Put a little DOT in your Spring step

Marc Jacobs DOT perfume that is. Being a member of Crowdtap gave me an opportunity to share with some of my lucky gal pals a generous sampling of this great fragrance. Spring is such a great time of year to update and freshen up the scent of the season. The Bottle is so gorg you will want to leave it out for all to see. Light enough for day and sensual enough for date night too. Add a hint of extra polka dot attire and you are set for a great day or night. Be warned you will be asked what scent you are wearing. With hints and tones of red berries for the playful spirit, jasmine for elegance, vanilla to be sweet and charming, orange blossom for a bit of zest & coconut for a fresh spin. This is a perfect girly girl fragrance. The Polka dot symbol bringing out joy and spirit. #gotitfree

Don't knock it till you've swapped it

Recently I was able to host a SWAP party thanks to WOOLITE and CROWDTAP. Where I had heard of this a couple of years ago while watching an episode of Giuliana & Bill. There were a few pieces that she had and it ended up being a wine party. Looked fun wither way to me. So out the invites went and I hoped for a great turn out. I was really excited because all of my friends are from different backgrounds and we all have different tastes. Such fun. I was not disappointed. We turned it into a potluck. We had jewelry, handbags, shoes and of course tops & bottoms. We drew names to see who got to rifle through the loot first. That was a toughy for the rest of us. We had already eyed up so many great things that we just hoped either A) it was not picked up or B) it didn't fit. All's fair in the game of love and fashion. None of us left empty handed and it was such a great way to recycle. We modeled our favorite pieces and laughed at some "what were you thinking" pieces too. Great fun was had by all. We also now have in our closets pieces we may not have ever picked for ourselves, but worked out all for the best, new & exciting. The few items that were left were donated to a woman's shelter. Woolite also supplied some free samples for us to take care of our new closet additions. If you ever have an opportunity to either host or attend one of these up & coming parties, I highly recommend going and checking it out. I am sure that you too will not leave empty handed. Cheers!!!

To Oral B, Or not to Oral B????

I say TO Oral B of course. Such a superior clean to anything I have used in the past. Wohoo I say...WooHooo!!! It has given me that "I just walked out of the dental office" clean. I have always been a dental girl, loved going to the dentist and having my teeth cleaned. This feels so good that I actually seem to brush longer than the two minutes. I have been a die hard Sonic care toothbrush gal for about 8 years now. But was so super open to trying the Oral B Professional Smart Series 5000, when Modern Mom offered me the opportunity to try this one out for free. The first thing that I noticed was that it was a tad more loud than my Sonic Care. This, I am chalking up to that it is working much harder and cleaning a lot more too. It has 5 clean modes so I can always choose the right speed that I am needing for the day. There is also a pressure indicator so those times that I am applying to much it is sure to tell me. I am a repeat offender of this and my gums are now thanking me. The unit comes with a four brush head charger station, there is room for a menagerie of heads. The wireless SmartGuide that helps maximize brushing performance is so cool and techy.With happy faces and stars, it is a great addition. The brush head itself is so great too. It is shaped a tad bigger than a professional prophy brush so it really cups each tooth and I can get way back behind those back molars and get a good super clean. There is also a special brush head that I will be getting that has a whitener built in. I did find that I get more spitty too, at first I was not sure what this was about, but chalked it up to that it is cleaning more, so it is making more. This brush like the sonic has a pause and a quadrant beep to let me know when to switch to the next area of my mouth. So that insures that each part is getting equal time. The one down fall that I can tell you about is that my teeth get so clean that during the day, when they start to not feel so clean I feel like I need to go and brush them. If I am in the car I start to obsess about getting home to brush because that is all I can focus on is getting them sparkling clean again. There can be worse things to obsess over, so I am not losing sleep over this one. The level of clean that this brush gives is second to none. I have banished my Sonic Care to the back of the linen closet and I have made a permanent comfy home on my counter for my New Oral B. My husband will be getting his brush head soon. I would feel bad to keep this to myself. here is the Oral B offical website so you can see the stats for yourself. http://www.oralb.com/products/professional-care-smart-series-5000/ This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of Oral B or Modern Mom. I did not receive any compensation for my opinion.

Woohoo!!! This is happening!!!

