ACTNow ~ Houston, Texas

As most of my friends and family members know, I'm incredibly excited to be launching an Arbonne business! Talk about a solid company with phenomenal products (and I can't forget to mention they have THE BEST compensation plan in the industry). Really.

I. AM. PUMPED.

At first, I was skeptical. I thought to myself, "Here I have a Master's degree and now I'm considering selling skincare?" But--I did my research (lots of it) and loved what I found. I signed up to be a Consultant 3 weeks ago, have immersed myself in Arbonne's terrific online and phone call training, and this weekend, I attended the ACTNow Consultant training in Houston. Arbonne holds large regional trainings twice a year, and I couldn't pass up attending one so close by! And it BLEW MY MIND! The energy in this place was unbelievable. I can honestly say I haven't experienced something so exciting and motivational - ever. Arbonne is hitting the International market now and is going live in Australia July 2nd. Those of us at the ACTNow training were the first to hear where Arbonne is going next, which is the United Kingdom in October! Arbonne will continue launching in 2 new countries a year!

Since my upline will be in the area, she and I planned to have my launch party immediately. Tomorrow is the day and I could not be more thrilled. Below, on my right, is Alysia-my upline, and Colleen, one of her newly sponsored Consultants from Kansas. Alysia matched her teaching salary in 4 months and is on her way to Regional. She stays home with her 3 children. How awesome is that.

Oh, and what's with all the pictures of the Mercedes? Well, once a Consultant hits a certain management level (Regional), they not only have a very lucrative income, they earn a White Mercedes. Might I add that these are the Mercedes' that I saw just on the short walk to the parking garage elevator! I met women who made this level within a year--some in 6 months! Yes, some take 2 years, but still! C'Mon! What will you be doing in 2 years if you keep doing what you're doing? And that's not even the highest level in Arbonne. National is. And when I met women who retired their husbands at the age of 30, 32, I was amazed. Simply Amazed. What a wonderful, inspiring group of women because of the amount they give to others. There's only so much money one can make or white Mercedes they can have in their driveway, so when they turn around and give to others, that selfless act, is what draws me even more to Arbonne. If I can make a huge difference not only in my family's life, but also in other people's lives, I would be a fool to let this opportunity slip by. So, I'm jumping in with both feet and looking for a team to go with me.

Domi is 15!

We celebrated Domi's 15th at Dave 'N Buster's with a small family get together and a few of his girl friends from school. I just cannot get over how he will be old enough to get his driver's license next year!

Happy Birthday to my darling Domi!!

Nature's Pleasures

As Sophia and I sat on our front porch with the door opened, I thought I spotted something in my peripheral vision move in the foyer of my house. Looked in and saw a bird sitting on the tile. I assumed it was injured. I mean, it just stayed there, not moving for several minutes, and it's beak was opened in this odd way.

Domi gently picked it up and as soon as I saw that the bird let Domi pick it up, I'm thinking to myself, there is definitely something wrong with it and now we're gonna have to deal with this small dying bird. Domi wanted to know if we could call the vet or do something for this animal. Told him probably not. So, Domi just sat down on the bench holding and gently stroking this bird that he was genuinely worried about. After several minutes, the bird wasn't looking as weak as before, so went and grabbed my camera. Lo and behold, after this birdie had enough of looking at Domi (and my camera), it perched itself on Domi's hand and just flew away! There didn't seem to be anything wrong with it. I don't know about you, but I've never had a wild bird sit in my hand for 10 minutes without trying to escape.

Mother's Day Squash Books

I made these uber cute "squash" books for the mommas as their Mother's Day gift. Even though I wanted to spend more time on them (naptimes only last for so long), and I didn't have all the materials - I like how they came out. Thanks to one of my crafty friends who showed me where to get instructions (you're awesome Gabriel!), I was able to give the moms a handmade gift they would appreciate. What mother wouldn't love a brag book full of their babe's pictures?

Say what?

...was what I wanted to cry out when I saw the numbers. For what? Total Body Fat Percentage. After getting measured and pinched throughout my body, the verdict is in. I'm overweight. (In case anybody out there was in denial like I was).

