https://www.babygizmo.com/review-freshly-picked-moccasins/
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Freshly Picked shoes for Baby
I couldn't say it better myself! A must, MUST have shoe for your little one. I have 4 kids and just bought my 4th child, a 9 month old boy, his first pair! Thank you, baby gizmo!
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Birchbox vs. Ipsy: Which is Better?
I have to tell you all that I love getting my monthly Birchbox in the mail. I've been a subscriber now for nearly two years, and I've never once thought about canceling my subscription. The array of products that they give me I always seem to enjoy and use. The nominal fee that I pay for my monthly box, $10, is certainly worth the little box of treasures that surprise me in my mailbox each month. I think that my 3 girls get more excited than I do when they see that I received my box in the mail. We've enjoyed using everything together from face scrubs, chocolates, BB creams, masks, mascaras, eye liners, body wash and even teas. We're like kids in a candy store every month when we open it up, and it allows for some fun girl bonding time with my children!
This leads me into Ipsy, a similar company that offers a monthly box of goodies for the same price of $10/mo. My 12 year old daughter really wanted to receive her own monthly box, and suggested that I sign her up for an Ipsy box. Of course, she wasn't just going to get one for no good reason because we can't just give our kids everything that they want, right? So for Christmas this year I decided to surprise her with a one year subscription to Ipsy! When she opened the box with the confirmation she was over-the-moon excited and couldn't believe that I remembered that she had wanted it so badly. I ordered her subscription on December 24th and printed out the confirmation so that I could wrap it. At the time of order, the site told me that I'd be "wait listed", but I could avoid the wait list by posting about their company to Twitter or Facebook. I'm rather private about my social media and I didn't want to post about an item that I've never even received, touting it as though it was the next greatest thing. I was a little taken aback by that to say the least, so i went with the "wait list" option for the time being.
Today is January 28th and we're still wait listed over a month later. My poor, deprived little girl is without her Christmas gift and keeps asking when she'll get it. I mean, come on……she's 12 and she NEEDS her beauty products, damn it!!! Oh, the agony! So I finally received an email this morning that I can get off of the wait list if I share Ipsy on Facebook. (apparently, this is the only way I'm getting out of jail, so I decide to take the bait to save face with my tween and do it against my better judgement and morals.)
I now am asked to go through a 4 part series of posting to Facebook, sharing my Facebook contacts and friends list with them, and then subscribing to all of their You Tube channels. By blood is boiling by now, because I'm being backed into a corner over this darn box. I hit send and I'm free! I'm finally off of the blacklist……we're out of jail!
Ummmmm……IPSY…….
Let me tell you a little something……First, don't bully your customers by making them give you private information just to get your darn box. I've out smarted you by logging into an unused Facebook account with only 3 friends. I would never give a company free access to my private information, no matter my thousands of Facebook contacts. If it wasn't for me giving this as a gift to my daughter, I would've told you to take your silly box and shove it!
I'm sticking to Birchbox, who is glad to have me as a valued customer. So to answer which ones better? Well, I think that my post speaks for itself.
This leads me into Ipsy, a similar company that offers a monthly box of goodies for the same price of $10/mo. My 12 year old daughter really wanted to receive her own monthly box, and suggested that I sign her up for an Ipsy box. Of course, she wasn't just going to get one for no good reason because we can't just give our kids everything that they want, right? So for Christmas this year I decided to surprise her with a one year subscription to Ipsy! When she opened the box with the confirmation she was over-the-moon excited and couldn't believe that I remembered that she had wanted it so badly. I ordered her subscription on December 24th and printed out the confirmation so that I could wrap it. At the time of order, the site told me that I'd be "wait listed", but I could avoid the wait list by posting about their company to Twitter or Facebook. I'm rather private about my social media and I didn't want to post about an item that I've never even received, touting it as though it was the next greatest thing. I was a little taken aback by that to say the least, so i went with the "wait list" option for the time being.