You need to grab your glass of Rose' and take some time to really enjoy this one. Your welcome. IN VOGUE: THE EDITOR'S EYE takes a look at some of the world's most influential fashion images conceived by the magazine's iconic fashion editors. Hear from legendary editors including Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington as well as celebrated Vogue muses Nicole Kidman and Sarah Jessica Parker. Fashion industry icons like Vera Wang and Marc Jacobs share their experiences collaborating with Vogue photographers and editors. The Documentary debuts exclusively on HBO December 6th and coincides with the 120th anniversary of Vogue.

Fall means new shoes. Check these out form

One of the best designers ever!!! Never to let us down. These are exclusive and so fun, something for everyone. Check them out and let me know what you think. My favorites so far are the Diffuse Sandals and Ling-Ling Tote. These opinions are my own and I am part of the Vogue Influencer network who helps me out with these pictures and videos. I can honestly say that they are awesome, but again, that is just me. I am not paid in anyway to give my opinion. Enjoy, Enjoy. I am going to drool over these a tad more.

Why I love fall....

It could be because of the great coffee house flavors that come out each season. How many ways can we do pumpkin anyways??? I don't care I just wanna keep em' coming. I am first in line for the seasonal java fix. Then I drink them as I page through my 15 magazine subs, that feature all of the fall styles and good down home flavors for cooking. ahhhh.....good times. This fall is extraordinary too, because my littlest has started preschool four days out of the week. So extra time to me to do all of the above at a somewhat leisurely pace. This year to add to the oh's and ah's is the new Fall line from J Brand. So classic, these work for everyone, no doubt in my mind. So, run to your favorite coffee house, page through these fab finds and pick a few out that are must haves to add to your Fall line. These are courtesy of my membership of The Vogue Influencer Network. Must start with a base: (these are the one's I wanna try) How about tops you say? (yeah, this one) (you need a good pea coat) (another personal fav) Here's how they piece them together

Here's a great way to maybe win a Coach bag,

You can just click on the dot and viola? are you a winner today? so simple.

Junk food binger...is this you?

I learned yesterday that as an average woman we are only supposed to take in 20 grams of sugar a day. WHAT!!!!! well then, my day is done at 5:45 a.m. after I have finished my bowl of oatmeal with a tablespoon of honey in it.
So i vowed to be more conscious of it and my days. The rest of yesterday went well.
This morning, awesome. Then, and I am going to blame this lack of judgement on my weight training this morning, and how ravenous I can get. I saw an open bag of coconut in the pantry and I took half that sucker down.
How am I feeling now you say? Full, really really full. And what has this got to say about my will power? Am I forever lost? Stupid white bag of goodness. Oh great, now I sound like a crack addict. :)
so, do I make piece and just finish that sucker off and live by the cartoon? The fullness leaves and I always seem to forget the feeling. How about you?
Sometimes it is the funniest of cartoons that are really are the truth.
Happy scavenging.

Is your breakfast served?

This time being a bzz agent gave me the opportunity to help myself and my family. I was given the opportunity to give my family Quaker Oatmeal Squares. Many of you know we are a family of grazers. SO this was a perfect thing for us to try out on the go and at the breakfast table of course. My family really enjoys a universal cereal. You know the type. The ones that are good for you as a base. But on the more fun side of the box, the ones that are so super good when you have a bowl of it with milk, at any time of the day. Also, the ones that you can enjoy straight out of the box as a grab and go kind of snack or meal. This cereal does it all and all of us love it that way. We are a busy family and we are always on the go and love to snack on the way. Many times it is meals on the way. I think it is great that I can put this cereal in a baggie for my teenager to bring to school to munch on between classes. I feel good knowing she is getting something healthy, and not something empty out of the vending machine. It has the best amount of sweetness so she feels like she is getting a treat. Same goes for my preschooler. We put these in her tupperwear and she can just tote them around and snack as needed. I like to see them eating it out of their breakfast bowls as well of course. A splash of milk and voila, it is just more vitamins and minerals being added to their day.
Go grab your box and graze on. :)

Ever have one of those days?

Where you feel so super great and you just know good things are going to happen? Today is that day. UPS just dropped off my Talbots gift card the I won as a Vogue Influencer. I am so excited to go and try this stuff out. I am grown up now (bummer) and I love these stores to help me look pulled together and stylish, and my age. Not too old and not like I shop my teenagers closet. Here are some of their past Holiday looks. Let me know what you think and what I should shop for first.

