My first Arbonne party

I invited some friends over today to hear my friend Nancy talk about the Arbonne product line. The presentation went over quite well and I had a bunch of orders afterwards. My mother-in-law had a chance to try the Transforming Lift Creme sample I gave her over a week ago. She used it around her eye and said she has definitely noticed a difference. Today she ordered the day creme and serum to go with it. Nancy will help me with a few more parties then after that I'm on my own and will be doing the presentations myself. I'm excited about it but nervous at the same time.

Leaves and backyard creatures

The kids, including our dog Twinky having fun jumping in a pile of leaves I just raked up.

Later in the evening Lindsey spotted what looked like a rat running outside the edge of our sliding glass door. When Ernie went outside to catch it, he realized it wasn't a rat, it was gopher. Rats scurry away as fast as they can but this little monster just looked at Ernie as if to say "yeah, I'm the one digging the holes in your front yard, what about it?" I have to admit though, he looked kinda cute. Lindsey and Nikki even told their dad not to hurt it. He put it in a box and the three of them drove a few blocks to let it go at a nearby school.

My Entertainer

Here is a video of Lindsey playing "The Entertainer". Please excuse the blanket curtain in the background. We haven't painted the living room since we did some remodeling work. Enjoy!

Hair Envy

Nikki has always hated having her hair brushed. She can go days without letting me brush her and she'll literally run from me as soon as she sees the brush in my hand. Even after a bath she refuses to let anyone touch her. While babysitting, her grandma Elena won't even fight her on this because she is just too quick to be chasing around the house. Tonight as we sat together and played games I noticed her hair was really matted. I grabbed a brush and made her sit down in front of me and braced myself. She cried and cried but I had to tune her out so that I can get her hair up in a ponytail, braid it and just be done with it. As I did this Lindsey was sitting right beside me just staring at her hair and when we both made eye contact we had to laugh because we each knew what the other was thinking. Lindsey doesn't like her hair because it's very wavey and frizzy. I don't like mine because it's curly and thin. I have a thyroid problem that causes hair loss/thinning so it's kind of a slap in the face for someone who once had thick, straight hair. So Lindsey and I were both looking at Nikki's lovely locks each wishing we had something of hers. Lindsey just wanted her straight hair and I wanted straight AND thick hair.

Family Time

Today was the first Saturday I got to sleep in in a long time. I so needed the extra couple hours of sleep. I have been so busy with work and staying up late on some nights certainly hasn't helped. We had the girls music lessons scheduled for Saturday mornings but decided to switch back to Thursdays at 7pm. Luckily, Lisa, our piano instructor is pretty flexible with us. We've switched days I don't know how many times. Saturday mornings was just too crazy for us as we tended to sleep in only to wake up at 9:00, drag the kids out of bed, shower and then rush out of the house to make their 10:15 music lesson. Sometimes they didn't even have time to eat their breakfast. It was just too stressful.

We had a barbeque at my brother's house today. The girls just love their uncle Gonz and can never get enough of his pool. After we ate it took me a good hour before I got in the water. For some reason the kids can simply jump in and not feel how freezing cold the water is. As for me, I go in, inch by inch. Gonzalo laughs at me because, according to him, I exaggerate. But once I'm in, the water feels great and I stop shivering. I can certainly swim but I'm definitely not a strong swimmer. Never have been. I have terrible lung capacity whereas Lindsey swims like a fish. I swear she has gills. Nikki is still learning but she's almost there. She just needs more confidence and less time with her floaties on. At one point Lindsey was trying to drag me to her dad so he could lift me up and throw me in the water. We were laughing so hard because she kept pulling me towards her dad while I was kicking and trying to break free. But she was so dang strong. I couldn't believe I was being held hostage by an 11 year old. I called her the "water bully". She just laughs. Nikki was enjoying herself as well and so proud of herself each time she swam to me or her dad without her floaties. But after a while she gets tired and puts them back on. I have to admit when she has them on I'm a little more at ease because I know those things will hold her up but I still keep a close eye on her just in case.

Doctor Appointment

It seems that my doctor appointments are never ending. I can't seem to go one month without having to see someone about a pain here or a pain there or for a check-up or follow-up. Sometimes I think I'm just being paranoid but when I talk to fellow breast cancer survivors I find that I'm not alone and its just the way it is for us. Not every ache or pain means something serious. But at the same time I can't ever let my guard down or even think for a minute that it's "probably nothing".

My appointment today was with Dr. Evans, my breast surgeon. She is one awesome lady with the most skillful hands I have ever seen. She sees me every 6 months just to do a thorough breast exam and to see how I'm feeling. She didn't find any lumps or anything abnormal which was a relief. She did give me an order to get my annual MRI done this November. Something I dread so much but I know I have to do. I feel great and all my mammograms have been normal but I just can't help feeling that touch of angst in the days leading up to my mammograms or MRIs. When I get this way Ernie always reminds me of all the prayers that were answered and that I need to keep my faith in God going strong and to stop thinking about the "what ifs", live in the moment and be happy about today. I know he's right. It's just hard sometimes.

