Three New Beauty Products

As much as I am a creature of habit, I also like branching out and trying new beauty products. Often times I return to the tried and true (mascara), and other times I love constantly switching it up (shampoo). 

Recently I've tried three new items that I wanted to share here.

ONE

Beautycounter Nourishing set. My friend Alicia stuck a sample pack of this line in my mailbox recently. Last night I used all of the nighttime products (cleanser, exfoliant, eye cream, night cream) and this morning I will be using the day cream and eye cream. I am going to use this set for the next few days and report back on Friday with how I'm liking it. I will say that last night I was surprised at how smooth my skin felt after the exfoliating polish because it really is not a harsh, rough scrub like some of the others I've used. 

TWO

Added a new blush to the mix! I'm a diehard Bobbi Brown blush girl (in Pale Pink, natch) but I have also been using this Tarte blush in Paaarty to add a little depth. So I put it all over my cheeks and then just add a pop of the bright pink right at the apples of my cheeks. Paarty is also a nice color if I'm going a little more low-key with my overall makeup. 

THREE
Postpartum hair is no joke -- losing all of that hair made such a noticeable difference in the overall thickness of my hair. I did lop off 6" recently in order to boost the volume of my hair, and I also ordered this Jason Thin to Thick extra volume shampoo after reading all of the AWESOME and promising ratings. Everyone said that after 1-2 months of using it, they noticed a remarkable change. I order mine from Grove Collaborative, but you can also find it on Amazon.

Are there any products that you've been wanting to try out that you'd want me to review here?

Five On Friday ... Valentines Around The Corner!

It's time for another edition of Five on Friday and I do hope you'll join along!

Remember, all you have to do is post about five things on your mind, add our logo (found at the bottom of this post), and join the party using the linky tools below. Easy, and a great way to find new blogs and be found. :)

O N E
A heartfelt thank you to each of you who commented on my blog post or Instagram with reassurance for Charlotte's upcoming ear tubes procedure. I received so much positive reinforcement about the procedure and feel a ton of relief about it. It was especially interesting hearing from those of you in the speech profession, learning how this can really help ward off possible speech impediments/delays down the road. I will keep everyone posted with the procedure date and would appreciate your prayers and well wishes!

(I swear she's always happy) :) 

T W O
Charlotte and I have been attending music classes together every Tuesday morning while big sis is in preschool. It has been a wonderful activity to do together! It isn't inexpensive, BUT it is the one organized activity that we do weekly with JUST me and her. And I feel like that time is priceless. Great bonding time, and my undivided attention. And wonderful music, instruments, clapping and dancing.

T H R E E
Recently I received the sweetest book, Giving Thanks With Max. You can buy it HERE on Amazon for $8.99 for the board book. This series of books by Todd and Jackie Courtney, written for ages 0-7, focus on fostering a positive self-image and inspiring morals and values. We'll take that all.day.long in this household. Yes ma'am.

Camille's favorite page to read is this school bus page. We read it over and over, even after we've reached the last page of the book! My favorite page is the rain page because of the message. 

F O U R

Valentines Day is around the corner ... Tuesday! In our family, the Valentines Man arrives in a head-to-toe red spandex suit, rings the doorbell, and runs away faster than anyone can see him. He leaves a treat at the door. Last year he left Camille a sweet treat and a balloon and she was equal parts fascinated AND terrified. Hopefully this year will go a wee bit smoother. ;) 

F I V E

Looking at images for that last post -- I've decided that they just don't make Valentines like they once did! Check these out ... four of the favorites that I found. Happy V-day, y'all!

TGIF y'all, and hope you will join in on Five on Friday this week! Cheers to the weekend!

Charlotte Needs Tubes

The happiest baby in the world has been fighting a recurrent ear infection for over five weeks now, has been on three different antibiotics (for 10 days each), and yesterday we got a referral to a local ENT to schedule her for tubes in her ears.

I immediately said "Oh s**t" to my pediatrician, well I mouthed the second word, and it was just completely involuntary. I'm not really a cusser unless I'm drinking red wine and feeling feisty. Which definitely happens from time to time. But not at 10:45am in a pediatric office with my two babies in earshot.

