Fall Road Trip Tips for Families with Older Kids

There is something about the changing of the season from summer to fall that makes me long for the open road. The summer traffic has died down, the weather is cool enough to open the windows and the sunroof and changing leaves makes for pretty scenery.

Taking a family road trip can be a challenge no matter what age your kids are. I remember fondly the days of car seats and activity bags. My kids are six years apart, we never had the struggle of multiple car seats or entertaining two (or more) small children at a time. But just because they are older, doesn't mean we are immune to the trials of family road trips! (Are we there yet??)

Fire Up Your Grill - 3 Steps for Grilling the Perfect Hot Dog

If you follow my weekly meal plan posts, it's no secret that I'm a fan of using the grill whenever possible. In the summer, it keeps the heat out of the house, and creates a lot less mess to clean up. We use our grill three out of four seasons around here and there is plenty of great grilling weather yet to come this year.

Applegate recently sent me a party pack, featuring their 100% all-beef hot dogs. Generally, I am not a fan of hot dogs, but nothing says summer like a great all-beef hot dog grilled to perfection and served on a soft yummy roll. Add some ketchup, diced onions and a little relish, and it's the perfect summer dish.

From Pinterest to Real Life - How to Recreate a Pinterest Look in Real Life

Who else gets inspired by great outfit ideas on Pinterest? Who else gets disappointed knowing that those great skinny pieces all laid out on the white background will never look that great on your curvy body? Stinks - right? But there's hope. Use the inspiration you find on Pinterest to create your own looks.

Say what, you may be asking. . .take a Pinterest look you love and take a long hard look at it. What about it do you love? Is it the color palette? Is it the accessories? Once you identify the main thing drawing you in, think about what you own that is similar. Need something? Add it to your shopping list for next time you're kicking up your wardrobe or there's a great sale at your favorite store.

Don't get me wrong, I love to shop and I wish I had the budget to recreate all those great Pinterest looks. But my reality is that I have to do the best I can with what I have, and be smart about adding new pieces to my wardrobe. Then I can indulge in the occasional splurge and spoiling of myself.

So I wanted to share how I put these tips into action for myself. Here's a link to a Pinterest outfit I've loved for a while now.

Now here is how I recreated that look - not once, but TWICE, with pieces I already had in my closet:

Jeans - Ann Taylor Modern Skinny Jeans

T-Shirt - Chicos Layering Tank

Sweater - Lord and Taylor Cashmere Turtleneck (old)

Vest - Ralph Lauren (old)

Shoes - Target (Fall 2014)

Bag - Kate Spade

Necklace -  Premiere Designs (home party)

Shirt - Eddie Bauer (old - but basic white button-down)

Sweater - Eddie Bauer Cashmere (old)

Jeans - Ann Taylor Modern Skinny Jean

Vest - Ralph Laure (old)

Shoes -  Target (Fall 2014)

Scarf - Burberry

Bag - Kate Spade

Necklace - Ann Taylor

Earrings -  Kate Spade

Not bad right? My outfit choices are little more casual than the Pinterest outfit, but I was going bowling and running errands, so they worked. Also, I am adding a camel cashmere crewneck and leopard flats to my style wants list. Both should be on sale right about now or soon.

How do you re-create looks you love?

catch you soon -
This post is linked up at The Pleated Poppy and at Get Your Pretty On. Check them out for even more outfit ideas and inspiration.

 

5 Secrets to Winter Hair Care

Winter weather is here and one of the first places that shows it is your hair. From static electricity to hat head, harsh winter weather and changing temperatures can be hard on your hair. Even if you don't spend much time outdoors, winter weather can still have a not so great effect on your hair.

What can we do to keep our locks looking their best? You have to take both preventative AND replenishing steps to get your hair into condition. Are you ready?

1.  Use a thick, rich, moisturizing conditioner regularly. Choose a product based on your hair type, and apply it beginning about two inches from your scalp, and pull it through your hair to the ends.I am currently crushing on a couple of VO5 products to keep my hair supple this winter.

2.  Use a natural boar bristle hairbrush with a wooden handle to reduce static. Prices vary so try shopping around and don't forget about places like Sephora and Ulta for inexpensive options. Believe it or not, you can also rub your hair gently with a dryer sheet.

3.  Consider switching your gel for a styling cream. The key is to avoid high alcohol content products, which can be drying to your hair. You can re-activate the cream product with a bit of water to revive any hat head flatness.

4.  Limit your time under the blow dryer. Heat can be damaging to hair anytime, but in winter it can be even worse. One way I'm reducing my drying time this winter is with Goody's new QUICKSTYLE™ absorbent, anti-microbial, microfiber brush. This brush is amazing on my thick hair and dramatically reduces the time it takes me to blow-dry.