Today is January 28th and we're still wait listed over a month later. My poor, deprived little girl is without her Christmas gift and keeps asking when she'll get it. I mean, come on……she's 12 and she NEEDS her beauty products, damn it!!! Oh, the agony! So I finally received an email this morning that I can get off of the wait list if I share Ipsy on Facebook. (apparently, this is the only way I'm getting out of jail, so I decide to take the bait to save face with my tween and do it against my better judgement and morals.)
I now am asked to go through a 4 part series of posting to Facebook, sharing my Facebook contacts and friends list with them, and then subscribing to all of their You Tube channels. By blood is boiling by now, because I'm being backed into a corner over this darn box. I hit send and I'm free! I'm finally off of the blacklist……we're out of jail!
Ummmmm……IPSY…….
Let me tell you a little something……First, don't bully your customers by making them give you private information just to get your darn box. I've out smarted you by logging into an unused Facebook account with only 3 friends. I would never give a company free access to my private information, no matter my thousands of Facebook contacts. If it wasn't for me giving this as a gift to my daughter, I would've told you to take your silly box and shove it!
I'm sticking to Birchbox, who is glad to have me as a valued customer. So to answer which ones better? Well, I think that my post speaks for itself.
Monday, September 15, 2014
How it Began - One Mother's Journey with Childhood Cancer
A mothers intuition is stronger than any force on the planet. It was just one of those things that I can't really describe any other way. The lump that had been on her neck since April 14, 2014 and wasn't going away was like a giant pink elephant living in my kitchen. Everybody saw it, but nobody acknowledged it or wanted to believe it was anything to worry about.
Every morning when she woke up I would ask my 11 year old daughter to see the lump, hoping and praying that it had gone down overnight. Sometimes I think I convinced myself that it was getting smaller. If she pulled her hair back you could really see it, so I began telling her to wear her down when we were in public so that people wouldn't ask her what it was. Out of sight, out of mind kinda thing. After all, our pediatrician told us we had nothing to worry about since her blood counts were good when they did her blood work. It was just an enlarged lymph node that was the lingering effect of a viral infection. we could biopsy it if I wanted to. Yep, that's definitely what it was. Just a swollen lymph. It would go down soon I kept telling myself. She's a healthy kid with tons of energy. There absolutely couldn't be anything wrong with her.
Fast forward over the entire summer to the end of August 2014 and she still had the lump. That damn lump! Why couldn't it just go away?!? Her blood work was good and so I had nothing to worry about, right? I took Alana back to her pediatrician on August 15, 2014 for some school shots, and I showed the pediatrician the lump again and expressed my concerns. This time she told us that she thought it was an abscess and gave us a referral to an Ears, Nose & Throat doctor. She thought that it might have to be drained. I called the ENT office immediately, but they didn't accept our insurance. It was late Friday afternoon, and I left a message for the pediatrician to call me first thing on Monday morning to help me find another one.
Two days later: Sunday, August 17, 2014:
I woke up and for some reason I decided that I was going to take her to the ER. My ex husband had changed the girls insurance back in May without my prior knowledge or consent to an HMO, and I was having a difficult time getting her seen by a specialist over the summer. I had hired an attorney and they were helping me to get a court date to hopefully change the girls to my instance plan, which would make it easier than an HMO. I wanted to biopsy the lump and explore further treatment to fully rule out the possibility of it being something more serious. I inherently knew that I wasn't satisfied with the pediatricians diagnosis. In fact, I do recall speaking briefly with the pediatrician about a biopsy on that first visit, but I was never able to follow through with it due to the insurance issue. Our pediatrician felt good about the blood work being normal. She just kept assuring me that it would go away in time. Bottom line: enough was enough with this lump. I was done waiting for it to shrink. I waited for Alana to wake up and then I told her my plan. We put on our yoga pants and sweatshirts despite the sweltering 98 degree Florida heat and made our way over to the hospital.
We walked into the emergency room and signed in. I wish that someone would've taken a picture of us at that check in desk, because it was the last time that life would ever be the same for us. We were about to enter into a different universe. The universe of being a family with childhood cancer. My single worst fear was about to come true.