So, I feel like the cycle that I constantly hear about this is: parent is heartbroken and scared of upcoming anesthesia // procedure takes 5-10 minutes and is a walk in the park // child is instantly happier // parent wishes they'd done tubes sooner // parent tells all of his/her friends that tubes are the way to go // parent hopes that all subsequent children can get tubes at the sign of the first ear infection. Am I totally amiss here? 

I'm still in that heartbroken and scared phase, and of course I'm blaming it on myself. What if I would have used the snotsucker more? Did I use the humidifier enough? Did I do everything in my power to clear her ears? My pediatrician assured me it was nothing I could have prevented and just, you know, anatomy ... but I still feel a tinge of guilt and a ton of fear. 

I don't have a surgery date yet but would love to hear from reassuring readers who have been in my shoes. 

Mediterrean EASY Supper Idea

Last night's dinner was super delish, and I had a little help from my friends.

My friends being Yafo Kitchen, my newest lunch obsession spot in South Park.

You see, I had lunch there with some girlfriends yesterday and I was so consumed with eating every morsel of my chicken hummus bowl and all of the warm pita wedges that I didn't put much of a dent in the cucumber tomato salad (leave it to me to prioritize the bread and meat and eat the veggies last). So I asked for a little box to take it home. And look at the topping it made for our chicken entree last night!

I took chicken breast tenderloins from Trader Joes, marinated them early in the day with spices and olive oil, and then simply cooked them on my grill pan (THIS is the exact one I have if you're in the market -- priced well and great, heavy quality). While those were cooking, I was roasting broccolini (also from Trader Joes) in the oven at 400 degrees. It was simply coated with olive oil and a few shakes of garlic powder.

When the chicken was done, I spooned the cold tomato and cucumber salad right over top. The broccolini came out of the oven and I added some shakes of parmesan and a lemon wedge. The simplest dinner yet healthy and delicious. 

If you want to recreate the salad, I scouted out this one on Pinterest that looks really close.

You could also scoop this mixture into phyllo cups with feta cheese or put it in a whole wheat wrap with some sliced steak and a schmear of hummus. Delicious. 

Oh, and PS ... you think I told Ian that the salad topping was from a restaurant? Heck no! Sweet thing thinks that I made it from scratch, and I certainly don't feel the need to correct that!

Valentine Love

So, Valentines Day is one week away. Here are some of my favorite items so that you can treat yourself, your bestie, your little ones, or you main squeeze.

// 1 //
Personalized Love Note Chairbacker - here from PBK and here from Etsy
These sweet little felt envelopes are the perfect catchers of love notes from Mommy, Daddy, grandparents and friends. Camille and Charlotte each have one on the backs of their little kid-sized table in our kitchen!

// 2 //
Kate Spade Skort Pajamas - here
Skort pajamas. Oh gracious now THAT is cute. How adorable is this for some V-day lounging.

// 3 //
Baublebar Earrings (40% off now, just over $20) - here
I love these earrings sooo much, and at $20, they are a great girlfriend gift. Or heck, go ahead and splurge on yourself. This is the type of thing I'd go ahead and order and keep in a present drawer to have on hand for a holiday gift swap or a girlfriend's birthday that popped up on me.

// 4 //
A Dozen Hand-Dipped Strawberries - here
I mean, who knew you could Amazon Prime fresh, hand-dipped in chocolate strawberries? Genius. Perfect for your bestie or your grandma.

// 5 //
iGrill Mini - here
Shopping for your man and in need of a great gift under $40? I got Ian this iGrill mini for Christmas and we put it to use for the first time on Super Bowl Sunday. Y'all, he's hooked. He's not the MOST tech-savvy guy ever but he set this up so quickly on his iPhone and loved using it with the smoker I got him for his birthday. He smoked wings on it and used the app to keep an eye on the temperature. It will automatically alert you if the temp on your grill or smoker gets too low or high. He was surprised how easy and effortless it made cooking the wings and was singing this little device's praises all night!

Monday Roll Call: HAPPINESS and OPTIMISM

Recently on my Truth Or Dare post, I had a few comments come in after I took a break that day from answering. One of them was about happiness. My friend Sam said, how do you keep yourself so upbeat and optimistic?

I could probably write a six paragraph post about it. But I'll keep it as succinct as possible.

