18 Month Whirlwind!

Hey Everyone!
I know I've been back and forth for a while on here, and please forgive my absence! Things have been Crazy (good)!! Today is Dablet's 18 month "birthday"! If someone told me 18 months ago as I settled in for our first night as a family of three that I would be in the position I'm in right now, I would have laughed! Don't you feel like we say that A LOT?! "If someone had told me then...." What I have realized is my idea of myself is ever changing. I am a constant work in progress and I LOVE IT!!

This is life now! Daily doses of perfect wrapped up in chaos!

I thought when I had my little girl that I would go back to work and she would go to daycare. I NEVER thought I would want to be a stay at home mom! It scared me to think that my identity would be based around another person, and to lose a certain amount of freedom; not to mention...where would the money come from?! I have been empowered by my Mary Kay business! I was lead to it for a reason greater than myself, or my family, and it has done things for us I never thought possible! I get to work, and I get to work from home! I get to work in chunks of time in between nap time, trips to the park, the grocery store, and snuggle sessions with my little girl! 

So why does all of this matter?! Because I know there are SO many other women out there afraid of losing individuality when they become mothers. Afraid of trusting their children to other people. Afraid of how they will make the ends meet each month in their bank accounts to make sure that those little sparkles we created have the best that life can offer! Life can be absolutely scary sometimes, but it gets a lot less scary when you hold out your hand and ask for help. When you take hold of an opportunity. When you empower yourself to MAKE A DIFFERENCE! That pebble drop in the pool causes ripples far beyond what you will be able to see, and you become an inspiring example for other women to do the same!

So, Cheers to 18 months of chaos and redefinition! I hope the next 18 are just as fabulous!!

Pucker up 2013!!

Hello again everyone!! It's been WAY too long since I got myself on here and shared with everyone! Every time I come to write something, something else pulls me away, and I have finally said "ENOUGH!"
I have learned so much this past holiday season from so many inspiring people. I took a seasonal position with Crate & Barrel doing visual merchandising and have LOVED it! I am a completely different type of shopper now, and can thoroughly appreciate the brains behind the beautiful displays we all see that make us think "I could live like that"! Through all of the challenges and growth that opportunity has provided me, I have still been looking for that thing that makes me say "I will live like that!" and seize my tomorrow today!

With Dablet now more of a little lady than ever, I have been hunting for an answer to the question: 

How do I provide for my family financially, maintain a flexible schedule, preserve the family fundamentals and priorities I have, and still feel fabulous as a woman?

I researched all kinds of independent sales opportunities. Some of them didn't have business models that made sense to me, others didn't provide a repeat customer base. Then two days before New Year's Eve I was perusing Facebook and it hit me....so I made the phone call. "Sign me up! I'm going to take 2013 by storm, look and feel fabulous doing it!" I was nervous and unsure of myself, but I took the leap! On New Year's Eve I officially started my own Mary Kay business!

I have been beyond inspired by the women who not only work their business, but also mother their children in a hands on way, and provide an incredible support system to all of the recruits like me! My eyes have been opened to an amazing world of reward so far outside the same hourly rate for your efforts. For being accountable to yourself and to the rest of the people you meet. This is not a sales industry...you don't have to believe me on that one (but I could prove it to you!), this is a people industry! 

The National Area I came into has a mascot, the giraffe. Why?! Because it has the largest heart of all land mammals, and it sticks it neck out! Also, the biggest natural predator to the giraffe is the hyena ..that would be all of those people laughing at the fact that they just read I started a Mary Kay business! It's OK though, it's not for everyone! However, if you would like to know more about how you can make your dreams a reality by doing this yourself, I would LOVE to chat with you about it. Maybe you dream is to just improve your skin and learn once and for all just how to use all of those products you convince yourself you need! 

It is a blessing to not only be able to say "I can help YOU", but to know that while doing so I can provide for my family and spend more hands on time with my fabulous little girl and husband!

This is Dablet recently "looking ahead" to 2013! I will make all of our dreams come true!

I ask you to help me "pay it forward" by sharing my enthusiasm with yourself, or maybe someone you know who could use an opportunity like this! Maybe let me pay it forward by treating you to a facial! The more I grow the more I will have to give. I have already thought of campaigns like Hearts for Home - donating goodie bags with Mary Kay products for military moms, wives, and girlfriends of deployed military - or- Pucker up for Paws where a portion of sales can go to a local animal shelter when they host a virtual party! I have always loved working for a cause, and so does Mary Kay! My immediate cause may be my family, but the year is young and I'm ready and willing to grow! 

You can shop online here

or email me by visiting the Contact page! 

Have a FABULOUS 2013 and remember to be your own kind of beautiful!

