pure. safe. beneficial.

a few weeks ago, a friend of mine posted on Facebook about wanting to employ someone part time through her Arbonne business. I'd heard of Arbonne before, but didn't really know much about the company or the products. for the past few months, I've been considering working part time to bring in some extra income. our bills are paid, but we really don't have a lot leftover at the end of the month to put into savings, and that has bothered me. so I emailed Angela to inquire about the business, and not only did she welcome me with open arms, but she mailed me a substantial package full of samples and product information. 

as I read through the material, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I agreed with the company policies. along with being carbon neutral and totally green (and not in a trendy way), Arbonne makes an incredible commitment to their customers when it comes to providing the safest products possible. every product offered through Arbonne is the best combination of scientific research and botanic ingredients. I found myself thinking "wow, that's amazing!" about 983 times while reading through the paperwork. 

obviously, I began using the product samples that very evening, and I am not even exaggerating that by the next evening, I could see and feel the difference between the Arbonne RE9 skincare line and my drugstore purchased stuff. my skin felt firmer and seemed to breathe easier within 24 hours. the fact that every single product is made without nasty chemicals or fillers made my decision that much easier. in fact, Arbonne not only follows FDA standards with their ingredients (did you know that the FDA only prohibits 13 ingredients from being added to products that GO INTO OUR BODIES?!), but they follow European guidelines as well (which ban over 200 ingredients). what's even more awesome is that there is a product for everyone - products that provide targeted results, from acne and wrinkles to weight loss and ridding your body of toxins. 

I think the best thing about this opportunity is that I get to work at my own pace, all while I stay home with Ronin. as much as I love the products, it really is about the convenience for me. I can take someone to Starbucks and teach them about the products and the company, and it will be considered "work." Arbonne isn't just about selling products, it's about people - it's about improving the lives of others, whether it be through the products, or the business opportunity that is offered. 

so with all that said, I'm very excited to announce that I've decided to join the Arbonne team as an Independent Consultant. I feel privileged to associate myself with such a reputable company and cannot wait to learn as much as I possibly can. I never thought I'd have my own piece of a network marketing company, but here I am. I attended a local Arbonne Retreat over the weekend and left feeling more inspired than I have been in YEARS. the group of women that surround me within this business are absolutely incredible, and I can't wait to work (if I can even call it that...) with and learn from them all. 

tidbits.

- um, my kid is mobile (!!!!). thus, I can no longer sit him down to play independently without having to immediately chase him into the other room. baby gates are comin' soon, but until then, blogging has to wait until nap/bed time.

chasing the cats is his #1 favorite thing to do. 

- I am working on a little venture of my own as a way to bring in a little extra income. I'll wait til things are official, but I can't wait to tell you about it! I'm pretty excited.

- Sean is sick. AGAIN. he's been sick like 49 times since Ronin was born. men are the biggest babies when they're sick, amIright? I mean damn, I wish I could just lay on the couch all day when I'm sick.

- last weekend I went to Wine in the Woods. it's an annual event that showcases local wineries - there's yummy food and local music too. all in all, it's a grand ol time, and this mama got white girl wasted for the first time in what seems like forever (probably at least 2 years). it was a blast and I'm already looking forward to next year's festivities. 

- I'm supposed to be reading The Night Circus for my monthly book club and I'm still only like 20% into it. and I PICKED THE BOOK. we're meeting in a little over a week, so I need to start dedicating my evenings to reading instead of other shit.

- I cannot even fathom that I will be putting together Ronin's 9 month post this weekend. CAN'T. EVEN. how do you mamas do it? it kills me that he just keeps getting bigger and smarter and more like a little boy than a baby. and the fact that we are only 3 months out from his first birthday is enough to make me crawl in a hole and drink heavily, while crying uncontrollably. 

- oh yay, Ronin is up from his 30 minute nap. gotta go! 

round up: so you want to cloth diaper your baby...

I can't even count how many looks of disgust I received when I told people that we'd be using cloth diapers on Ronin. people act as if your kid is going to be covered in poop or something. 

before I even got pregnant, I knew I wanted to cloth diaper, for a variety of reasons. the most obvious reason is the money savings - the average family spends $1,000 on diapers for the first year, meaning (assuming the child potty trains at two and a half) one child will cost the family $2,500 in diapers alone. I think by the time we're done building our stash, we may spend as much as $800 in cloth diapers, which will last us until Ronin is potty trained AND will last us through future children. 

also, cloth diapers are ideal for sensitive babies' skin, and studies show that cloth diapered babies potty train earlier and easier than those that use disposables. and finally, it's so, so, SO much better for the environment to use cloth diapers. 