New Business

I've been so busy lately with this new skin care business. I have lots to learn and lots to do but I'm enjoying it. At times it can be a bit stressful, but then what job isn't. The thing I love about it is that I can decide how many hours I want to put into it. I guess that is the beauty of having a home-based business, you're the boss and can set your own hours. But I do have to be disciplined and devote enough time to it if I want to work towards the goals I've set for myself. A friend at work said she heard about Arbonne and about how good their products are and asked to see the catalog. She ordered a few items and said she wanted to hear a presentation about it. My upline and I want to have one at my house next Saturday. I hope to get at least 5 people to come. So far I have two who are very interested. Another is a friend who did register and is now waiting to get her official consultant ID#. She plans on attending the presentation at my house next Saturday. I'm kinda nervous about it since I'm still in training myself and learning the ropes as I go along. Eventually I will train her so she can train other consultants whom she might sponsor.

Sisterly Love

Nikki helping the wounded


Putting Lindsey's sandals on for her


Big hugs!

Well it was that time again for Lindsey to get her shots. She had to have her Tdap and meningococcal vaccines. Her doctor offered the HPV vaccine but I don't think it's been out long enough for us to really see if it's safe or not. I've heard some disturbing things about it and I'm just not sold on it yet. I'm still very skeptical and just went with my gut feeling and decided to wait. Meanwhile I'll just keep the lines of communication open with my girls and have those mother-daughter chats as often as possible. After the shots Lindsey did get, Nikki was so attentive to her big sister. When we got home, she helped her take off her shirt and just waited on her hand and foot. She wasn't in any great pain of course, just some mild soreness at the injection sites. It was just so cute to watch how Nikki cared for her. Here are some shots of them after we got home. You could tell Lindsey loved the attention.

I'm Official

A few weeks ago a dear friend of mine introduced me to Arbonne skin care products. I must say that this stuff is really good for the skin. It's all vegan and natural with no artificial preservatives or harmful chemicals or dyes. Some of the health problems I've had in the past has caused me to be weary of what I eat and what I put on my body. I was sold on this stuff when I tried the 5-step anti-aging product line. It left my skin feeling renewed, fresh and smooth, not dry like other products I've tried. I've also ordered their mineral powder and I really like how it covers up my sun spots or freckles or whatever you call them. After reading up on this stuff and learning more about where their skin care line is formulated, I decided to sign up as a consultant. Today I finally got my PIN and confirmation # in the mail. I just ordered a bunch of samples and stuff so I can start sharing with family and friends. I have worked as a secretary for a local hospital for 18 years now and while I've made lasting friendships and learned so much over the years, life at work for the last 9 months has become very stressful for me. There are days I wish I could just walk away and never look back. I am no salesperson but I'm always up for trying something new.

Baking Lemon Bars

I was cleaning out our pantry today and found some old recipes. Lindsey loves cooking so she wasted no time in picking out recipes she wanted to try herself. She found one for lemon bars that my friend Jill gave me.

Lindsey mixing the ingredients

Pouring the mix into the crust

Nikki was given the job of sprinkling powdered sugar on the lemon bars but Lindsey was just so eager to do it herself

Nikki finally gets her turn

Mmmmmm.....

Night at the park

Last night we went to Whaley Park which isn't far from where we live, and watched Shrek 3 on a big inflatable outdoor screen. It was our first time going to one of these "movie at the park" deals. There was free popcorn and drinks which was nice. The kids had a good time.

Introduction

Here I am wishing I would have started this blog ages ago when my kids were smaller. But better late than never, right? I use to keep a journal years ago but I wasn't very consistent with keeping up with it. This is much easier minus the messy writing. I write like a kid and sometimes can't even make out my own writing...sad.

Well here are some tidbits about my life. I'm a mom, wife, cook, chauffeur, and I don't know what else. My oldest daughter Lindsey is 11 years old and will soon start the 6th grade. She is growing up and I can't for the life of me figure out how to slow this process down. One day she was reaching up to me with arms extended pleading "mommy, upsy we goesies" and now all I hear is "mom, you can let go of my hand now". Suddenly my grip tightens and I've cut off circulation to her arm and then we both burst out laughing. She is a good girl, very studious and very talented. She never ceases to amaze her father and me with her amazing dedication and focus on her grades and her music. Truly a blessing. My youngest Nicole is 6 and soon to be a 2nd grader. She is my most active child who is just a ball of energy from the moment she wakes up until it's time to go to bed. Her creative nature is what keeps me entertained the most and her eagerness to keep the family involved in her little "shows" is just so cute. She expresses her love for us with not just her words but her little gestures. I'll have the worst day at work only to come home and find one of her precious drawings of our family on my bed. It's moments like these that make me tear up and remember that life is so short but the love of child goes on forever.

My husband Ernie works as an electronics engineer. We have been together 14 years and married only 5. I guess you could say we did everything backwards. We moved in together first, then got pregnant, then bought a house and then got married. As the years went by and the kids came we became more involved in church and realized that we were not setting a good example for our kids. Lindsey would often ask why my last name was different from hers. I don't know what kept us from making it official. All I knew was that our relationship was rock solid. But still, it was time and so on March 4th, 2003 we got married in front of the justice of the peace. Nothing big, just a small private ceremony. We were both happy and just tickled that we finally got married after so many years. Hopefully some day we'll have a big wedding with family and friends to share in the moment. But for now we're good.