Every morning when she woke up I would ask my 11 year old daughter to see the lump, hoping and praying that it had gone down overnight. Sometimes I think I convinced myself that it was getting smaller. If she pulled her hair back you could really see it, so I began telling her to wear her down when we were in public so that people wouldn't ask her what it was. Out of sight, out of mind kinda thing. After all, our pediatrician told us we had nothing to worry about since her blood counts were good when they did her blood work. It was just an enlarged lymph node that was the lingering effect of a viral infection. we could biopsy it if I wanted to. Yep, that's definitely what it was. Just a swollen lymph. It would go down soon I kept telling myself. She's a healthy kid with tons of energy. There absolutely couldn't be anything wrong with her.
Fast forward over the entire summer to the end of August 2014 and she still had the lump. That damn lump! Why couldn't it just go away?!? Her blood work was good and so I had nothing to worry about, right? I took Alana back to her pediatrician on August 15, 2014 for some school shots, and I showed the pediatrician the lump again and expressed my concerns. This time she told us that she thought it was an abscess and gave us a referral to an Ears, Nose & Throat doctor. She thought that it might have to be drained. I called the ENT office immediately, but they didn't accept our insurance. It was late Friday afternoon, and I left a message for the pediatrician to call me first thing on Monday morning to help me find another one.
Two days later: Sunday, August 17, 2014:
I woke up and for some reason I decided that I was going to take her to the ER. My ex husband had changed the girls insurance back in May without my prior knowledge or consent to an HMO, and I was having a difficult time getting her seen by a specialist over the summer. I had hired an attorney and they were helping me to get a court date to hopefully change the girls to my instance plan, which would make it easier than an HMO. I wanted to biopsy the lump and explore further treatment to fully rule out the possibility of it being something more serious. I inherently knew that I wasn't satisfied with the pediatricians diagnosis. In fact, I do recall speaking briefly with the pediatrician about a biopsy on that first visit, but I was never able to follow through with it due to the insurance issue. Our pediatrician felt good about the blood work being normal. She just kept assuring me that it would go away in time. Bottom line: enough was enough with this lump. I was done waiting for it to shrink. I waited for Alana to wake up and then I told her my plan. We put on our yoga pants and sweatshirts despite the sweltering 98 degree Florida heat and made our way over to the hospital.
We walked into the emergency room and signed in. I wish that someone would've taken a picture of us at that check in desk, because it was the last time that life would ever be the same for us. We were about to enter into a different universe. The universe of being a family with childhood cancer. My single worst fear was about to come true.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Hearts, Denim and Deals!
One of my favorite ways to flex my style muscles is to combine less expensive pieces with my more expensive, designer pieces. My rule of thumb to mixing in a less expensive piece is to pair a designer top or bottom with the less expensive piece. Add in a designer shoe and handbag and you can flawlessly pull it off!
For example, I fell in love with the "heart" sweater that both JCrew and Old Navy have out for fall. Old Navy offers their version at around $25 vs. the more expensive JCrew styling at $90. I thought this was such an adorable sweater for the price that I drove around to two different stores to find it in my size.
I eventually bought the navy, Old Navy sweater with the red heart on it and paired it with a pair of JBrand skinnies, added in my Jimmy Choo, neutral toned pumps, a Louis Vuitton handbag and the result was flawless! I got compliments everywhere I went and people were shocked to know that the sweater cost $25 and was from Old Navy!
The moral of this story is that you CAN indulge yourself in the Forever 21's of the world.....you just gotta know how to work it!
Happy Shopping!
For example, I fell in love with the "heart" sweater that both JCrew and Old Navy have out for fall. Old Navy offers their version at around $25 vs. the more expensive JCrew styling at $90. I thought this was such an adorable sweater for the price that I drove around to two different stores to find it in my size.
I eventually bought the navy, Old Navy sweater with the red heart on it and paired it with a pair of JBrand skinnies, added in my Jimmy Choo, neutral toned pumps, a Louis Vuitton handbag and the result was flawless! I got compliments everywhere I went and people were shocked to know that the sweater cost $25 and was from Old Navy!