(disclaimer: for the time being, we are using disposable diapers on Ronin at night, simply because I've been spoiled with a baby who sleeps through the night and I don't want to ruin that by having him wake up from being wet. I am doing some reading and investing in some bamboo inserts to stuff in his pockets.)

when I found out I was pregnant with Ronin, I immediately went into research mode to find the best way to build our stash. I knew that I wanted to cloth diaper from the beginning, which meant that I needed to have teeny tiny newborn size diapers to start with.

but before we get into the details of our inventory, let's cover the essentials that are needed for cloth diapering. 

keep in mind that these are all items that have worked for OUR family. not every CD mama uses Charlie's Soap or ditched the disposable wipes. some moms prefer using a diaper pail with a liner instead of wet bags. it's all in what works best for you. 

1. Cloth Diaper Safe Detergent. 

most mainstream laundry detergents contain ingredients that will build up in diapers and cause them to repel. here's a great list of detergents to use as a reference. we use Charlie's Soap and have had no problems with it. we are actually still using the first tub we purchased and Ronin is six months old (almost). 

2. Wool Dryer Balls. 

if you want to avoid static and soften your clothes/diapers, dryer balls are the way to go. dryer sheets like Bounce leave a film on diapers (as well as other clothing) and cause them to repel. wool dryer balls are also better for the environment and they shorten drying time. 

3. Thirsties Cloth Wipes. 

we chose to use cloth wipes instead of disposable wipes for a few reasons. first off, like using cloth diapers, it's cheaper. secondly, it's just easier. instead of having to separate the disposable wipes from the diaper and throw it away, I just tuck the cloth wipe(s) into the dirty diaper and throw it all in the wet bag to be washed. it just makes more sense that way. I like the Thirsties wipes because they're super soft... and fun colors. 

4. Hanging Wet Bag. 

as I mentioned above, some folks prefer having a pail with a liner & a lid, but I love having wet bags. they have a little strap that I use to hang on the Pack N Play (or a door knob) for convenience. I use the large Planet Wise bags and have yet to have any issues with smell. I toss all the wet and dirty diapers, along with wipes, in the bag and when it's time to do diaper laundry, I unzip and dump the contents into the washing machine and just toss it in with the diapers. I have another wet bag that replaces the one in the wash. 

5. OzoCozy Flannel Wipes. 

I like these wipes because they get the job done and they're cheap, and I didn't have to make them. there's nothing special about them, but I tend to use them more often than the Thirsties wipes for quick changes.

6. Cloth Diaper Safe Diaper Rash Ointment.

regular diaper rash creams create a barrier on the inner portion of the diaper, which causes repelling of liquids. we just had our first experience with diaper rash and Nature's Baby Organics Diaper Ointment cleared it up overnight. 

7. Spray Bottle. 

if you're using cloth wipes, you'll most likely want to make a wipe solution to use for dirty diapers or just to rub your baby down if they're soaked in pee. I just fill this spray bottle up halfway with hot water, a teaspoon of baby oil, and a teaspoon of baby wash. I then just spray the wipes (or the baby) when it's time to change a poop diaper. when I'm out in public, I just wet the wipes with plain old water and it does the trick just fine.

8. Travel Wet Bag. 

along with the two wet bags I keep at home, I also have a smaller one that I keep in the diaper bag for outings. it can hold 4-5 diapers (max) but is small enough that it doesn't take up too much room while we're out and about.  

let me just say that CDing has been a great experience for us so far and not nearly as difficult or time consuming as I imagined it might be. I look forward to putting Ronin in cloth for the day (remember, disposables at night), because they leak SO MUCH LESS than the disposables. and let's face it, it doesn't get much cuter than a big fluffy baby butt. 

if you have any questions about cloth diapering, I'd more than happy to answer them. feel free to leave them in the comments! I also recommend Jillian's Drawers as a good place to get started.

pillow talk [Etsy goods]

I'm a little obsessed with throw pillows. 

