I did it again.

I did it again.  I've signed up with one of the home based sales companies.  I know that some people hate the idea of these sales, while other people think they're fun.

This time I've signed up to be Scentsy Independent Consultant.

You would have thought I'd learned my lesson already from the past few experience I've had with stuff like this, right?  As soon as I signed up, panic rushed through me.  I was immediately concerned that I had made a mistake.

But I feel like there are a couple things that make this different.  First and foremost, I really like the products.  I enjoy having a clean smelling home, a fresh scent in the car, and the smell of clean laundry.  Scentsy products fit in with my life, and are things I use daily even if I weren't selling them.  I like that the scents are warmed without burning.  Plus you are capable of changing the scent frequently without much expense.  And there is a whole new line of products coming out next month that I'm excited to try.

The second aspect that really made me decide to become an independent consultant was the flexibility that Scentsy provides.  Unlike most sales companies, did you know that with Scentsy there are not quotas that have to be met?  You only have to place one order (any amount) during the 6 month period from July 1-Dec 31.  So at least I won't end up throwing money away.  If I sell stuff great, if not at least I can buy my own items.

Before you all start worrying that my blog is going to become a giant sales pitch, it's not.  This is my personal blog, and it will remain that way.  I'm only sharing this with you because it is part of my personal life.  I know these types of things aren't for everyone and that is fine with me.  I just wanted to share my apprehension and excitement with all of you.  

If you would like to shop Scentsy products, you will find a button that links to my personal website in the sidebar.  If you want to ignore everything in this post, you can do that too.

The Point of No Return

I'm going to try not to complain about the whole Army situation going on with our life this week on the blog.  Remember the key word is try.  And don't worry, I'll update when I have news.

So last night I reached the point of no return.  You could call it a new low in my pregnancy.  After the kids naptime and before dinner, I started having a HUGE craving for dessert.  I wanted pie, cake, or pastries.  Ice cream simply wouldn't do.  I was starving.  With dinner in the oven I went to the one place I should go when craving sweets.  I logged onto Pinterest and browsed all the deliciousness.  However with each recipe I saw, I realized I didn't have all the ingredients I needed on hand.  I was whining to Pat and showing him all the pictures.  My cravings were getting so bad that I felt like I belonged in the movie Breaking Dawn, and at that point I almost wanted to chew on Pat's leg.

The craving lasted so long that after dinner I headed out to Walmart to the bakery.  Anyone that knows me must now realize how strong this craving was.  I usually do not like going out to the grocery store unless I am doing weekly shopping, and I really do not tend to go out in the evenings.  On the drive there I thought the craving might be subsiding, but I couldn't risk it and come home empty handed in case it reared it's ugly head again.  So I bought myself a cherry pie and some danish for breakfast and headed home.

3 slices of pie while watching the oscars.  I'm sure my husband is wondering just how big I'm going to get during this pregnancy.  I'd like to blame the fact that I ate very little dinner on Saturday night because I wasn't feeling well for the uncontrollable appetite on Sunday.  I've got to blame something!  That was ridiculous. I hope I don't find myself that hungry again for a long time.  

Bedtime and Lack of Sleep

I'm tired.  Or maybe utterly exhausted fits better.  I'm worn out mentally and physically.

The whole are we moving or are we not has taken a toll on my spirit.  And by the way, now they're trying to push back the next assignment and have it held for Pat until the winter.  I am kind of doubtful of that working, and I'm pretty much just feeling done with dealing with their "plans".

I'm sleeping terribly.  My body is fat.  I feel like I have less energy this pregnancy compared to my other two.  Maybe that would be because I'm getting older and now I'm trying to keep up with TWO little boys.

 So here's a question for you.  Who puts the kid(s) to bed in your house?  Do you share that responsibility or is that one person's specific task?

I'll be honest and say that lately I'm hating bedtime.  Pat won't/cant put the kids to bed, so every night it falls on me.  Before the boys shared a room Ryan went down really well, and Sean needed me to stay with him.  Now they both feel like I should sit in their room "all night", which really just means until they fall asleep, but that could be over an hour.  I refuse, and they call for me repeatedly.  It ends up I have to yell at them almost every single night, and that just makes me hate bedtime all the more.

And to top it off one or both of them seems to end up in my bed almost every night.  Last night 2 hours after I went to sleep, I woke up to Ryan coughing.  Ryan has an allergy issue that affects him the most at night.  I'm pretty sure his stuffed animals were irritating his allergies.  So he ends up in my bed.  I get him more medicine.  He coughs about every 8 seconds.  I cannot stand the sound of coughing...I know I have a weird pet peeve.  So I cannot sleep and decide deal with the stuffed animal issue now.  The doctor told me to put them in the freezer every so often for about 24 hours to kill the allergens.  We'll see how it works.