5.  Avoid Hat Hair. To battle hat hair, try pulling long hair into a high ponytail or pulling shorter hair straight back before putting on your hat.

So let the winds blow and the snow fall. Armed with these 5 tips, we can still have beautiful, manageable and healthy hair all winter long!

What's your favorite winter hair care tip?

catch you soon -
Thanks to Goody for sending me a QUICKSTYLE™brush to review and share with my readers.

Adding Pieces to Your Wardrobe | What I Wore #ootd

I used to shop 'til I dropped. When money and closet space were no object (they actually WERE, just not in my mind). These days I'm a little more careful when adding pieces to my wardrobe. It's more than a one night stand - I'm looking for a relationship.

Take this new top from Boden, for instance. I saw it on Instagram . . .yes, I really DO get inspired from online pictures and the things you share! So I searched the Boden site, using "polka dots" and found the shirt. Hey - it was on sale - that's good news. I also thought it would go with several pieces in my closet already (I have a vision of it with faded cuffed jeans and colored shoes).

Fit can be dicey when shopping online,  so I reviewed the charts and the reviews and decided on a size and ordered it. When it came, I love it. And I realized that the aqua dots, matched this comfy pair of cropped pants perfectly!

Pants - Lands End (last year)

Shirt - Boden (new!)

Shoes - Target (old)

Necklace - Tiffany

Bracelets - Alex and Ani, Tiffany, Stella and Dot and AnnikaLane

So what's a girl to do when she wants (ok needs) to add pieces to her growing wardrobe? I have a 3-part test that a piece has to pass before I lay out hard-earned cash.

1. Fit - The fit has to be right - no pulling, no a bit too tight, no too short, too long. Unless the price is amazing (like jeans for a penny) it has to fit well.
2. Compatibility - The piece has to play nicely with other pieces I already own. That means more than just a pair of jeans. I try to come up with at least three outfit ideas in my head before purchasing a new piece of clothing.
3. Price - If it passes the first two tests, then I need to seriously weigh if the piece is worth it's price. I'm looking for easy-to-care-for pieces now (not a lot of dry cleaning). Also, I'm not a fan of exposed zippers, poor hemming, rough seams . . .I like garments that are made well.

What's your shopping strategy these days?

catch you soon -
This post is linked up to The Pleated Poppy and to Get Your Pretty On

 

Blogging : 3 Tips for Developing Your Own Success Story

When I graduated from college back in 1990, "Blogging" wasn't a career - heck, it wasn't even a job title at that time, computers were just starting to make their way to office desktops.

Now practically anyone can start a blog, and millions of people and companies have. For personal blogs there are generally 2 main types - hobby blogs (fun writing) and career writing (launch pad to other opportunities or monetizing your blog to earn income).

I'm one of those people that considers myself a Blogger (with a capital B) and uses my blog as a launch pad to opportunities with a small amount of monetizing via sponsored posts and affiliates.

What exactly does being a "Blogger" mean though?

Practical Tips for Finding the Right Hair Stylist

Hair. Many of us have it in one form or another - straight, curly, thick or thin, and dealing with it is part of our daily beauty routine. We can make our hair easier to manage by finding the right hair stylist, but how do we do that?

Honestly, one of the easiest ways I've found to find a new hair stylist is to ask women with hair you love. Even if it's a stranger - ask that lady in line ahead of you in Starbucks, "Excuse me, I love your hair - do you mind if I ask who your stylist is??" Most likely, she will be flattered and happy to share.

Another great way to find the right stylist is to visit area salons and talk to stylists. This may be a bit of challenge, but many salons have consultation appointments available for a minimal fee (if any). If they don't have consultations, book a blow-out rather than a cut. A good stylist will ask about your time commitments for your hair as well as your level of comfort with products and tools.

When you've found a stylist you want to try, book an appointment and bring some pictures. Pinterest can be a great place to find hair styles and ideas that you like. But be sure to talk about what your hair is REALLY like and will realistically do. A good stylist will not tell you that you can have long full curls if you can't. 

A hair stylist/client bond, can be a long-term commitment and a real win for both the stylist and the client. Like any great relationship, you need good communication. But finding a new stylist can be scary. I recently had the opportunity to visit Salon L, a local salon and talk with their stylists. I even had the opportunity to speak with the owner and get a feel for his philosophy. I happened to introduce myself and speak with one of the stylists, Michele, and we hit it off. She seemed to understand me and my hair, so I jumped in and scheduled an appointment.