So after this reality check (and some before pictures I took of myself with very little on, in a 360 mirror -ugh!!!), my denial stage is officially over. I need to lose weight and more importantly, I WANT to now. I've never weighed this much in my entire life, so this is definitely a motivator. Our trainer is great, a female and a bit ADD, but not the militant type of trainer I worried about getting stuck with.

We worked out an hour tonight, I started my cardio on the Elliptical machine thingie and accomplished my target time and then spent 25 minutes working resistance training on my arms. The bicep curls were easier than I thought. Perhaps since I pick up kiddos throught the day (one kiddo being almost 30 pounds) that has increased my strength in that area. I'm also learning how to count the calories for my food intake since we're on a 1500-1800 restriction. Who knew a single tortilla has 110 calories!!! No bueno.

"Operation Body Back"

I'm on a mission. A mission to lose this padding that pregnancy left me with and I've got a partner to do it with - Yvonne. Wahoo!

I am ready.
I am determined.
And I want my body back.

We signed up for a Summer Shape Up at the gym and will work with a trainer for 5 sessions. They had a special that we couldn't pass up. I'm super excited about this because I will learn "how" to work out in order to achieve my personal weigh loss goals. All those machines and weights are very intimidating and I would naturally head to the tread mill because that's a no brainer, but we've learned that it isn't all about cardio, but apparently also resistance training.

I believe what is going to make this work is that I'm being held accountable. Yvonne and I are in this together, and ironically, we're the same age, AND the same weight - to the pound! The only thing I'm not pumped about is to see the dreaded numbers. We get our stats taken tonight. Something about having my "skin fold measurements" and body fat % does not sound appealing.

So we begin tonight. I won't share what my numbers are now. That's only for Yvonne and my trainer to see, but when I've dropped the weight and shed the inches, perhaps then, I'll share.

Que es el Cinco de Mayo?

Growing up on the U.S. Mexican border meant we celebrated holidays such as Cinco de Mayo. Celebrating this Mexican holiday has become increasingly popular (and very commercialized) along the U.S. Mexico border. Many people wrongly confuse Cinco de Mayo with Mexican Independence Day, which was on September 16, 1810 - nearly a fifty year difference. But what the hey! - it's an opportunity to have a celebration with great food, music, drinks, and dancing! Even though I'm over 600 miles away from home (but still in Texas), we've still been able to enjoy these festivities from time to time. A couple years ago, we were able to attend a local Cinco de Mayo festival and watched beautiful Folklorico dancers while we enjoyed savory food and cold horchata (drink made of rice, almonds, canella (cinammon), lime zest and sugar) - this drink is rumored to be a cure for a hangover and is frequently served at breakfast time (with Menudo). Even though horchata has a milky appearance, it's totally dairy-free and oh, so delicioso! During the summer of 2005, while in Juarez, Mexico, I picked up this adorable muñeca and the tiny dress below, and this year - finally have a little lady to wear it.

Just for grins, I'm sharing this photo of me wearing a Folklorico dress which was taken a couple years ago. Since I had such a large population of students that year with a Hispanic heritage, I decided to have a Cinco de Mayo unit. At the end of the week, the students and I had fun dressing up and the school got a huge kick out of my class that year.

Para Mi Mama

The Journey Home

A year ago today, my mother passed away. A year ago, I felt like part of my soul was ripped out from me. The pain was unbearable. When a parent dies, everything changes - including you. The first year of grieving is the hardest. I remember this from when my Papa died in 1992. Nothing is ever the same again. And for a daughter to lose her mother - well, it's life-changing. Our loss has created an emotional wound, but it is a wound that is healing over time. I'm working on this pain of my loss to be transformed into a challenging new beginning in my life.

I try to think not just of what I've lost, but also of what I still have that my mother has given to me - and also my children. I remember my mother as someone with remarkable strength. I remember my mother as someone who lived a rich life with wonderful, eclectic interests. I remember my mother as a blazing light that touched everyone who came into contact with her. This is the legacy that she has left me with.

