back to blogging

Long time, no blog!  I am soooo sorry to have left you stranded for so long without an interesting anecdote to carry you through your day.  My excuse: work.  Yep.  I returned to Corporate America and abandoned my little hobby.  As you may recall, I'm working from home, so it's imperative that I stay on task during "business hours".  I can't be donning and blogging (or is it blogging and doffing?) while software sits unconfigured.  That would be unethical.  And it would just make my work more difficult later.  So blogging got put in the attic for the winter.

Since it's been so long, I will update you on my typical daily routine...

• 5:00 a.m. - Sleep through hubby's alarm (I literally don't even hear it)
• 6:30 a.m. - Snooze through my first alarm; listen for daughter's alarm and subsequent sound evidence that she is, in fact, up and getting dressed.
• 6:45 a.m. - Snooze through another alarm, but continue to keep one ear open for getting ready noises
• 7:00 a.m. - Snooze my last alarm; remind my daughter 47 times to brush her damn teeth
• 7:05 a.m. - Slowly roll out of bed; brush my own furry teeth, fix her hair, schlepp downstairs to fix her breakfast and pack her snack.
• 7:25 a.m. - Grab baby boy from his place of slumber and strap him into his car seat (yes, he's still in his pj's and his night diaper - so am I); scream at daughter for standing around doing nothing
• 7:30 a.m. - Leave for school (about a mile away); upon arrival, scream at daughter to get out of the car already, people are waiting!; head home
• 7:45 a.m. - Back at home, change baby's diaper and dress him for the day; feed him breakfast, fix my coffee; watch Ni Hao Kai-Lan
• 8:00 a.m. - Start working. Yes, I'm still in my pj's.
• 9:00 a.m. - Nanny arrives. 
• Meetings, work, blah, blah, blah.
• 2:15 p.m. - Head to school for carpool line
• 2:30 p.m. - Scream at daughter to get in the car already, people are waiting! And sit down, how was your day?
• 2:35 p.m. - Arrive back home, continue working.
• Meetings, work, blah, blah, blah.
• 5:00 p.m. - Nanny leaves.  I should probably figure out what's for dinner.

From that point on, the kids transition from fairly calm demeanors into their CRAZY mode.  They are fighting and running and falling and screaming and driving me up the freaking wall.  Sure, it's possible that they could muster the effort to sit quietly and read or watch Dora or play nicely together.  But why would they do that when they can get Mommy committed?  If it weren't for the saving grace of beer, my husband would come home to find me curled up in a corner in the fetal position, rocking back and forth, muttering "Swiper, no swiping..."

By 6:30 or 7:00, we've had dinner and we start our silent countdown to bedtime.  Don't misread that - it is not silent in our house.  We just don't let the minis know that we are counting down.  The other night I'd had enough of the madness and I put the kids to bed.  Once they were all tucked in, snug as bugs and whatnot, I happened to look at the clock.  It was a whole hour earlier than their usual bedtime.  Oops.  The surprising thing was that they did not wake up any earlier in the morning.  I think I'm onto something here...

That's my life the last six months. Not a lot of time for blogging, but I will work it in.  I know you need it.  How else will you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are a far better wife and mother than at least one person?

winner - bundles and buzz store credit

And the winner is...Sophie D.!!  Congratulations, Sophie!  You have won $15 store credit to Bundles and Buzz!!

A big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the Bundles and Buzz Giveaway.  I hope you all will try a Bundle for yourselves!  I'm currently awaiting delivery of my Super Cloth Bundle. :)

I have another giveaway coming up VERY SOON...stay tuned!

bundles and buzz - review & giveaway

Bundles and Buzz is an awesome company based out of Surrey, British Columbia, very near to wear I grew up in Sumas, WA.  They put together Bundles, which are surprise packages of mom/baby products supplied by various companies who are looking to increase their sales, introduce a new product, clear out discontinued products, or boost brand awareness.  The bundles are sold for $30-$35, which includes free shipping in Canada.  There is a $3 surcharge for U.S. orders.  Bundle availability varies from week to week, but they typically have mama, toddler, family, baby and cloth diaper bundles.  They also offered a back to school bundle and a summer bundle.