It had been almost a year since my last haircut, and the change in how healthy my hair looked, was amazing. Before taking out her scissors, Michelle asked me a lot of questions about what I wanted my hair to do, what it's done in the past and how it behaves. I didn't get a radical style change, my previous stylist did a great job, just shortening the length, thinning out my thick hair and some other style tweaks.

Finding a new hair stylist can be a daunting and sometimes scary thing. But put a little time and thought into it, and you'll end up with results you love! What are some of your tips for finding the right hair stylist?

catch you soon -

an interesting resolution. . .

so today, one of my very good friends shared a resolution she made with her family. . .

she and her husband are each going to purge 5 things EVERY day for a YEAR - and their 2 kids are each going to purge 1 thing EVERY day for a YEAR

you do the math - that's a LOT of stuff

i must admit - my OCD tendencies immediately jumped all over that idea. . .the blogger in me saw all sorts of opportunities to record this feat. . .because to me - that's a huge feat. . .when I glance in my garage or basement . . .imagining losing 5 things a day from those spaces. . .bliss

what do you think - brilliant or crazy? I can't wait to see how they do with it - it's truly an inspiring undertaking and I wish them all much success!

catch you soon -

go to gifts. . .

what are your "go-to" gifts?

you know - the gifts you always buy - the old reliable - stuff you know is good and everyone should have?

i am going to a bridal shower soon and I am terribly out of practice (I'm old). . .needless to say anything reasonably priced and the least bit interesting is LONG GONE from the registry list.

i'm in a quandary - the bride is a friend - and I have a sense of her style - but i haven't been to her house.

who has a good one??

one of my favorite "go-to" baby gifts was a recent Twitter conversation - the JJ Cole Bundle Me.  This product wasn't on the market when my first baby was little - but I had 2 for my second, and always buy it when I need a baby gift.

if you have any favorite "go-to" gifts - for any occasion, I'd love you to leave me a comment.

catch you soon -

Back to School - Keeping Homework Organized

I think the thing I dread the most about Back to School time, is homework. I have never been a fan of homework, and as a mom, I'm still not a fan. But it's part of school life and part of parenting. Since that's the case, I wanted to share some information on where we do homework and how we keep it organized. Hopefully this will inspire you to create a homework space that makes your life a little bit easier.



What are some of your tips for keeping your kids' homework organized? 

catch you soon -

a quick Back to School addition. . .

I had some great questions and suggestions, so I did a quick video addition to address them - pardon the baseball hat - it's raining today =)



The binders would also be a great place for some of your GO MOM! forms, like the School Contacts, Child Contacts and Magic Moments. . .just to name a few.

catch you soon -

note - I have no professional ties to GO MOM! Inc.- I just think Molly is running a great company with great ideas and a great product.

back to school . . .

here's the second installation of my back to school vlogging series - organizing YOU. . .




You can read more here.

I need to give a special shout out to the amazing Molly Gold at GOMOMInc. she has some wonderful ideas.

what are some of your favorite ways to keep yourslef organized during the avalanche of school papers?

catch you soon -

mom trick - saving toys. . .

if you have more than one child (or plan to) - do you save toys?

you know - the "really" good ones. . .either that your 1st played with all the time or that cost a lot of money. . .I do.

i have always been a big Fisher Price fan - since I was a toddler and played with my Little People. . .my mother still has them.  It's been my experience that this is a brand you can trust and a quality toy. . .

in the spirit of saving - i have kept many of Ryan's toys - and on days when we need something to do - I trot them out. . .Saturday was one such day with the temps climbing past 100.

Owen has been enjoying the Geo Trax displays at Toys R Us and Target for a while - telling me he "needs" them. . .little did he know that he had a whole bin of them at home.

I wish i had gotten a picture of his face when I pulled them out - it was priceless - and worth all the storage space to hang on to them for the past 7 years.

Since it was the weekend and we live in a small house - I rearranged the dining room and set up the trains for the kids to play with - yes, the 9 YO sat down and played with his brother for most of the afternoon.  (yes - there was some bickering)

what sort of "mom-tricks" do you use to entertain your kids?

catch you soon -

note:  I did not receive any compensation for writing this post - the toys are all my very own, as are the opinions.

keeping kids entertained. . .

need a simple and inexpensive craft activity for your kiddos?  Try this.

what you need:
- paper scraps - cut into shapes.  I used some of my paper punches - you could also use decorative scissors to trim around the edges.
- glue stick
- construction paper


That's it - I cut out a bunch of shapes from my scrapbooking paper scrap files - all different colors and patterns.  I put them all in a small pizza box (from California Pizza Kitchen - YUM) so my kids can access them when they want to.  I give them some construction paper and a glue stick - and they make pictures using the different shapes and patterns.

What are some of your favorite easy kids' crafts?

catch you soon -