I have learned that one can never be prepared to lose their mother - regardless if there was a long battle with cancer, or any other disease. There are days when I fall into the Depression stage of loss, but those days are becoming less and less and instead, the days of Acceptance are becoming more frequent. My belief in what happens in the afterlife and where I believe she is now, comforts me.

Death may have ended my mother's physical life, but it has not canceled it. She will always be my mother, and I will always be her daughter. She will always be a part of who I am, and the relationship I have with her will go on forever.

SUSAN SEDDON BOULET was one of her favorite artists. The beautiful piece above is titled, The Journey Home, which hung above my mother's bed. Boulet also died after a long struggle with cancer at the age of 55.

Below, I'm sharing some of the many beautiful things people had to say at her prayer service, including her Eulogy, which was given by her life-long friend. Please take a moment to listen to the song played at her service - per her request. "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA9gFbvUv0A


~ CARMEN ~
6.23.1951 - 4.30.2006



CARMEN

“When the road ends, and the goal is gained, the pilgrim finds that he has travels only from himself to himself.” - Saytha Sai Baba

"Carmen realized this teaching,the last year of her life. The beginning of Carmen´s pilgrimage on earth were years marked by much struggle, always trying to please those who loved her and for the same reason trying to desperately excel in all she did. She started her piano studies while in high school, and became a very good pianist making up with lots of perseverance and hard work for the lost years. Whatever she set her mind on she would accomplish and nothing that got in her way would stop her. She had a special talent for writing, prose and poetry, and was an avid reader. Her mother, Blanca, was always by her side, giving Carmen what she thought was best for her, that was her way of loving her daughter.

She wanted to mother 16 children but in God´s wisdom was given only three. She knew she had a lot of love to give yet as most human beings, did not quite know how to accomplish such a feat. She married Don, the father of her children, Andrea, Donovan and Eric, and for the first time in her ife, was intensely happy. The birth of each one of her children also filled her with great joy.

In the school of life where the teacher is God , Carmen was given the opportunity to show her strength and will in every phase. She underwent much hardship and suffering, as well as moments of joy and excitement. But the hard lessons made her start her quest for God and comprehend that the gift of life has two purposes: to know oneself, and to serve others. So Carmen started searching, in her search she decided she wanted to be a humanist. When she told me that she wanted to study Humanism in College, I didn´t understand what she was talking about. Yet she was already very focused, and became an activist in social movements, ecological movements and political movements. She wanted a better world, equal oppotunities for all, governments who would really serve their people, a world conscious of the the home they live in - Earth.

She joined many spiritual groups in search of self-fulfilment and inner peace, organized metaphysical fairs, became involved in healing with alternative medicines and had a great interest in the wisdom of the American Indians. She was aware that God is Unity and therefore studied different religions, spiritual movements and was active in some.

She took every course she could to help her clarify the whats and whys of a Human Existence, Creation, the Universe and God. In her search for love, the reason for every human existence, she fell many times but was always able to get up. Finally she understood that, that kind of love was not what she was looking for. She knew that what she really wanted was a more sublime love, her grandchildren taught her this. She said that Dominique showed her what unconditional love was, Jay Matthew, Alana Michele, and Serena opened up her Heart. And she was very excited, awaiting the birth of Sophia Rose, worried that she would not be able to be with Andrea when she was born. She was not there for the birth, but God gave her the opportunity to meet Sophia Rose.

The last year and a half of Carmen's life, she spent knowing herself. She understood that her incessant search for Love was the search for something that would fill the void that every human being feels. She was a follower of Sathya Sai Baba, and decided to live His teachings which say that Spirituality at a human level is simply getting rid of our bad qualities, our internal enemies.

She started her purification and brave, she would write and tell me about her Self Inquiry, her dreams and visions. She recognized her bad qualities, accepted them and worked on them. She knew that her pain and suffering were purifying her Heart and towards the end realized that the reason for some of her actions, attitudes were a lack of Self Love. At this point she was given the opportunity to see the Beauty within her. She saw the documentary, “What the bleep do we know” many times and really understood it for she was living it,”Everything we see in others is but a reflection of ourselves, our prejudices and preferences.”