I personally have purchased a cloth bundle and a mama bundle, and I won a mini bundle in a giveaway.  Now Bundles and Buzz has generously provided me with a Baby Bundle to try as well as $15 in store credit to give away to one lucky reader!

My Baby Bundle arrived in the mail, and of course I could hardly contain my excitement.  One of the funnest aspects of the Bundle is the element of surprise.  You never know what you will find inside.  Each bundle is unique, kind of like snowflakes.  You could order two bundles and they may not have the same items inside, but they would contain the same value of items.  I have never been disappointed by any of the bundles I have received.

Each Bundle comes in a reusable, polyester bag, which is very generously sized and can roll up and snap shut for convenient storage when not in use.  The bags I have received are made by EnviroSax, and they are extremely durable and waterproof.  Be careful opening your Bundle, though - I accidentally snipped part of my bag with scissors.  As you can see, there is an array of products that are useful for babies and mamas.  My Baby Bundle included the following items:

• Bathtime Baby Diaper Cream (3.0 oz)
• Scarlet's SunBlock SPF 50+ (6.0 oz)
• Bare Organics Baby Massage Oil - lavender (120 ml)
• Green Sprouts Ring Cool Soothing Teether
• Nic and Elli Lil Squirts (peepee teepee)
• Suuthe by Mari Skin Repair (sample size)
• Boogie Wipes (4 wipes individually wrapped)
• Quadra Island Soap - peppermint (sample size)

All of these products, in my opinion anyway, are environmentally conscious and created with baby's health and well-being in mind.  

• I have not tried the diaper cream because I am not certain it is cloth diaper friendly.  
• The sunblock is amazing.  It's thick, odorless, water resistant, and sweat resistant.  It is handmade in Ogden, UT.  
• The baby oil - YUM.  It smells heavenly and it helps to calm my son down at night after bath.  
• He loves the teething ring, even though he is working on molars at this point, we give it to him frozen and he gnaws on it anyway.  I think it would have been great when he was working on his first 4 teeth as well.  
• We haven't used the Lil Squirts yet either simply because we don't have a "squirting" problem with our son.  We are the lucky few.  I plan to give this to a friend with a new baby boy.  
• The skin repair is pretty great stuff.  I use it on my daughter's ant bites (she attracts them like no other, and she's allergic), and I'm trying it on a burn scar I have.  Hopefully it will minimize the scar over time.
• Boogie Wipes are kind of a no-brainer. Every mom should keep a few in her purse and in the diaper bag, especially for the upcoming cold and flu season.  They are natural, gentle, and effective.

Again I want to say how pleased I am with the Bundle.  It's a fun concept and it also makes a great gift.  Thank you, Bundles and Buzz for sponsoring this review and giveaway!

For 10% off at Bundles and Buzz, use coupon code "bloggersrock".

If you would like to win some store credit, complete the entries below.  The contest ends on 9/23 - Good Luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

rtw

In HR terms, when someone is on a leave of absence (LOA) they typically have a RTW date (return to work).  My LOA began approximately 4/25/10, and I've yet to RTW.  I decided to stay home with my baby.  This was the best decision of my life.  I have loved spending time with my kids and experiencing life as a SAHM/WAHM.  We have been blessed with consulting work that supplemented what was lost due to me leaving my full time job.

WELL...I am happy to announce that I have Returned To Work.  Not the same job - a new and better job!  I am working from home as an "Activation Consultant" implementing HRM software.  The company I work for is awesome and I couldn't be happier.  A real paycheck and free medical insurance for the whole family.  Stay tuned for more tales on working from home with two littles vying for my attention. :)