Mommy Monday

Happy Monday everyone! This mama is resting on the couch with Antz on in the background still in her PJs! Why?! Well, as life tends to do, we have been thrown another curve ball. After we sold our last company, I made the move to work from home (which I LOVE!). Now, not only am I full time working from home, but I'm also a full time stay at home mom! I've blogged about our fabulous nanny before, and we are incredibly sad to lose her! She will still hang out with Dablet when Kyle and I do date nights, and she's on our coed softball team so she isn't gone for good! I am looking forward to this new exploration of life with Dablet. Mondays will be Mommy Mondays because Kyle is in classes from 7am to 5pm (which means he leaves at 6am and gets home around 6pm) and Dablet and I can get into all kinds of trouble!
Today's "trouble" comes from the new Fall 2012 collection from Stella & Dot! As you may know, I'm co-hosting a virtual trunk show with Lindsey, from Lindsey Anne Interiors and blogging over at Pinklet & C, so the fun is open to everyone no matter where you live! While I would love to have a giant trunk show at my house, it's a bit "out of sorts" trying to purge just about everything in our yard sale 12 days from now!
Here are my favorites from the new fall line:

Gigi Studs

Olivia Bib Necklace

Lakra Bangle

These three items are from the Mod Safari collection within the new 2012 Fall line! I love these looks because they remind me of my trip to Kenya, Africa in 2007. The bangle has a "mate" with a zebra design that is called the "Kalahari Bangle". Africa holds a special place in my heart! If you decide to buy an item from the new Mod Safari collection as part of my Trunk Show by following this link PLEASE leave me a comment on this post! For each Mod Safari item sold I will make at least a $5 donation to the Kenyan Children Foundation. 

Another way to benefit the Kenyan Children Foundation is to shop my Etsy Shop Africa Photo Prints. I took all of these pictures on my trip in 2007 traveling with my family and the Kenyan Children Foundation. We worked at Nyumbani, an orphanage for HIV positive children, and two schools in the slums of Kenya. A mandatory activity was safari on the weekend to break from the emotional stress of the work. I will never forget how Africa touched my soul!

Here are my other favorites from the 2012 Stella & Dot Fall collection:

Lucia Bracelet

Pippa Necklace and Arc Drop Earrings

Another fun find is the Foundation Bracelet that benefits the Stella & Dot foundation aiding women and girls. It comes in a coral and teal (perfect for this season's colors!):

Let me know with a comment below if you snag one of these through the Trunk Show and we'll up our donation! 

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Mine was spent taking a break with my family before Kyle went back to school this week, softball games, house organization (perfectly inspired by the OlioHop from last week) and a great date night last night!

Happy Monday everyone!

The beauty of a nap

I feel like I should be jumping up and down singing and dancing because of the amazing revelation that has been made in our house over the past couple days. Abby has learned the beauty of a nap!!! Most people, parents and non-parents alike, expect their kids to sleep during the day. When we first interviewed our fantastic nanny Courtney, Abby was almost 3 months old and Courtney said, "she still sleeps most of the day, right?" Nope....not our child.
Since Abby was two months old she has been sleeping through the night. I know, shoot me now. Even our pediatrician tells us not to say that out loud when we are in his office because I'll have mothers putting out a hit on me. She started six hour chunks at 6 weeks old, and by 2 months she would go down around 9:30-10pm and sleep until 7:30/8, wake up to nurse, and then sleep again until 10ish. After that, she was awake. We might get a cat nap for 20-30 minutes, but nothing you could really "do anything" with. Did I complain? NO WAY! We were told that she would figure out her nap schedule eventually, and given that we needed to function efficiently during the day, I did not mind the sleep at night!
About 2/2.5 months ago she started going to sleep by 8pm (except for the special nights we go and watch Kyle play softball and she gets to "stay up late"), and she will wake up between 7 and 730, entertain herself in her crib for about 30 minutes, and then demand attention. Then it happened....we made friends with the morning nap about 6 weeks ago. All of a sudden one day she had her second bottle around 10am and went to sleep....and slept for an hour and a half. That nap has stuck ever since (with a few rogue mornings). It is absolutely amazing how much you can get done in an hour or two. I LOVE my daughter and I love hanging out with her, but the clothes need to be washed, dishes done, emails returned, business built, and sometimes this mama needs to sit down for ten minutes without being drooled on.
Two days ago Abby made another friend called "Afternoon nap". It was a discovery by accident, and again paired with a bottle. Around 2:30pm she had her afternoon bottle and looked very sleepy. Given that she had only slept for about 45 minutes that morning I thought, "hmmm, maybe I'll try laying her down". Sure enough, 20 minutes later she was out cold and slept for almost 2 hours! Not only is that impressive, but every time you lay her down now for a nap or for the night she does not cry. She plays with bun-b (her bunny "blanket" from Pottery barn) and goes to sleep. You can get your own bun-b here from Pottery Barn Kids (it's the Thumbie...Abby's is an older model and has knots on the edges, but this is pretty close!)

I think it's absolutely perfect that as soon as my life stops being so "scheduled" my daughter decides to adapt to a nap schedule that allows me to have some "me time". The only thing we need to work on now is how to avoid the predictable mid-morning-nap stinky diaper. I'm convinced that she's sleep longer if she wasn't sleeping in stunk...I mean, wouldn't you?  Every day I spend with her I admire stay at home moms so much more. There is nothing "easy" about that job. It takes a lot of work, dedication, patience, and flexibility. With me still working and playing more of an "at home mom" role, I rely heavily on my support system of Kyle, Courtney, Mimi, Grandy, Fairy Godmommy Lindsey, and all of those who send me encouragement via text, Facebook, and email. Of course, I still aspire to someday take a nap of my own during the day, and to "think happy nap thoughts" here are a few of my favorite nap products!

Eucalyptus Spearmint Pillow Mist from Bath and Body Works for anti-stress or my other favorite pillow mist:

Lavender Chamomile Pillow Mist and right now Bath and Body Works is having a buy two get one free mix and match sale!
Also, check out Dream Essence for a full line of masks, body pillows, and aroma therapy sachets as well!

Until next time, happy napping!!

Dabble