Six Months with Caroline

loving those toes! 

6 months going on 16...

Sweet Caroline,

I remember before you were born I used to look at your 6 month clothes and wonder how such a tiny thing could ever fit into those "huge" clothes.  Yet here we are and you are growing bigger every day.   Sometimes an outfit that fit you yesterday is suddenly too small.  Your personality remains sweet and smiley, although we've seen a new side to that since you've started teething.  You have a new nickname as a result:  "Caro-whiney."  Unfortunately for you, I think that nickname will stick long past your infancy :)

You went to the beach for the first time this month.  You got to meet some family friends fro the first time and people started calling you "cueball" because of your bald head (bahahaha).  Don't worry!  I'm sure you'll have some hair by the time your 2nd birthday rolls around.

We moved to a new apartment just outside Boston and you have been a source of joy through a difficult transition.  It doesn't bother you that there are boxes everywhere, that we don't yet have a couch, or that our apartment is approximately the size of a shoebox.  We can't believe that in another six months of fun, fussiness, and fancy headbands (much to your Dada's chagrin), you'll be one!

xoxo,
Mama and Daddy

Memorial Day Weekend

Hi!  I'm playing a bit of catch-up here.  We came home to Virginia for Memorial Day weekend to celebrate a friend's wedding and visit with family.  To say we had a great time would be an understatement.  This post is very picture-heavy, so I'll let the pictures do the talking...

Baby's first plane ride!

Cousin photo shoot...fail.

Nana and her grandbabies

Blaine and Dorathy's wedding! 

Baby's first wedding 

Sweet friends 

Wedding fun with Papa T

And finishing the weekend off with fun at the river!

 "Ben, how does the water feel?"  "Good!  It feels just like ice cream!"

 The two girlies

Happy 4th of July!

We are so happy to be visiting with friends and family in Virginia/North Carolina for the next couple of weeks.  Here are a couple of pictures from our first night in town.  Special photo cred to Carrie!  More to come soon from the beach.

Five months with Caroline

Happy 5 months, baby girl!

I know I say this every month, but you continue to be such a sweet and happy baby.  You love to laugh and you make us laugh every time you do.  You love to put anything and everything into your mouth and I think it won't be long before we see some little teeth arriving.  Your eyes are the prettiest shade of blue (just like Papa T's) and we think they'll stay that way.  We pray for you every day that there will never be a day that you know apart from God.  It's hard to believe that He loves you even more than we do!  We are so thankful for you and the joy you've brought us over these past five months.

xoxo,
Mama and Daddy

Four Months with Caroline
Three Months with Caroline
Two Months with Caroline
One Month with Caroline

And the winner is...

Hali Crane!

Congratulations girl!  I'm so excited for you to get some extra free Arbonne goodness.  I'll e-mail you with the details.

For everyone else, thanks so much for participating in the giveaway.  It was a great success!  I will be doing more of these over the next few months, so stay tuned for your chance to win.

Things I am currently digging...Arbonne edition + a giveaway!!

Yay!  I'm so excited to do my very first giveaway today!!  Read below to see how to enter.

This month for my things I'm currently digging, it's all about Arbonne!  I am basically obsessed with these products and I really believe in them and this company.  To help you understand more about why I became an independent consultant with this company, please read this post.

Okay!  So, here are the six products that I am currently digging.  It was really hard to narrow it down to six products, but I decided to spare you from reading my blog for hours and hours.  You're welcome!

1.  Makeup Primer  I used to use a very well-known makeup primer from Sephora that I loved.  I ran out of it and decided to try Arbonne's primer (the price point was almost exactly the same).  Oohhh my goodness.  I had no idea what I was missing!  This primer is like a miracle worker.  It fills in fine lines, diminishes the look of my pores, and feels so good on my skin.  Also, this primer really helps to soak up excess oils on my face and helps to balance my skin tone and texture.

2.  Made In The Shade Self-Tanner  Sooo I live in Massachusetts now and just in case you aren't familiar with the area, it's very very cold.  For most of the year.  There aren't too many good beach days and I can honestly say that my legs have seen the sun approximately 3 times so far this year.  Which is why I looove this self-tanner.  It actually feels like I'm doing something good for my skin instead of damaging it in the sun.  It is moisturizing, creates a natural-looking tan, and doesn't have a yucky smell.  

3.  Re-Mineralizing Body Lotion  Like I mentioned in my other Arbonne post, most skincare and cosmetic products contain mineral oil, a product that has no business being on your skin.  Even lotions that boast being "all natural" usually still contain mineral oil....go check your labels!  Anyone that knows me well knows that I put lotion on every. day.  The kind of lotion is really important to me.  Can't be greasy.  Can't have a strong scent.  Has to last all day.  This lotion has it all.  It feels and smells amazing.  It softens my skin and contains vitamins and minerals that make it look great.  AND no mineral oil!