Embrace the sleek of Fekkai

I thought I would post the fab hair from the show. I am going to try and embrace the sleekness. Just realized this morning that some of these gals are wearing extensions. Teehee. I am so gullible. But i think it is gorg. I included the video too for you to see how it was done too.

My Fekkai win

I could post and post about this for sure. Two months later my hair has grown so beautifully thanks to this makeover. Then seeing this posted as a Vogue Influencer gave me the chance to relive it. Also, in the video, if you pause it at 18 and 19 seconds in and look down the isle you can see me in all my fabulousness. No lie, the products are fab and the ones I got in my gift bag I treat as gold. Seeing the video brings me back to the great California October weather and my feet are remembering the blisters and bruises they endured on the many walks up and down Sunset. Jen Aniston is staying at the hotel we stayed at. Kelli Cutrone was checking out as we were and Charlize Theron was checking in!!! Oh to be one of the cool kids for three days was a memory I will cherish for ages! Watch the video here.

let me know if it does not work, You can see it on facebook too.

We bundled Galore at our Old Navy store!!!

Three of my beasties and I were out at the Mall of America for a fun night of shopping. Compliments of Old Navy and Crowdtap. Now, you all know who you are, but my sister in law Kara (couldn't have asked for a better gal) my super friend Sarah and of course my darling daughter Makenzee. I picked these gals because we are all so different and fun. We would never run out of things to say. I made them all special brittle with chocolate chips and marshmallows to keep energy high. Can't have any sugar dropping in this case. We all met at the Mall of America Starbucks, we were able to see the Old Navy Marquee from the corner of the store. After we got our java on, we were set. Most of you know how huge the store is, so we had no problems digging in. For me I loved what everyone else was finding, But i seemed to grab quite a pile of items along the way as well. The fitting room was ours... for over two hours. It went by so fast. It took us so long, because we kept trying on each others stuff to see if we liked something better, we would guard one another rooms while one of us would go on the hunt for a different size, style or color. So funny to see us come back with more than one thing that we had found along the way looking for something else. We all emerged with our designated treasures and a bit more. So great that we all ended up with different things. From Beanies to fun, cords to skinnies and wrap arounds too, we had such a blast. It was the best part to see their faces light up when the coupons worked and the Old Navy staff was just amazed at our luck and fun. With a little gelato to celebrate at the end. We could not have asked for a better time. Three of us just enjoyed finding a new outfit to add for our cold MN weather. My sister in law went a tad further to find her perfect outfit to celebrate her one year anniversary in Ely, does it get colder anywhere farther north than ELY?

Pumpkin and Friends

Now, I am not calling anyone a pumpkin for sure but I am sure excited that my good friend Jodi is coming with her baby boy Brennen. For this great occasion I made some pumpkin scone like things, They have protein powder in them and use oatmeal as the filler as well. Using those was the nice part of me, the naughty? I added white chocolate chips. I felt like a baker at one of those fancy coffee houses. :)
These are gluten free of course and I think would make a great addition to a Holiday brunch, let me know what you think. I used honey instead of mollases, you could use corn syrup, but I try and stay somewhat away from that. I also skipped the raisins.
Pumpkin Protein Cookies
Fall just wouldn't be the same without an abundance of pumpkin-flavored treats, and this recipe allows you to indulge in them without feeling guilty. Made with vanilla protein powder, these spicy pumpkin cookies are perfect for a quick breakfast or afternoon snack. Although Stella seems to only want the ones with the chocolate in them, she says the other ones "are missing something"

Ingredients:
1 c. pumpkin puree
1/4 c. applesauce
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 c. vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp. agave nectar
1 tbsp. molasses (corn syrup or honey)
1 tbsp. cinnamon
2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. raisins (white chocolate chips)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine ingredients in a bowl, stirring until well combined. Drop cookies onto baking sheet and press down. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Makes 12 cookies