I like to switch them out frequently, and even have some holiday printed ones that I display in the winter (seen here). 

so when I received the new C&B catalog, I knew I had to have the Savona stripe pillow, which I mentioned in my Friday loves post last week. I recently bought the orange storage boxes from IKEA and knew I wanted to bring a little more brightness to the room in general. I already have tons of yellow decor and accessories, so I went on a hunt for some orange and purple toned pillows to tie everything together. 

also? I'm kinda cheap when it comes to pillows. the Savona pillow is really a stretch for me - I don't normally spend $30 on pillows. I figured this time around, I'd get smarter and just buy pillow covers for the pillows that I already own. duh... why didn't I think of that before? 

I have a few greens, a few browns, one brown polka dot, some tans, and a red pillow, but they're all just solid colors and I want to bring in some funky patterns. I knew I wanted to get one 16" x 16" cover, three 18" x 18" covers, and a 20" x 20" cover, so I went where I always go for cheap and creative solutions - Etsy. here's what I'm envisioning. 

16" x 16": 

orange happy flower pillow cover from Etsy seller sweetnaturedesigns

18" x 18":

grey chevron pillow cover from Etsy seller TheLaceyPlacey

vintage rust flower pillow cover from Etsy seller TheHomeCentric

yellow suzani pillow cover from Etsy seller thefarley4

20" x 20":

plum ocean pillow cover from Etsy seller TheHomeCentric

I love all the colors of the above pillows, but I also love that some of them (mainly the plum and rust ones) bring a little bit more texture to the room, which is just as important as color schemes. so that's where my head is at right now. 

I already purchased the yellow & grey ones for less than $30 combined, but I'm having a hard time with the rest because they are a little more expensive... 

I find it kind of difficult to pull the trigger on a $24+ pillow cover (not including shipping) when I could get an entire pillow for that much, know what I mean?

please tell me I'm not the only one who 

1: has an obscene pillow obsession, 

and 2: agonizes over small purchases like a crazy person. 

Happy Tuesday!  

Friday loves

well now that Blogger has decided to stop being a douchebag, we can get on to the little list of things I'm loving this week... ya know... because you're all DYING to know! ;)

• these garden markers (the post was actually from a year ago, but I found it via Pinterest this week), made from an old spoon and some creative labels. now that my herbs are planted, I might need to do this. 

• this post by Mandy (who obviously has the coolest name ever), reassuring everyone that she is not super woman, and that she, just like all parents, has daily struggles. I'm not a Mama, but it's comforting to me for some reason.
• the completed patio, courtesy of YHL. we want to demolish our existing deck and put in a patio of pavers, and the DIY experts have pretty much confirmed our wavering decision to NOT do it ourselves. it honestly just seems like a huge pain in the ass, and we don't have time for it. 
• marble chevron tile. 

• 40 handmade gifts from the kitchen - I am really considering going handmade for gifts this year, since we're trying to save up for the possibility of a babe in the future, and this post is full of SO many wonderful edible gifts.
• baskets in the fridge = organization genius.

• the handmade giveaway going on over at Rogue Poags! the only reason I didn't enter is because that little yellow pouch in the pictures already has my name on it - enter to win a custom handmade coin purse... with a Starbucks gift card inside! 
• these planters from West Elm. since we plan on repainting our shutters grey (they are currently hunter green and I hate them), these would look awesome on our front stoop.

• this recipe for grilled zucchini pizza looks delicious. I want to try it soon. 
• and as always, live kittens playing and cuddling and mewing. I may or may not be slightly obsessed with these guys.

have you discovered anything awesome this week? 

HAPPY FRIDAY!

random tidbits

- you know those Chevy commercials that show the Rockies and the theme song says something like "like a rock"? when I was a kid, I thought the words were "lock her up." dumbass. 

- after my horrible hangover last Sunday, where I admittedly spent at least 6 hours at or on the toilet, I couldn't poop for a week. IT WAS TERRIBLE. I can say it was honestly one of the worst weeks of life. I've always had a pretty regular digestive schedule, so the sudden bout of "I have to poo, but I can't" really fucked me up. 

