Where has it all gone?

I know February is the shortest month of the year, but it isn't so short that I feel like it should already be the last full week. I'm working on meal planning for March already since it will take me at least a week to get the complaining out of my system and the meals plotted out. It was REALLY beneficial and saved a ton of time to have everything charted for February, but I still dread sitting down and doing it. We tried a couple of new recipes this month and they were all filed in the "win" column. Hopefully I can keep this up the whole year and it'll be so routine that my complaining disappears.

The exciting news around here is that, in March, we'll be going on our first vacation sans children since well before the twins were born. The last time we went off, just the two of us, was when we went to Cancun for a trip that Mike won at work. That was in March of 2008 so I'd say it's about time. We're heading up to Duluth for a couple of days and will be spending one night at The Inn on Lake Superior and two nights at the Cotton Mansion. I plan to curl up in front of the mansion's fire place in the fireside reading sweater I ordered from Mod Cloth this weekend and do just that. I also have fancy plans to take copious naps and sleep in until very late in the morning. I think it's rather sad that our vacation will mainly focus on laying around and sleep but, hey, we have a pre-schooler and twin toddlers. You've gotta' go with what works for you, right?

I've had a busy month work wise in that I've had three bra fitting events. I haven't put much time into getting out there and meeting people since well before I was sick so it's been nice be active again. I've talked to a lot of women who are interested in fittings so hopefully I'll have a little more work to do in the coming weeks.

Since I do a lot more talking than fitting at the expos I've been at lately, I've had the chance to get to know a lot of other representatives for different companies. I do a lot of shopping too since, hey, that's what people are there for! I've picked up some new Norwex products to try since they're chemical free cleaners and their cloths/scrubbing pads/etc. are all antibacterial. I was a complete skeptic before I tried anything since some of the claims sounded along the lines of "too good to be true". Since their anti-bacterial cloths clean with just water, I figured they wouldn't work well. Uh, wrong. As they advertise, I've been able to remove greasy things like butter from surfaces with just a wet wash cloth. With all the tiny, greasy fingers running around this house every day, this is like winning the cleaning lottery.

I also spent some time this morning trying out my new spirisponge and it was magical. My oldest and I are actually calling it the "magic silver sponge" because it got things clean with just warm water and a little effort that I'd really scrubbed the heck out of with a regular scrubby and lots of stinky chemical cleaners. Anyway, I'm seriously considering having a Norwex party at my house which really speaks volumes to those of you who have known me for some time. The only other party that I ever agreed to host was Essential Bodywear and look how that turned out... I don't hostess unless I'm as enthusiastic about a product as the company representative and know for a fact that it's awesome. I think I may wait until I've tried out the other things I picked up yesterday (dishwasher detergent and laundry detergent) to see how those hold up to their claims. I also ordered a toothbrush with silver in it so that will be interesting to try. Anyway, if any of you are interested in trying out some of their fabulous things yourselves, let me know and I'll get you the name of a good Norwex representative. (Otherwise, you can come to the party if/when I have it.)

I also picked up a couple of pieces of "grown up" jewelry from two different Premier Designs ladies. The first piece was a hematite pendant that I fell in love with immediately. I'd had one similar to it before but the clasp/chain snapped and couldn't be repaired and I've mourned its loss since. The second was another pendant and it's a filigree pattern with rhinestones in it. VERY shiny. I have a half price piece coming and it's been difficult to decide what I'd like. While cleaning out the house at the end of last year, I got rid of a LOT of the jewelry I had since it was from high school and REALLY didn't reflect my life/tastes now. It's been a challenge to find pieces that I really like, can wear with multiple outfits, and won't immediately break into a thousand pieces if the kids should get ahold of it.

I have more to say but no time to say it since I actually have to wake my kids up from naps now. This is some kind of miracle and I believe it's a gift from the universe for working all weekend and having to deal with all this new snow. (Seriously winter, enough is ENOUGH.)