The moral of this story is that you CAN indulge yourself in the Forever 21's of the world.....you just gotta know how to work it!
Happy Shopping!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Charlotte Olympia "Blue Moon" Pump
How appropriate, right? I so need these killer heels for my collection.
Kate Spade "Normandy Park" Circle Bag
Here I go again, ranting and raving about all of the items that I MUST HAVE for fall.
One of the trends that we are seeing this fall is the circle bag. The last time I used a circle bag was back in 1992 when I had a red, leather Paloma Picasso one. It was given to me as a gift and I absolutely worshipped it! (kinda wish that I didn't get rid of it right about now.)
Polka Dots are another trend that we're seeing everywhere too, from jeans to scarves and shoes to purses. When it comes to trends, I like to keep it simple, using the principle that less is more, and I like to be able to wear the trendy item more than just one time. For example, I love the concept of polka dotted jeans, but I'm not sure how many times I can wear them without the look getting stale.
I fell in love with Kate Spade's "Normandy Park" polka dot bag, $298, from katespade.com. It's a patent leather black bag that features the most perfect sized white polka dots. The size of the circle bag is 6.2''h x 6.2''w x 2.3''d, so it's perfect for a lipstick, cell phone and cash/credit cards. Makes a great statement for either day or night, and it also comes in black and red.
One of the trends that we are seeing this fall is the circle bag. The last time I used a circle bag was back in 1992 when I had a red, leather Paloma Picasso one. It was given to me as a gift and I absolutely worshipped it! (kinda wish that I didn't get rid of it right about now.)
Polka Dots are another trend that we're seeing everywhere too, from jeans to scarves and shoes to purses. When it comes to trends, I like to keep it simple, using the principle that less is more, and I like to be able to wear the trendy item more than just one time. For example, I love the concept of polka dotted jeans, but I'm not sure how many times I can wear them without the look getting stale.
I fell in love with Kate Spade's "Normandy Park" polka dot bag, $298, from katespade.com. It's a patent leather black bag that features the most perfect sized white polka dots. The size of the circle bag is 6.2''h x 6.2''w x 2.3''d, so it's perfect for a lipstick, cell phone and cash/credit cards. Makes a great statement for either day or night, and it also comes in black and red.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Jackie Newgent's Slimming Tea
Hmmmmmm……shall we try this lovely little recipe for slimming tea?
I was relaxing earlier today and reading through the latest issue of Health magazine. (I’ve convinced myself that if I read it from cover to cover; I will motivate myself to exercise more and to make healthier choices when it comes to food.)
I just read about this “Slimming Tea created by Jackie Newgent, author of the upcoming 1,000 Low Calorie Recipes. It’s supposed to “keep your metabolism humming”, according to Health!
Here’s the recipe:
Fill 2 quart pitcher with brewed green tea or jasmine green tea.
Add thin slices from 1 jalapeño pepper
one 1″ piece of ginger
1 lime
sweeten w a zero calorie sweetener like Stevia.
Am I skinnier yet??? Let me know what you guys think of this if you decide to make it. I’ll post my thoughts too!
Btw….here’s the link to the article:
http://www.health.com/health/m/gallery/0,,20516496_2,00.html
I was relaxing earlier today and reading through the latest issue of Health magazine. (I’ve convinced myself that if I read it from cover to cover; I will motivate myself to exercise more and to make healthier choices when it comes to food.)
I just read about this “Slimming Tea created by Jackie Newgent, author of the upcoming 1,000 Low Calorie Recipes. It’s supposed to “keep your metabolism humming”, according to Health!
Here’s the recipe:
Fill 2 quart pitcher with brewed green tea or jasmine green tea.
Add thin slices from 1 jalapeño pepper
one 1″ piece of ginger
1 lime
sweeten w a zero calorie sweetener like Stevia.
Am I skinnier yet??? Let me know what you guys think of this if you decide to make it. I’ll post my thoughts too!
Btw….here’s the link to the article:
http://www.health.com/health/m/gallery/0,,20516496_2,00.html
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