- I met with our accountant over the weekend. thanks a huge financial decision we made early last year, we now owe the federal government $5,000. not cool, especially since I was counting on that refund to get some things done around the house. ya know, maybe buy a dining table? maybe some chairs for the dining table? looks like we may be refurbishing the old set in the garage after all. 

- my Bear cub is the cutest kitty ever. 

don't mind the eye boogers... he's been getting them a lot lately.

- thanks to the suggestions of many people, I started reading The Hunger Games last week. started on Friday, finished on Thursday. started Catching Fire (the second book) on Friday, and I should be finished with it this evening. 

I AM HOOKED. I'm pretty sure there's crack in the pages. it's such an odd and morbid concept that it makes me value the government of our society, as corrupt as it may seem. I'm also considering naming my first born Primrose. thank you, Suzanne Collins. I will be posting reviews of all three once I finish, which shouldn't be long! 

- yes, I still have The Help review to finish and post. slacker. 

- I'm actually really liking my English class this semester. I'm not big on reading pieces of literature and analyzing/interpreting them, but unfortunately, that's the gig for this class. professor seems really laid back though, so that's awesome.  and the other classmates seem really nice and supportive.

- I'm going to email everyone who donated to the Miss Chow Fund and get their addresses. a happy ending like this one deserves proper thank-you notes.

- according to Bear, this is his couch. 

Happy Tuesday! :)

tidbits & some Friday photos

sheesh. I have been horrible about blogging this week. I feel like all my posts lately have been fluff, so I apologize. I need to get back into the swings of things. my spring semester class starts tonight, but it's a 13 week class, so I won't be as stressed out as I was over the winter semester with that damn sociology class.

I'm going to make an effort to take better photos, and in doing so, I'm going to try my hand at participating in as many photo challenges as I can. I hope they encourage me to work harder at taking nice photos and being satisfied with them enough to publish them here on the blog.

there's a lot going on at the FoFinn household lately. we've recently reaaaaally started to budget ourselves and cut back on frivolous spending. I'm proud to say that I have not bought lunch at work one time this week, and it feels great. we're allowing ourselves a certain amount of cash to spend every week, and we can do what we please with it. I decided that instead of buying lunch everyday, I'm going to save my money and buy myself a Vera Bradley agenda calendar, haha.

this is a lot of text, so I'm going to break it up with some photos. I took my camera out the other evening and got some good shots of the meows, so I thought I'd share them for my fellow crazy cat ladies, along with a few shots from a Mardi Gras themed party I attended over the weekend.

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the prompt for today's Foto Friday challenge is Reflections. I took this at a friend's house over the weekend. a good friend of mine turned 30 on Saturday, and visited us from Louisiana, so we threw her a Mardi Gras themed bonfire party. it was the coldest day we had in a long time, so I made sure to bundle up!

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this week's challenge at Living Every Moment is "anything." any time there isn't a specific task or item to photograph, the kitties get the spotlight. this is Bear's ALERT!!! face.

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the awesome ladies who hosted the Mardi Gras party on Saturday night did an amazing job with the favors and little trinkets. there were beads, masks, and the birthday girl even got a boa to wear all evening. I took this shot using my 50mm lens, and I was really impressed with how it turned out, so I decided to use it for this week's Give Me Your Best Shot challenge. 

(for some reason, the button for GMYBS is not working, but the link is!)

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and since GMYBS and Photo Story Friday are linked together, I'll go ahead and post that one as well. this is Lily's spot on the couch. she will fight for this cushion, and the other meowers know not to even think about parking their asses here.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli
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last weekend, I decided to implement a weekly meal plan for dinners in our house and I really think it's helped us to stay on track. we were spending SO much money at the grocery store on a weekly basis on a bunch of crap that we didn't need. having a specific plan for meals has forced us to only get what we'll need for that week and is therefore saving us money each week. now... this only started last week, so I'm not an expert at this or anything, but it's working well damnit. 

as you can probably tell from my sidebar, I've been doing a lot of reading as of late. I made myself a rather ambitious goal to read at least 50 books this year, and I've already finished 3 books this year, and we're not even out of the first month yet. I completed The Help yesterday afternoon (three cheers for a snow day!), and it was such a good read. I'll be writing a lengthy review over the weekend, so stay tuned! I picked up 19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult last night and I'm hooked already.

I'll be back later today with a Fill in the Blank Friday post!

Happy Friday, ya'll!