I finally end up back in bed and Ryan's cough has quieted down, when shortly after that Sean starts crying in his bed.  Pat has a Division Run today, so I knew it wouldn't be good for him if we had both kids in the bed.  I run to Sean's bed and lay with him for a while.  5:00 a.m. Pat comes to see where I am.  I was awake and leave Sean's room to go back to my own bed.  Then from 5-7 I had some glorious sleep, but it isn't enough.

Between all this, I've been snappy and mean quite a bit.  I need to focus this weekend on getting back to good through quality time and relaxation.  I'm sure next week will look better.

It Continues

I couldn't make this up...and I really wouldn't want to make this up.  Remember the roller coaster I've said we were on about moving or not?

Well, last I blogged the move was on, the house was going on the market, we were looking at houses at our next location.  Our timeline was tight, and I was stressed out.  But this is exactly what we wanted so it was finally working out for us.  We've been investing boat loads of money into making the house ready to sell and fixing issues that may come up at inspection.

Today, 4 hours before our house goes on the market, Pat's boss calls and says that the Commanding General got involved.  They got the orders deleted for 9 people, and Pat is one of them.

I cannot explain how upset, surprised, angry, etc we are right now.  Have I mentioned that I'm paying for a storage locker that is now filled with 1/2 of my household goods and ALL my kids toys.

So now it looks like we will be getting out of the Army.  Job hunting is started big time.  It is a terrifying idea transition to the civilian world.  I know that it may seem like a rash decision based on emotion, but it has been on our minds for a VERY long time.  It's been almost 8 years in the military, during which we've felt yanked around on a short leash.  We want a bit more freedom and choice.

We'll see what happens next I guess.  

Oh Mr. Clean Where Are You?

All weekend Pat and I have completely busted our butts getting the house ready for going on the market.  We're meeting Realtors this week and should have the house listed by the end of the week.

Maybe you don't understand just how much stuff and dirt we had.  It has literally taken us all weekend to get as far as we are and I still have quite a bit of stuff to get done today.  I wish Mr. Clean were around to help.  His magic erasers aren't cutting it alone.

I'm beyond exhausted.  Last night it was after midnight when I finally fell into bed.  I told Pat I wasn't sure my body would be able to get out of bed in the morning.  My entire body was so sore and tense I couldn't even sleep last night.  Thankfully this morning I'm feeling slightly better but completely run down.

I am so hoping that we'll get a reasonably quick sale to make me feel like this is worth it, but I also am very aware of reality.  I'm also hoping that since we've worked so hard to get the house back to clean and have stored so much "stuff" that it will be easy to have it show ready at all times.

I honestly cannot wait for next weekend.  I just want to be lazy all weekend.  But alas, it's only Monday. I'm so happy that it is only a 4 day work week.  I need the long weekend next weekend.

Now I must get Ryan ready for school.  Hopefully we'll have a nap this afternoon.  By the way,  I also wanted to add, I absolutely LOVE my Scentsy order.  My house smells like Pima Cotton, and I love that.

On The Market

We spent the entire weekend preparing our house to be put on the market.  Things seem to be moving in the right direction with our move, and since we are on a time crunch to move before the baby arrives the house really should have been on the market like yesterday.   We're hoping to get it listed for sale next week.  So for the rest of this week and next weekend we are working big time to finish making our house clean.  (Although Pat is in the field during the week, so a lot falls on me.)

I really hate selling a home.  I hate having people walking through our stuff and critiquing everything.  I hate the constant pressure to have the home looking perfect.  There are two things that will always work against us when selling:  1.  We have three dogs and 2.  we have two kids.

One of the things we've done in hopes of getting a quick sale is put massive amounts of stuff into storage.  All toys are in storage.  Any excess furniture is in storage.  The clutter is gone (and I love that!).  We are trying to live as minimally as we can.  There have been many trips to Goodwill this week.  It's nice to feel our load get lighter.  I've also placed a scentsy order to have a clean, fresh smell in our house.

Anyone have any tips/tricks that you used when selling a home?  Any recent experiences selling?  How long were you on the market?

Also, speaking of the housing market, I've been keeping a very close eye on the market in the towns we are looking to buy in.  One town seems to have the best houses considering what we are looking for.  Pat and I had two favorites.  Yesterday our second favorite went under contract.  Our first choice had just come on the market last week, so I was hoping we would get a chance to see it next month when I'm up there.  Today our favorite house went under contract too.  I guess they really were good houses then.  Hopefully the right house will be available for us when we are ready to buy.  We can't wait  too long, so I'm crossing my fingers more great houses come on the market in the near future.

It's a....

Girl!!!

Baby girl does not like ultrasound photos.  She seems to hide herself pretty well.  This is the best photo we got of her today.  We're really excited, especially Ryan who has been hoping for a baby girl since he learned that there was a baby in my belly.  

More to come later.