Watching My Baby Grow and Learning to Let Go

I�ve said it a thousand times, but each and every month of Harper�s life, I find myself saying �this is the best age ever!� I think it�s natural to enjoy watching your baby go from a tiny, chunky infant who does tummy time on a mat to a growing, running-all-over-the-place toddler who can communicate with you.

Becoming a mother is like the wildest roller coaster ride---there are ups and downs, surprises at every turn, joys and worry, and happiness and love like you�ve never experienced. It�s a tangled jumble of every emotion you�ve ever felt.

One of the questions that I�m often asked is "what surprised you most about motherhood?" I could give a hundred different answers, but the one I�ll focus on today is how motherhood helped me let go a little. And if you know me, you know that�s not something that comes easily or naturally for me.

I�m a huge worrier and worst-case-scenario thinker and I�ve been that way since I was a child. I think it�s my way of �protecting myself� in case the unimaginable were to happen to a family member or friend. So �letting go� of those worries comes in baby steps for me.

While pregnant, I pictured myself as "that mom" with an endless arsenal of germ-killing products, hand-sanitizer in every room of the house and keeping my floors �so clean you could eat off of them.� For the first few months of Harper�s life, I was very cautious about taking her places and exposing her to germs before she was vaccinated. Then, when my maternity leave was over and I went back to work, Harper was in daycare and she was sick quite a bit (as was I).

I also remember proclaiming how my house would still look "fantastic" after having children and believe me, I'm laughing so much harder at myself than any of you are. 

I realized that my vision of being �that mom� with the disinfecting spray bottle at arm�s reach and a perfectly organized home was not only unrealistic, but detrimental. I wanted to enjoy my time with my daughter, not worry about her putting a toy in her mouth after it fell on the floor or keeping my house spotless. I didn't have the time or energy to be the way I imagined.

My perspective changed so much as she grew. She was getting into more things and learning to crawl and walk. I loved watching her explore, learn new things and discover the world around her. I stopped freaking out if she ate a piece of food she dropped on the floor, licked a rock at the park or used a restaurant highchair without a cover. (Okay, maybe I did freak out just a little about the rock licking incident at the park).

(rocks and babies, not a good combo)

Though I've learned to let go a little, we of course still practice good hand hygiene and keep our house decent (we also have a cleaning service come about once a month) --- but I�ve become much more relaxed about it and it makes life so much easier. I would rather spend time making memories than making my floors sparkle.

There's no denying though that life with a toddler is messy. I can't tell you how many times I've watched in slow-motion as Harper threw hundreds of grains of quinoa on the hardwoods or threw pasta sauce on the floor.

There are noses to wipe, hands to wash, highchairs to clean� and it's truly never-ending. I never cared much about cleaning products before I had Harper --- but as soon as I became pregnant I started to look for options that didn't contain harmful or strong chemicals.

That's when I was first introduced to the Babyganics line. I started to use some of their cleaning products in my first trimester of pregnancy when I saw them at Babies R Us, and continued to use them when Harper was born. 

My husband and I are huge fans of their Alcohol-Free Foaming Hand Sanitizer (we keep one in each diaper bag and in our diaper-changing basket---and it comes in either unscented or mandarin---we have both) as well as their Foaming Dish & Bottle Soap, which we used to clean bottles, pumping parts---and now, sippy cups. We also used their all-purpose cleaning spray.

(thank goodness the bottle-cleaning days are over!)

(we need hand sanitizer for moments like when my daughter pets a goat, haha)

Recently, I got to test out Babyganics Toy & Highchair Cleaner Spray, Face Hand & Baby Wipes and Moisturizing Daily Lotion. 

These were new products to me and I have to say that hands down, my favorite of the new ones I tried are the Face Hand & Baby Wipes because I use them constantly. For runny noses, messy faces, sticky hands, and diaper changes. They're large and really get the job done---and the best part is that they're unscented which is great for sensitive skin.

I keep a package of them on the white tray on my kitchen island at all times!

The Toy & Highchair Cleaner Spray is also unscented and you don't have to rinse it after you've wiped down whatever you're cleaning. I mostly use it for highchair cleaning but I've also used it on my countertops.

baby + eating = messy

The Moisturizing Daily Lotion isn't a product we use daily, but it has a nice, light scent and is non-allergenic. It also doesn't contain any parabens, artificial dyes or fragrances and other ingredients that can irritate skin. Harper has sensitive skin (hello, redhead) as do I, so this is perfect for us both.

Have you ever tried Babyganics? Which products are your favorites?

Leave a comment below to enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card!

Sweepstakes Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
 1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: �#SweepstakesEntry�; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
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4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 10/16/2014 � 11/15/2014.
Be sure to visit the Babyganics brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers� posts!

