Bramell, Party of Five: January 2016

Monday, January 25, 2016

Healthy Family, Happy Family

Hi friends! Today's blog post is a little different from what I usually post. Usually, you see me posting funny stories about my kids or documenting our adventures with photos. I've even done some paid product endorsements from time to time. But this time, I'm telling you about some products we use in my household just because they are wonderful.

We are Melaleuca customers. Maybe you've never heard of Melaleuca--I hadn't, until our friend shared the information with us almost six years ago. That's right, we've been using Melaleuca for over five years!

Melaleuca is a private label company that was established in 1985 with just a few household and wellness products. Today, they offer 450 different products. They don't have big marketing budgets or do commercial advertising, which keeps their prices low. You pay a membership fee to sign up, much like a wholesale club. You just shop online for the things you used to leave your house to purchase! Read on...

Why did we sign up to use Melaleuca?

First of all, I was pregnant with the twins when we started our membership. The idea of online shopping and home delivery was so appealing to us! Anything to cut down on our trips to the store with three kids. You place your monthly order online, and it's delivered right to your door by UPS within 3-4 days.  Now, I know not everyone gets such good service, but my UPS man will even carry my package inside the house for me! Convenience!



Second, we have three kids and want to keep them alive. Melaleuca products are all chemical-free and safe for kids and pets to be around. You know what? They don't even have kid-proof lids on the cleaning products because they are non-toxic! In 30 years of business, this company has had ZERO insurance claims over safety. Chemical-free and non-toxic means safe for the kids, safe for Fergie and I don't have to choke on bleach fumes when I clean the bathrooms. Safety!

Why are we still using Melaleuca today?

We love the products! Honestly, there isn't one thing we've tried that we didn't like. Here are the things that we regularly use: vitamins, lotion, laundry detergent, dish detergent, first aid supplies, shampoo/conditioner, deodorant, essential oils, household cleaners, insect repellent....and more.

This is our most recent order below. So excited to try the new toilet cleaner--it's a brand new product! Melaleuca is always adding something new. 



Also, the company cares about the environment. Products without chemicals are easier on the environment and packaging is created with less waste; many of the liquid products are highly concentrated so you use less and it lasts longer.


I can't tell you all about the products in one post, so here are my TOP 3 (today). I'll post a few more later in the week, so keep watching. 


This is the Attain crave blocker shake mix. There are lots of flavors, but I'm a chocolate gal all the way. I mix it with milk for breakfast and it keeps the munchies away until lunch. It works!



This is Sol-u-Guard, one of the all-purpose cleaning products from Melaleuca. It comes in the concentrated bottle on the left, and you mix it with water in a spray bottle to use. This is a disinfectant with no chemicals! I love the way it makes my kitchen smell. 



This. This is my beloved Renew lotion. Let me tell you, I have super dry skin. Like, all the time--even in the summer. Renew is the first lotion that I've found to actually help me! I have relief from my dry, itchy, flaky skin all year long. God help us if we run out of Renew.

IMPORTANT! SALES PITCH! If you are interested in a membership to shop Melaleuca, please let me know. The membership fee is only $29 but through January, it's ONLY ONE DOLLAR. You only have a few days left to get the sale price. There is no risk, no contract and you can cancel anytime. You know me....I'm skeptical of everything. This is legit, y'all.  Let me sign you up today. You can even Google "Melaleuca" and you won't find anything negative at all, I promise.



Thursday, January 14, 2016

Holiday Recap

We had a flurry of holiday activity that started with our (mostly) annual trip to Branson. We spent the weekend swimming, eating and playing at Silver Dollar City. It was way more crowded than I ever remember it being in the past, probably because the weather was beautiful and mild the day we went. The little kids and Nanny enjoyed all the kid rides. The big coaster riders had to sit out because of Lee's injury and TP wasn't feeling well. 

We had a quiet Christmas Day at home feasting and playing with all the kids' loot. We cooked the best turkey we've ever had, but I'm going to save that for another blog day.

My little Christmas miracle is that I finally got to set up my Dickens village, after storing it for nearly 10 years! I finally have room for a display and can trust my kids not to handle it or break it. My handy hubby repurposed an old wooden ladder for me to use as a display. It's so beautiful that I still haven't taken it down, even though the Christmas tree and decorations are all put away. It makes me so happy to look at it, that I may leave it up all winter.




For New Year's, we headed to Wynne, where we had our family Christmas and went to the Liberty Bowl for the Hogs vs. Kansas State game.

I picked the best photos of our holiday season to share. 














Monday, January 11, 2016

2015: Out with a bang!

Look! I'm here!

I think that the 4th Quarter got the best of me in 2015. All the prep work for holiday time in retail--Santa, events, sales, advertising---just wow. It sure left me with very little time or energy for blogging. And I still had to take care of holiday prep at home!

Things are certainly much different, and much slower, now. This is where I fill you in on all the drama that we ended the year with.  Let's see...

On December 17th, Lee went to the doctor for what he thought was kidney stone pain, and got put on medical leave from work. Turns out he has a hernia, not kidney stones! The surgeon couldn't even see him until after Christmas for a consult. He's been off work since then, and set to have surgery this Friday. Say a little prayer that everything goes smoothly. He will likely be off work another four weeks at least.

The very next day, I found out that I was losing my job. I won't get into details, but there has been an ownership change at the mall and a lot of other people were let go as well. In nearly 20 years of professional work, this is the first time I've lost a job. It's very strange.

Talk about a bad week! Yikes.



The good news is that I was able to be home with these little turkeys while they were out of school for holiday break. We cooked, baked, had play dates and got ready for Christmas. It really was very nice.


Now it's time to find a job and get 2016 started off better than last year ended. Wish me luck!  A bonus? Now I have more time for blogging!
 
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