4. Hair & Scalp Revitalizer  I just had a baby in January, which puts me smack dab in the middle of incredibly awkward post-partum hair.  Moms - can I get an amen??  This stuff is so great.  It stimulates re-growth and makes my hair feel super soft and manageable.

5.  Advanced Repair Night Cream  As mentioned above, I love lotions...and this definitely does not exclude face moisturizers.  I already bragged about my favorite daytime face moisturizer on last month's TIACD post.  This nighttime moisturizer is my favorite Arbonne product to date.  It is thick, but doesn't feel thick on your face.  It contains anti-aging properties that help reduce fine lines, increase cell turn-over, and increase your skin's firmness.  When I wake up in the morning, my face still feels moisturized, but it doesn't feel greasy.  I almost get sad to wash it off.

6.  Arbonne Baby Care  This entire line is fantastic!  I love the fact that I am using healthy products on my baby with zero fillers or toxic ingredients.  But I also love the fact that these products work.  Caroline had a bit of eczema on both of her arms, so we tried the baby lotion on them.  Within 2 days the patches were completely healed and haven't been back since.  Hollerrr!

So, here's the deal for my giveaway.  All you have to do is place an order with me for any amount by 11pm EST tonight and you will be entered in a drawing for a $100 Arbonne voucher!

Ready to get yourself some Arbonne awesomeness??  Here's how:

1) E-mail me at catherineekenney@gmail.com

2) Don't want to pay retail prices?  I don't blame you!  I'll show you how to get a great deal.

3) Worried you might not like something?  Don't be!  We have a 45-day money-back guarantee on all our products.

That's it!  I can't wait for you to fall in love with these products.  I'll announce the winner on Monday!

a wanna-be stay at home mom

Curt and I have had a pretty good gig for the past three years.  He's been a student.  I've been a teacher. We've had lots of time in the summers to relax together and two weeks off at Christmas.  Of course there have been the late nights studying, trying to make a dorm apartment into a home, the time that I was working two jobs while pregnant, and oh yeah, that time when I was working two jobs with a new baby...eek!  But for the most part, we've really enjoyed this first season of life together.

Curt graduated last weekend and we are entering a new phase of life.  The one where Curt gets a job and our sweet baby is growing like a weed every day.  As we assess our new situation we realize that we want to have more choices:  to be able to spend more time investing in our daughter, to have me stay at home instead of work, and to be able to afford to give more to our church and people we know doing great things for God all over the world.  This desire was met with our reality and we realized that we really didn't have choices.  I have to work so we can pay our rent.  We have to put Caroline into daycare because we both have to work.  We have less time together as a family because Curt and I are both working.

About a month ago, I began exploring my options.  I decided to become an independent consultant with Arbonne and it has been a great experience so far.   Arbonne is a Swiss-formulated cosmetic, skincare, and heath & wellness company with the highest standards and botanically-based ingredients.  All of the products are vegan-certified and most are gluten-free as well.  I've used the products for a while and to say I love them would be an understatement.  Did you know that the average woman puts about 515 chemicals on her skin each day (think soaps, lotions, perfume, serums, hair products, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, make-up, etc)?  Also, anything we put on our skin is absorbed into our bloodstream in 26 seconds (think about how a nicotine patch works...).  How about if you were to go look at the labels on your lotions, foundation, etc?  Do they list mineral oil as an ingredient?  Mineral oil is a petroleum derivative (as in, it comes from the stuff we fill our cars with).  It is considered toxic and is banned from ingredient lists on skincare and cosmetic products in most countries, except the US.  US companies use it because it is a cheap filler, even though they know it's toxic and contains carcinogenic properties.  Even the baby wash I was using on my daughter had this as a main ingredient.  Yikes.  All of Arbonne's products are formulated without mineral oil, animal products or by-products, they are dermatologist tested, hypo-allergenic, ph correct, and vegan friendly.  

So not only does this company give me the opportunity to work from home, it also provides us with healthier options for the products we put on and in our bodies every day.  Arbonne makes products we are all already using, they just provide a healthier alternative.  The company provides an amazing compensation plan and my hope is that, with some hard work, I can replace my teaching income in the next year and stay at home with Caroline.  

Stay tuned if you are looking for healthier products to use on your skin...or even a business that will give you more choices, let you stay at home with your kids, or just make some extra shopping money each month.   I'll be posting an "Arbonne edition" of the things I'm currently digging, complete with an awesome giveaway!