"Hanging Out" with Sonia Kashuk

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity via BlogHer, along with several other bloggers, to participate in a Google Hangout with famed makeup artist Sonia Kashuk whose new bath and body product line I reviewed recently. I have also reviewed her satin luxe lipsticks, here.

I asked Sonia what her favorite products were from her own makeup line that she uses on a daily basis and also what inspired the (lovely) packaging on all of the products in the bath and body line.  Check out our chat below, featuring Sonia answering our questions (my question is at 5:30 in the video!) 

I love that she uses her own products, because I think the most exciting part about creating a beauty and bath and body line would be to create my "dream collection" of products. Basically an entire suite of "holy grail" products to create my everyday look. Sign me up!


I hope you enjoyed this video!

You can check out the new Bath & Body Collection by Sonia Kashuk, exclusively at Target!

A Delicious & Quick Dinner Idea

When my husband and I first moved in together before we got married, we were both pretty lacking in our cooking skills. We often ordered-in food and we ate the same things all the time, which included a lot of turkey tacos because they were easy to make.

As we got older, we both got better at cooking and currently my husband does 90% of the cooking in our house. (Score!)  But now that we have a baby, our dinner routine has become a little more challenging because we both want to maximize the time we spend with Harper after work instead of being stuck in the kitchen.  We like to cook things that are quick or than can be thrown into a pan and oven-baked so we can play with the baby and have our dinner practically make itself, save some prep time.

We've been buying Bertolli authentic Italian frozen meals for about five years now. We kind of discovered them randomly in the freezer section of our grocery store. It was one of those "these look good" moments and we picked up a few different meals.

Recently, Bertolli came out with new, restaurant-inspired, multi-serve Rustico Bakes, which promise to deliver oven-baked taste from the microwave in minutes. Already a fan of the stove-top frozen meals, I was excited to try something that would take even less effort (and no clean-up either!).

Nowadays, we cook a Bertolli dinner anytime we don't feel like really cooking or don't have the time to but we still want a tasty dinner that's a real meal (ie: not mac n' cheese or cereal). The new Bertolli multi-serve Rustico Bakes are available in 4 recipes-  Stuffed Shells Bolognese, Ricotta & Mozzarella Ravioli, Ziti Alforno and Manicotti Alla Vodka. You guys, they are SO good. I was amazed at how delicious they were and, confession time---when we made the Ziti Alforno, I took it out of the microwave and divided equal servings into bowls...and then, when my husband wasn't looking, added a little more to my bowl. (Sorry, honey.)

Sometimes we don't have the time or energy to cook or we just want to spend our evening taking a long walk with the baby and reading extra books. Having something quick and easy that we can eat and enjoy as a family is awesome (and lately, Harper likes to watch us eat too!).

All you have to do to make the Rustico Bakes is to pop it into the microwave for about 10 minutes. When it's all done I promise you will love the taste- just like what you'd order dining out, but you can wear sweatpants and don't have to leave your house.

 

Harper hanging out while dinner cooks...

 Here's what it looks like after we've served it up:

so much delicious melted cheesy goodness...mmm...

Bertolli also has a new line of Italian-inspired desserts and as someone who doesn't feel dinner is complete without a sweet treat at the end of a meal, I'm loving the Lemoncello dessert.  

Have you tried Bertolli dinners? What do you cook when you want a great meal that's quick? Leave me a comment below for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card!

Sweepstakes Rules: 
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: �#SweepstakesEntry�; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
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4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 11/7/2013-12/4/2013.
Be sure to visit the Bertolli brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers� posts!

'Me Time' with the New Sonia Kashuk Bath and Body Collection at Target!

Now that I'm a momma, I can tell you that my spa day weekends are a thing of the past, my nails are always chipped, and I haven't seen the inside of a gym since I was pregnant. Harper is my biggest (and awesomest) priority so taking care of me like I used to has fallen by the wayside---and that's okay.

Though I don't have as much "me" time now, I do believe it's important to take 20 or 30 minutes each week to do something nice for you.  I think it makes you a better mom and a better partner if you take the time to do something that makes you feel good.  Even though your "new normal" is everything but having time for yourself (because even if the baby is sleeping, there's laundry to be done, lunches to be made, surfaces to be cleaned...and the list goes on and on) it's still crucial to schedule a little time to pamper yourself---even 20 minutes can recharge and reinvigorate you.

I've really focused on caring for my skin lately so I was excited when Sonia Kashuk debuted a new Bath and Body collection, available at Target (one of my favorite shopping destinations!)

Once a week, I step up my shower routine by incorporating products from the new line to keep my skin looking supple and moisturized. I don't always have the time to do the whole exfoliate and deep moisturizing routine, so this is just a weekly treat for now.

