seem to know the difference.

My plan is to use the Flips during the day and the 4.0s for naps and night time (I can double stuff and it won't shift).

Exciting!

In other news, my little brother flew in from Nashville this morning to celebrate my hubby graduating and my birthday (both on saturday). It should be a blast, most of my family is coming, hubby's family is more spread out.

Bug really likes her uncle and kept smiling at him during lunch. She is such a ham sometimes. I can't believe she is 10.5 months old. It's just crazy.

More to come as I spend some time with the Flips. :)

concerted effort

Quite a few changes to be made. I think the reason I have done so poorly at blogging is because I have tried too hard to try and categorize my blog (i.e. "Well, I think I'll only talk about *this* type stuff"). This has OBVIOUSLY been wildly successful for me.

After much reevaluation, I think I will continue to blog...whatever I feel like. (I know this seems simple, but I blame baby-brain.)

I have taken on many new projects since I've started staying at home. I left my job in May, and needing some things to occupy Bug's nap times. I love baking, and I had tried making bread a couple of times, so I thought it would be fun to take that up. I have mastered (to my family's taste) sandwich bread, both white and wheat, pizza crusts, pitas, and my granny's hot water rolls. I'm excited about trying new breads.

My mom gave me her sewing machine. Not much interesting is happening there...I still sew about as well as I did 10 years ago. (Read: I straight seam.)

Bug is growing up soooo quickly. I am so impressed at her skills. She is just a blast to be around.

I mean seriously, is she not the cutest thing?

I'm so ready for her Flip covers to get here tomorrow!!! Don't get me wrong, I LOOOOVE BG4.0, but I'm anxious to try Flip.

I starting working for this company called Melaleuca. I work from home which is the absolute best part about the job.

I think that's about it for changes.

fell off the bandwagon

Well that didn't work out too well. In the midst of having a baby, I forgot I had a blog. Don't know what happened to my priorities. ;)

Update:
I had a baby. She's precious. 4 months old today.

 3 days old. Diva from the start.

 1 month old. Such a happy baby.

 2 months old. Rocking the bow.

 3 months old. Moving to our new home.

 4 months old...or pretty close. Hanging with daddy.


She is such an angel, and we are having a blast.
We moved into a new apartment. We needed more space, and the management at our old complex turned for the worst.

We are soon to start rice cereal with Bug. I'm very excited.

And in even more exciting news...I'm leaving behind my teaching career at the end of this school year. If I ever go back to teaching in public education, it will be in higher education. My 3 years of tutoring high school, and 4 years of teaching jr high have been eye opening and enjoyable, but I have been called to stay home, and I am ready to embrace the calling. :)