I am very proud of Carmen for having tried so hard, for never giving up, for having given so much love, for having had the courage to commit mistakes and learn from them, and for never being mediocre.
Her life experience is a teaching for all of us."

-Vera Alvarez


How I Will Remember Carmen

"I will remember Carmen for the way she laughed in her own quiet, but grand way. The color of her hair – the various shades of reds and auburns, changing as she changed. The acceptance she gave. The peace she offered. Never questioning, never judging. Letting one be themselves no matter what. The smells of her candles and her incense. The smells that comforted her became the smells that now comfort me. Her love for music, peaceful and serene. Chimes, flutes, and beautiful sounds. Her love for music – classic rock, upbeat tunes, happy songs – the kind that create great memories.

Her fascination for learning, reading, reading, and more reading. Her wall of books where she had read every one. Her crystals, placed intentionally, beautiful pieces of cheer and meaning, that made her happy. Her welcoming nature, how she helped people in times of need, opened her home to those without. The way she drove her 4Runner in the desert – full force - “Buckle your seatbelts, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.”

She taught me the things of peace. Meditation. Grounding. How not to sweat the small stuff. She taught me about the stars. Where my absolute favorite memories are where we spend many nights waiting out in the desert on a plateau, gazing up at the stars, seeing the galaxy, feeling the warm wind on our faces, sitting in silence and completely enjoying the moment.

This is how I will remember Carmen."

-Yvonne Coffey


“I’m Dominique’s Nino, and a friend of the family. When I was around 17, I got to know Carmen and she took me into her home. As a young man, searching for things - just trying to find myself - she helped me find myself. It took a long time. I’m still doing it now. But she was a part of that process.
I’ll miss her…and I want to thank her so much, for all she did for me.”

-Carlos Elizondo


Reading from Mother, by Maya Angelou

It is also true
I was created in you
It is also true you were created for me
I owned your voice
it was shaped and tuned to soothe me.
Your arms were molded
Into a cradle to hold me, to rock me.
The scent of your body was the air
Perfurmed for me to breathe.

Mother, I learned enough now
To know that I have learned nearly nothing.
On this day
When mothers are being honored,
Let me thank you
That my selfishness, ignorance, and mockery
Not bring you to
Discard me like a broken doll
Which had lost its favor.
I thank you that
You still find something in me
To cherish, to admire, and to love.

I thank you, Mother.

I love you.

-Eric Gaudin

Is that a ONE you say?

Today was Leander ISD's Solo & Ensemble contest. For those of you who don't know Band talk, it's an excellent opportunity for students to play individually and receive constructive comments for musical growth from a professional musician/judge. Best score is a 1 and lowest score is a 4 or 5. Domi's piece was picked out by his private lesson instructor and was a high school piece. He was well prepared and scored a 1! This is his 3rd year playing the trumpet and each year his score has been a 1. His tone was excellent and the only thing he needs to work on is "musical pulse".

It was so cool - once he went into the room and began playing, people in the hallway got quiet and just listened in awe. One woman commented to him on his way out that he's going to go a long way in music. I would have to agree.

Fabric is talking to me now

This pink and cocoa fabric screamed my name when I saw it and I was immediately inspired for my next quilt. I may even attempt a different pattern and will toy around with machine quilting, instead of hand-tying (but not on this gorgeous Michael Miller stuff!). No room for mistakes here. LOL.

Funky Sock Monkey Quilt

Here it is - my first handmade quilt! I love it.



Dimensions came out to be 54" x 54" with a thin cotton batting. Since I'm a novice quilter, I hand-tied it with perle cotton, but after seeing the beautiful machine quilted job my mentor did on her quilt, I reeeeaaaally want to learn that soon. It's hard to see the detail in these photos, but the brown background fabric is that of the actual brown socks used to make sock monkeys. So cute.



Sophia here trying to assist. Making sure measurements are correct I suppose. She really liked her quilt. I think she was taken by all the colors.

Sock Monkeys!