Before I get into each product, I want to rave about the beautiful packaging.  I love the luxe look of the black packaging with bold floral prints and the touch of gold on the label. The prettier the packaging, the nicer it is to have in your bathroom. Fact.

Sonia Kashuk's new bath and body line:

shower gel, body mist, hand cream, body polish and body butter

Okay, so back to my three-step routine. I start my shower with the Sonia Kashuk exfoliating body polish. It's grainy but not too rough and it helps slough off all of those dead skin cells to reveal fresh, new skin. It also smells great which is a huge bonus. If you're skeptical, test it on top of your hand first---your skin will feel as smooth as a baby once you rinse it off!

Once that's complete, step two is the body wash---it has a very strong herbal/floral scent and it kind of fills your shower with steamy goodness that feels luxurious like those fancy aromatherapy oils they use at the spa. Plus, the smell lingers a little while so you smell good even a couple of hours after your shower.

Once I'm all rinsed off and towel-dried, I apply the body butter to my entire body. The body butter is rich and thick---but also has a whipped texture which makes it easy to apply, non-stick and non-greasy. It makes my skin SO soft.

Taking that time once a week to spend a little extra time doing something nice for my skin is a good way to recharge and pamper myself a little.  It's something small that has a big impact on the condition of my skin.

How do you recharge or make time for yourself each week? Whether you're a busy mom or working gal, what's your go-to beauty routine, class at the gym or other activity that makes you feel good? Let me know in the comments below and you could win a $100 Target GiftCard�


Sweepstakes Rules:
No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: �#SweepstakesEntry�; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winner  will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 11/4/13 - 11/30/13.

Be sure to visit the Sonia Kashuk Brand Page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers� reviews and find more chances to win!

A Girls Night Out with Almay- CC Cream Review

For the last year,  BB creams were the beauty-product-du-jour. It seems like every brand came out with one, and ads on TV and in magazines all touted BB creams as THE skin solution.

I had never tried a BB cream because I felt that they wouldn't provide enough coverage for my skin, which is breakout prone. I like to use concealer to help hide imperfections (like blemishes and unevenness) and then top that with a powder foundation for a smooth, matte finish.

About a year after the reign of BB creams, I suddenly started to notice ads and commercials for CC creams.  Promising to offer more coverage and color correction than BB creams, my interest was piqued.

I recently had the chance to test out ALMAY� smart shade CC cream� .  It promises to cover imperfections, correct discoloration in the skin and also to help brighten your skin tone with continued use. It also contains an SPF 35 which is awesome; especially because I live in Texas so extra sun protection is always a plus.

The best part is that the CC cream has Almay's color-match smart shade technology and adjusts to suit your skin tone so there's no guesswork. I used the "light" color and it blends evenly into my skin.  I like that it feels moisturizing but not oily, and it gives medium coverage so imperfections are corrected but your real skin still shows through.  I've always spent the most time on my skin when I apply makeup because I think having a great "canvas" is crucial to the rest of your makeup looking good.   I did add a little concealer on top of Almay's CC cream to help cover a couple of blemishes and then I set the CC cream with a light dusting of Almay's Smart Shade loose powder.

The thing I like about CC cream is that it's kind of an in-between product---not the full coverage of a traditional liquid foundation but more coverage than a tinted moisturizer (or BB cream).  It's one of the products I would reach for if I wanted to look a little more polished for a weekend morning of running errands or if I needed to quickly even-out my skin but didn't want to wear a full face of makeup. 

Using Almay's CC cream, I created a 'girl's night out" look. Now that I have a baby, girl's nights are very few and far between (okay, let's just call a spade a spade and say there have been no girl's nights since Harper was born, unless you count late night bottles and cuddle sessions as a girl's night). So I thought it would be fun to dress up a little...

Starting my makeup with Almay's CC cream and ending with one of their bright pink color+care liquid lip balm (in "pink pout"), I headed to my closet to select the perfect outfit for a girl's night out. It was an ideal opportunity to wear my new peplum top (yep, definitely jumped on that trend train!)

I like this look because it could be worn for a night out with girlfriends but it's not too fussy---and it's incredibly comfortable too. 

My skin with Almay's CC cream and a light dusting of powder- followed by bronzer and blush. You can see a few of the CC cream shades and the gloss I used below!

and here's my girl's night out outfit...

 Top- Anthropologie | Jeans- GAP | Shoes- Zara (old) (similar, similar) | Necklace- Groopdealz.com | Bag- Tory Burch Reva Clutch | Sunglasses- Lulu's c/o

 GIVEAWAY!!
For a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, answer this question: How do your create you favorite girls' night out look?

