Arbonne Adventure...

This time of the year is always insane for me... Our biggest project of the year happens at work and has everyone at a high anxiety level and struggling to find a work/life balance.  At the same time, kids are going back to school and starting activities, and all those end of summer plans are quickly jammed in "before it is too late".  It is just a busy time...  So, just in case I didn't have enough going on, I decided to start my own business... Yes, in the midst of O at a new school, starting dance and Daisy's, and my own hectic schedule at the other job I have, I decided to take a chance on something that could change everything. 

Those who know me well know that I wouldn't just do this in the midst of all the crazy in my life if I didn't have a lot of good reasons and really believe in it... This opportunity came to me in the form of reconnecting with an old friend who introduced me to Arbonne, and  then had to spend many, many (nine to be exact) months talking to me about the possibilities.  I also used that time to do my own due diligence...because, hey, my practical side won't allow me to do anything less.  And over that time I made some discoveries about Arbonne, about my own future, and found myself committing to becoming a part of it all.

Arbonne is a company originally founded in Switzerland in 1975 and brought to the United States in 1980... they offer an amazing line of health and wellness products, primarily focused on skincare.  Initially I tried NOT to like every product... but I couldn't help myself when I was quickly won over by the quality of the products and the real, true results.  Pure, safe, beneficial is their motto and what they stand for... But bigger and better than the products...I really like what the company is all about.  This is a company with a founder that wanted to pass along the opportunity for individuals to become entrepreneurs and develop their own businesses in a format that allowed them flexibility and the option to do as much or as little as their family life would allow.  At the same time, he believed in providing the training and support that would assist these individuals in becoming successful... And he believed in these individuals passing along the gift to others, so that they could be a part of the success, too.

For me, I realized that this is an opportunity to feel more in control of my own future... In the uncertain times that we live in, with the responsibilities that we all shoulder, it is hard to turn away from something that could change your life.  When I listed my "why" reasons... I kept thinking about O and how valuable it was to me to find an opportunity to earn some real money in a business of my own, where I control my schedule.  To have some extra money for tuition, ballet lessons, a bigger college fund... those are all motivating factors.  But I also thought... What if I was able to take the team-building skills I have learned over the years and pass along this opportunity to others who are just like me, and looking for something like this?  Maybe I could help others find success, too.

So, Arbonne is now a part of my crazy life... This weekend is the official "launch" of my business, and I find that I am way more excited than nervous (wasn't sure which I would be) and feeling very ready to begin this new venture.  And here is the "ad" you are now subjected to... If you are interested in learning more about Arbonne... I would really like to share the story and the products with you and some friends, so feel free to invite me over and I will treat you all to a relaxing, fun, spa party...with lots of benefits!

Bye, bye, blankie...

Before O was even born, my Aunt Kay crocheted a blanket just for her... baby-sized, a soft light blue, just right to wrap our new baby girl in.  We had a whole stash of similar blankets... not all hand-made, but a collection of colors, levels of softness, big ones, little ones, etc.  Over time, O decided which one was her favorite.  From the very beginning her "blue blankie" was the one she liked best.

As a toddler, we did not go anywhere without the blue blanket... It traveled anywhere we went...daycare, trips out of town, to the doctor, to the grocery store.  Blue blanket was O's constant companion, providing warmth, comfort, and a friend to cuddle with; and was the only thing guaranteed to make O feel better when she was tired or sick.  Blue blanket has taken years of abuse, as well...it has been washed more than any other item in our house, and has also been thrown up on more than anything else in our house.

Following the breakup of our household, blue blanket became the most "chased after" item...there were a number of trips made by one or the other of us to pick up or deliver the missing blanket so that O could go to sleep.  Out of habit, we became accustomed to making sure that the favorite blanket went back and forth between our houses, in O's backpack.  Even O knew enough to ask if her blanket was packed.

As our time at the daycare grew shorter, and 5K loomed in our future, I started to worry about how we were going to "break things off" between O and her blanket.  And then a strange thing started to happen... I noticed that while I still made sure that blue blanket went back and forth between our houses, and that O never went to sleep without it, SHE stopped asking for it...she stopped needing to have it with her.  When I asked O if she was going to be okay at 5K without her blanket at rest time, she just looked at me..."that's okay, mama, I don't need it for rest time".

So, here we are, three weeks into 5K...  Blue blanket has essentially been abandoned.  O has moved on... she is a hot-shot kindergartener now, and too old for things like blankets at bedtime.  In a fit of my own sentimentality, I have been putting blue blanket in her bed anyway, after she goes to bed, just in case...