trendy mommies

I have always admired those mom bracelets and thought they make a nice gift for the new mom (or for the upcoming holiday..hint, hint to all you dads out there) Who knew there were also mother’s necklaces and family jewelry – from the family necklace to a child’s bracelet? Bella Beads of Andover is certainly the expert to turn to for fabulous, custom and unique pieces that any mom (grandma or aunt) would love.

The mother’s necklaces have sterling discs which can be stamped with your child’s name and/or date of birth. The discs come in three sizes and also available in 14K gold fill. Sterling ball chains available in any standard or custom length!

They have several style mother’s bracelets to choose from. I personally love the traditional mother’s bracelet with sterling silver block letters and Swarovski crystal (pick the color of your child’s birthstone). But you can have it made anyway you like  – initials of your children or even adding up to five strands.

Mother’s necklaces retail about $25 per disc and the mother’s bracelets varies in price depending on style. The retail location is at The Olde Andover Village at 89 Main Street in Andover. You can order in person or over the phone and tell them exactly what you are looking for and they will make it! Or if you are feeling really creative sign up for one of their classes or gather some friends for a girls night out to create a bracelet, necklace, wine charm or wine bottle stopper! Check it out at  http://www.bellabeadsandover.com

Cupcakes are in….Ok so I am not a baker….and have always bought my kids birthday cakes. The first time they realized you could bake a cake was in the grocery store and we were in the baking isle and saw a cake mix and said what’s that? I know..bad mom..but I cannot do it all.

So I made red velvet cupcakes from a mix I picked up – it was so easy and delicious. Then I was on the search for a “start from scratch” recipe and here is what I found.
YUMMY!

So now is about that time of year when I jump-start an exercise program. It’s not that I don’t think about exercising but it seems right before summer —  bathing suit weather — I get more motivated.  Which got me thinking if some gear can give me a leg up why not try it.

I’ve had my fit flops for over a year now and for flip flops they are pretty comfortable.  Now this year they seem to have more stylish versions in patent leather.  I have the plain black and grey ones. I usually wear them when I am shopping and sometimes on a walk.  I feel great when I wear them so it must be doing something……http://www.fitflopsandal.com/

When I go to the gym and get on the treadmill I usually wear a old pair of sneakers….instead I just tried the Reebok Easy Tone Sneakers. They were comfortable too and if they can help tone my muscles why not give them a try. According to the web site easy tone will work your gluteus 28% harder and your calves 11% more effectively than ordinary walking shoes…..

We’ll see!

http://www.reebok.com/US/#/womens?view=easyTone

I have been a little preoccupied by the necklaces Ali Wenthworth has been wearing on the Oprah Show on Fridays.  Where can I get it?? I am so surprised no one else is talking about it!  

This season the style in necklaces is all about flowers and what is called the bib necklace.  I love them!  I checked out a few similar ones but really want to know where she got hers.  Most are expensive! But I did some digging and here are some of my favorite ones and stores that I think have really great jewelry.

I have this one from Banana Republic called the Garden statement necklace $98.00  but they might have sold out as it’s no longer on their web site and each story only received one or two

The Primrose garden necklace from J Crew is so pretty.  $115

http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Shop_By_Category/jewelry/necklaces/PRDOVR~10921/10921.jsp

Carol Lee Jewelry – http://www.carolee.com/ The Floral Crystal and White Simulated Pearl Choker Necklace $350 – beautiful for special occassions….

H&M always has nice jewelry but you will have to head to your local store as they do not sell items online.

Also, check out http://www.whowhatwear.com for their necklace discussion!

Ok now the latest in the pop culture phenomenon

Everyone has been talking about it! It’s on the news, facebook, etc. even Oprah was dishing about it – Snuggie

I saw the hilarious clip on the today show and everyone is making fun of it but yet it sells!  I myself would put on a sweater when cold in the house but my kids love blankets. I almost passed out the other day when my two kids said “we want snuggies!” I asked how they knew about it and they said they saw it on TV – here was the response

“Oh Mommy – you can talk on the phone with it and play games and snuggle!”

“It’s a blanket with arms! Can we get one?”

Oh boy!

I feel bad as I saw a news story the other day about the Slanket, which I guess was the first to the market (but with no infomercial). It has a lot more normal colors to choose from but it’s also more expensive at $37.99 versus the snuggie at $19.95 and one free with shipping and handling…. I have yet to test them!

Check them both out

https://www.getsnuggie.com/flare/next

http://www.theslanket.com/

Ok it’s the two words during the winter time that every working parent dreads – snow day! We might have one tomorrow but it’s always a fun and interesting day and the kids seem so excited….

Now what?? It’s the question many moms and dads are asking….Who stays home, where do the kids go – what do they DO ALL DAY??? Don’t panic – here are my top 10 suggestions:

1.      Of course  – send them outside in the snow

2.      Have them help you shovel

3.      Make snow cones – please only use fresh fallen snow as tempting as it might be for kids to grab any old snow – grab paper cups and sprinkle maple syrup over it

4.      When they come in 10 minutes after ideas 1 through 3 (ha, ha) do the hot chocolate thing

5.      Bake cookies, brownies, anything!

6.      I usually head to my gift closet and see what I have that they can “open” – yes I now have a closet in the downstairs hallway that I call the gift closet where I store presents – that’s a whole other post! But usually it’s craft items I stock up on for days like this.

7.      Are there neighborhood kids that can walk over for an impromptu play date?

8.      Popcorn and a movie will keep them entertained for a few hours

9.      Let’s play clean our room – this might only work with younger kids! But you can offer prizes

10.  Ask them what they want to play and whether it’s a board game, Wii or a card game – take time with the kids and have fun

The New Year is well under way and it’s time for some pampering…. and its does not have to cost a lot to treat yourself. Whether you do it at home or head to a spa you’ll be glad you did because everyone needs a little down time away from the hubby and kids.
 

If you want to do a spa at home here is a great place to start
There is a site called http://www.spaindex.com/HomeSpa/almondbodyscrub.htm that will walk you through step by step how to create body scrubs and facial masks with simple ingredients – love the coffee body scrub and the chocolate face mask!
Anyone can create a relaxing atmosphere with fluffy towels, robes and candles!
I love to get pedicures in the winter time just as a special treat. But who wants to expose their feet in the cold weather? Here is a solution for preserving that pricy pedicure.  The sexy socklette by Foot Petals found at http://www.thatgirlis.com. It is a perfect way to keep your feet warm during pedicures and for only $6.95 you can afford two pairs! This site has some really great gifts so check it out – I love all the jet setter items.

Ok so it’s January 8^th? I hope the new year’s resolutions are continuing. The top new year’s resolutions are always loose weight, work out more, get organized, get your finances in order, spend more time with family and friends, etc. etc. So, historically when you are committing to something the more people you tell the more likely it is that you will stick to it (yeah right)
 

But here goes….This year instead of the traditional resolutions I tried to think a little differently and committed to the following:

·         Read more books – so far I have read three books and am in the process of reading Jean Chatzky’s Make Money Not excuses. Also on my list is Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell and A Whole Mind by Daniel Pink.
·         Embrace and actually use social networking – facebook, twitter, etc.  – you have do this nowadays!
·         Get out and do more in-person networking and reconnect with business associates and be a mentor as well.
·         Having moved to new house – try to finish the decorating!
·         Actually print the photos that I take with my digital camera and go back to the old days of putting pictures in photo albums instead of looking at them and downloading them to the computer to never see them again….
Good luck with the resolutions you make!