Oral B toothbrushes make for a fun Party

It may have been the Pooh Bear theme and the fabulous toothpaste tubes that lured the little guys in, but whatever the case, we had such a great time. The kids kept screaming Pooh Bear Party. Seeing them brushing their teeth just while hanging out and watching the movie was actually moving to see that they are so impressionable so fast. Talking about fruits, and milk and going to the dentist to keep our choppers well, was a quick chat on these little ears, but I think they enjoyed pointing out the pics and were so proud when they knew the answers to the trivia.
You all know I am a foodie, and today was no disappointment. There was Piglets crunch, (caramel/chocolate chex mix), Apples, peanut butter and marshmallows to look like a mouth with teeth. And of course there was Eeyore's dirt cups. Made out of pudding. crunched up Oreo and gummy worms.
I was so fortunate to have been chosen as a host for this Oral B party. We are all familiar with the name, but to see all of the oral care they have geared towards our kids really makes an impact and there is something for us all to get and implement into not just ours but our kids schedules as well. From Cars, Toy Story and Princess's too.

What do you do?

Maybe I was a tad overzealous, but stella is three now and i purchased a princess memory game for us. It had 72 cards. That seems like a bit much if you ask me. After 5mns of laying the cards out we began to "play". Then put it away. I was sad. I am looking for things for us to do that don't involve baking because of all the candy we have. What do all of you do with your tots to keep em busy???

Some swanky stuff is being applied too...

What are some of the posh products I have gotten my hands on lately? Let me tell ya.
The L'ancome Baby doll lashes do not disappoint. I am a three swiper anyways, so I know there is no clumping. I have never seen an applicator quite like this one either. No one has one like it. And to go with those darling eyelashes to bat on date night, there is the Diane Von Furstenburg scent. Her first true perfume. subtle hints of Violet and base notes of myrrh, musk and patchouli. Seductive and feminine, DIANE is the ultimate accessory.
And boots are so in right now. No, I am not talking our Sorel Staple, I am talking about some Nine West beauties. Like these: (no not because of the name either)

or these ones: they scream walking and shopping downtown.

and these for the sexy flair of it all:

and to wrap it up, I am hoping to chat with you next time while typing on the beauty:

Enjoy the gorg stuff here, I sure am. Life is good, real good

So... Where have I been lately?

What do Olivia Wilde, Busy Phillips, Baltzar Getty, Diana Agron and me have in common? We were all at the CFDA runway fashion show held at the Marmont this past week. Held outside it was more than a glamorous and perfect day.
Well, let me tell you. You all know I am a super sweeper. Let's not get to crazy here, not t.v. reality worthy, but enough to keep me fashionable and as a-of lately, well traveled. We are talking L.A. Yes, warm, sultry and sunny sunset strip.
It was not a scam. I have the pics to prove it. See above.
A big surprise was the poshy car service that drove me everywhere.
The Sunset Hotel? Oh, yes, everything and more. Right down to the cookies that were secretly placed bedside every evening when we came home.
Frederick Fekkai? So kind, so amazing. My hair has never looked so great and he cut 4in. off. I need to worry no more about the what I though were thinning spots. So lush.
Glasses of champagne were drank and swanky talk was abundant for sure. What a great time.
Derrick and I were even spotted in some of the swanky photos. You have to really look, but a glance and we are very present.
So, this housewife was almost in the ranks of the O.C. and the Beverly Hills gals. I can dream right?

Free John Frieda Hair Color Foam-Very Lux

I have used this and I adore it, it feels so poshy with great pro gloves and a superb leave in conditioner, grab yours now!!! Just take the survey and see if you qualify. http://www.facebook.com/johnfriedaus?sk=app_109900249089848

I know you can see it, but can you taste it?

Well, my stay at home mommies. It is getting so much closer. WE can see it. You know the bright light that is coming in through the windows a bit earlier each day. I can almost taste the fresh air of being able to bring stella out and let her run it out. Are you feeling couped up too? Climbing the walls at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Maybe waiting for the older siblings to come home so you can have a tad bit of extra "adult" conversation? How many projects can you do in a day to keep yourself busy? All of the extra muffins and brownies and cookies we have baked here in the afternoons are fab, but even though gluten free, my body may be resembling it's own form of the muffin top. Running outside you say? still to dangerous for sure. Leslie in the living room, yes, with stella being a great leslie fan herself it is a challenge. So for now, I am opening the blinds first thing in the morning and letting the light in a tad sooner, physically and mentally. It is going to be a great shiny day!!!