Sweepstakes Rules:
No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods: Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this postTweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: �#SweepstakesEntry�; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winner will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. The Official Rules are available here. This sweepstakes runs from 10/23/13-11/19/13.
Be sure to visit the Almay Brand Page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers� posts and find more chances to win!

Sponsored- A Girl's Night Out Look with Almay

Today, I'm sharing a new video via BlogHer and Almay featuring Kate Bryan of The Small Things Blog showing us how to get a pretty look for a girl's night out (and she uses one of my favorite glosses---Almay's Color+Care Liquid Lip Balm in the color "blooming") I hope y'all enjoy her tutorial!

Have a great Tuesday and enjoy this shortened week!

Sponsored: A Pretty Weekend Look

Today I'm excited to have been asked by BlogHer to share with you a second video in the Almay sponsored series called  �Different Occasions. Different Looks. Always Pretty.�

The video below shows a casual weekend look using minimal makeup to achieve a polished face that's quick and easy.  You may remember I shared my five minute makeup routine recently, so this video was right up my alley.

Speaking of Almay, I cannot wait to share a review with you all of Almay's latest Color+Care glosses that I have coming up soon.  They are amazing and I can't wait to show you photos and swatches of the shades I got to test out---they're pretty much my most favorite products I've had the chance to test out lately!


 
Watch the video above to learn how Kate Bryan from The Small Things Blog uses Almay's CC cream, bronzer, mascara and gloss to create a laid-back and pretty weekend look.

Thank you for reading and wishing you all a wonderful week!   

Sponsored: A Date Night Look by Kate Bryan of The Small Things Blog

You might remember a recent date night makeup look I posted when I was still pregnant using Almay products.

Lately my "date nights" have been all about cuddling with our sweet little newborn Harper so today I'm delighted to have been asked by BlogHer to share an Almay-sponsored video series called �Different Occasions. Different Looks. Always Pretty.� In the first video, you'll learn to re-created a date night look by Kate Bryan of The Small Things Blog.

And speaking of date nights---let me know when you had your first date night with your husband post-baby!


Hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

Creating a Date Night Look with Almay's Smart Shade Mousse Makeup

Now that we're in the home stretch of my pregnancy, my husband and I have been spending a lot of time getting ready for baby.  One thing everyone told us is to make sure to go on a few date nights before the baby comes.  I think that's such great advice, because your life as a couple is about to dramatically change as you bring a new life into the world (sleepless nights, most of your attention devoted to baby, new routines, etc.), so it's nice to spend some quality time together as a twosome before baby's arrival.

Recently I got to test out some new Almay products to create a "date night" look and it was really fun to step outside of my typical makeup routine and test out some new products.

The first product I tried is Almay's new Smart Shade Mousse makeup.  I had never tried a mousse makeup before and I never wear liquid foundation so I was curious as to how it would work on my skin.  What's amazing is that the foundation is white in the packaging---but as you rub it into your skin, it instantly transforms into your ideal shade, right before your eyes. I used the Smart Shade Mousse makeup in the color "light."  I was really surprised at how much I loved the texture since I'm a powder girl.  It goes on really smooth spreads evenly and gives your skin a nice, airbrushed look.  It provides medium coverage---I could still see some of my freckles through it (which I love). I followed the mousse makeup with a touch of concealer to cover some blemish marks (hello pregnancy!) and then sealed it all with a light dusting of Almay's pressed powder (also in the color light).

Almay's Smart Shade Mousse makeup in the color "light"

Almay's pressed powder

 

To complete my look, I was sent Almay's intense i-color eyeshadows in the "bold nudes" collection, which was right up my alley.  The long-lasting shades are nicely pigmented and make application easy because all three colors are meant to complement each other.  I actually chose to combine two palettes to create my date night look.  I used the dark brown from the palette on the left to line my top lash line (I dipped my brush into water first to get an even bolder line) and then I used a combination of the two purple shades on my lower lash line---first lining with the darker plum and then going over that with a lighter purple which had a beautiful iridescence to it.  Finally, I used the shimmery ivory shade from the purple palette to make the inner corners of my eyes and my brow bone pop.

To get a sunny glow on my skin, I swiped Almay's smart shade bronzer onto my cheeks, the sides of my nose and in my hairline.

Here was my final date night look:

 

A close-up of the eye makeup---it's hard to tell from far away, but up-close, you can see that I have a bit of an olive color mixed into my eyes---and this gorgeous purple shadow really brings that color out. Maybe I need to wear purple more often!

 

I hope you liked this look!  

 

Check out Almay's website for more information about their products and don't forget to like Almay on Facebook!

"What's your go-to date night look?" Answer in the comments below for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card.

No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 5/16/13-6/16/13.
Be sure to visit the Almay brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers� reviews and find more chances to win!