I just love Sock Monkeys and I was able to get my hands on this cutesy Moda Sock Monkey fabric. What's it for? A quilt! I'm currently working on a quilt with a group of mommies in my SAHM playgroup. I'm hoping to have it finished within a few days. I'll plan to snap a few pics of the quilts my friends are working on too. The fabric choices they have these days. Oh, so fun! One of the moms talked about how fabric *talks* to her. Now I know what she means. Stay tuned for the results...

Confessions of a bad Mommy

Hopefully, I won't have to post any more of these confessionals, but I just about had heart failure when I saw what Sophia did the other day while she was eating her afternoon snack. Mike called me into the next room to look at something on the computer and when I promptly returned to the kitchen, Sophia was out of her high chair, squatting on the kitchen island, waving a fork around! Oh. My. GAWD!

Her Chicco high chair has a thick crotch bar to help keep one positioned properly. If I'm in the kitchen with her, I usually don't strap her in with the belt since the tray is pushed up to her chest and the crotch bar is in place and I'm there monitoring. Ah! But the one time I leave the room, she managed to somehow wriggle and twist her body out of her chair and climb onto the adjacent island. I don't even know if David Blaine could have even managed this, but Sophia did and I about died!

Oath to self: I will NEVER EVER EVER leave her in that chair without her belt strapped on.
I know - bad mommy!

Midwest International Band Clinic!

CPMS Band was selected for Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic.

In December, the Cedar Park Middle School Band will perform at the prestigious Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago.The Cedar Park Middle School Band was the only middle school band selected from Texas and one of only two middle schools from the nation chosen to perform! The Leopard Band placed first from among the national and international middle school contenders and received the highest accolade of any auditioning band from the international organization.

This event is the largest instrumental music education event in the world and will provide students with the opportunity to interact with well-known composers, conductors, and music educators from around the world. The CPMS students will perform before more than 2,000 audience members at the clinic.

Is that awesome or what?

~*~ Being One is Fun! ~*~

We celebrated Sophia's first birthday the day before Easter. Keeping with our Easter tradition of having a small family crawfish boil, we decided to double it up with Sophia's party and I had planned a large outdoor celebration. Got lots of outdoor toys for backyard fun. Invited many folks over - family, friends, and many of the mommies from my playgroup and their little ones - thinking we'd have plenty of room to let the little ones run around outside. Ha! We had this crazy winter weather blow through that day. We were in the 80's one day and the next, we had a nasty cold front. The high was only 38 degrees - in April! And In Central Texas! And 80% chance of rain. Needless to say, it rained. Of all days.

So, plans changed and with some rearranging of furniture, we squeezed (barely) in our living room. Mike enclosed our large patio with tarps and bought an outdoor heater. Those family members and friends who were sans child, opted to stay on the porch in the cold weather, instead of being inside with the toddler madness. I suppose it wasn't too bad since they had the crawdaddies and some brewskies to keep them company.

The theme was Baby Einstein. Ok, I don't play the videos, but I think the characters are the cutest. Her cake was my favorite. The Einstein Caterpillar. It even had antennas the stuck straight up. When I was growing up, and even when my boys turned one, the birthday baby didn't have their own cake to destroy, but it's the thing to do now. We didn't have a messy cake event since the caterpillar's icing was made from fondant, so things stayed tidy in that area.

Even though there was utter chaos with toddlers running around (and even a couple 4-year old siblings), to my relief, there weren't any crying episodes. Phew. I thought Sophia would start wailing as soon as we started singing Happy Birthday to her, since most one year olds do. I'm sure I would too if I was surrounded by strange people bellowing a song I had never heard, all while this cake with a lit candle is in front of me. I suppose I'm still traumatized by her horrific wailing during her baptism (that was 8 months ago, but I still get heart palpatations just thinking about it).

All in all, it was a fun party, even if we were cooped up inside like sardines. I just can't help but chuckle when I think about the look on my cousins' faces when they walked in. They got there after everyone else did (they are childless) and basically walked into full fledge toddler mania, with this look like...what the h*ll is going on in here??!! LOL.

Sophia's favorite part was playing with the envelopes off her cards, so Mommy had to open her gifts, which was fun.

Thanks to Yvonne for snapping some great pictures!