I just really, really, really dislike negativity. Sometimes it's inevitable and I get that. Bad things happen, sad things happen, disasters and depression and horrible things occur. I'm not saying that all you have to to is "turn that frown upside down" and expect instantaneous happiness. At all. 

But I guess that I just choose during the vast majority of the day to focus on the blessings (and you don't have to be a religious person to reflect on your blessings). To put myself in others' shoes. To choose sweet over mean, to choose smiling over stoneface, to choose a compliment over complaining. I think the proclivity toward this thinking is a little nature but a lot of nurture. I truly believe it's the way my mom raised me but also just my DNA.

So for today's Roll Call, let's focus on happiness. I want to hear FROM YOU. What are one or two small things that you do (go ahead, pat yourself on the back!) to foster happiness and optimism? 

For me: I like to wave to and make small talk with our neighbors. I like to call store managers to report a stellar employee. If I pass by someone who looks happy and pretty, I make myself go out of my comfort zone and tell her so. 

Five On Friday

It's time for another edition of Five on Friday and I do hope you'll join along!

Remember, all you have to do is post about five things on your mind, add our logo (found at the bottom of this post), and join the party using the linky tools below. Easy, and a great way to find new blogs and be found. :)

O N E
We have a relaxing weekend ahead ... a pizza date with a favorite friend family, some yardwork, a toddler birthday party, and the Super Bowl! I am excited to come up with a fun little menu. I have been craving the apple nachos (recipe HERE) that I made years ago! So delicious and Camille would get such a kick out of them.

T W O
Thank you so much to the sweet reader who let me know my link on Tuesday's post for the Cuban sliders was incorrect! I corrected it yesterday on the post, but just for ease, here it is. Recipe and photo below are from recipegirl.com.

via

T H R E E
Okay, some of you may remember that recently on a post I wrote about hobbies and making money, a comment from a reader about the mystery shopping she does got a lot of attention! Everyone wanted to know more ... how did she get into doing this gig, and how could they get into it as well? She emailed me with details, and here's the info she passed along. I hope this helps some of you to check out this option and see if you can make your own little side hustle "Chick fil A money"!

EPMS:

Apartment complex mystery shopping

No upfront costs

Paid once a month (direct deposit)

$35/shop-minimum, some shops pay $60-$75

https://app.epmsonline.com

Gig spot:

Stores and restaurants

You pay for your meal or whatever you are buying at the store, they reimburse you

More fun, but you don’t make as much money

www.gigspot.com

F O U R
My sister Laura sent me the most delicious looking recipe the other day that she enjoyed. Buying whole carrots (even organic) is way cheaper than you may expect. I can't wait to try these with Camille ... recipe here!

via

F I V E

Dare I say that we are .... researching Disney?!
YES. YES. YES. YES. YES.

Here's the caveat. We'd take Camille only and we'd only have like a day or two at the park. So, those of you who are Disney obsessed or at least Disney aware ... hit. me. up. I want to know all the things. Where should we go (Magic Kingdom?) and what can we book like less than two months out?

TGIF y'all, and hope you will join in on Five on Friday this week! Cheers to the weekend!

My Precious Mornings

It isn't always easy waking up early, but I love my precious mornings. I love my GIRLS, too, and they are more precious than anything to me. But they require every single bit of my attention.

Here's a short list of "normal" things that happened yesterday: I found pen marks on one of our expensive armchairs (have not yet tried to remove it, afraid I'll make it worse with water stains). Put a bandaid on an invisible foot boo-boo -- now the knee hurts. Cleaned up spilled water from a baby bathtub filled with princesses. Camille fell down a few steps, biting the inside of her cheeks as she bumped down. We had a lunchtime diaper incident and we'll just leave it at that. Dealt with meltdowns as we discovered we lost a jelly bracelet (found it), left our snack at the gym childcare (gone forever), didn't get to press the garage door button, didn't want little sister to touch her Legos. And that's all within about a two hour span.

So my quiet mornings are wonderful. Coffee. Computer. Candle. 
Sometimes the computer is fun (blogging, reading blogs, Pinterest, meal planning)
Sometimes it's just necessary (returning emails, paying bills)

I've also been enjoying podcasts a LOT recently, and when I'm home on my wifi connection is when I like to download a few episodes at a time. Up And Vanished. I Do Declare. And my newest obsession is Nancy Grace's crime podcasts. They are short and she puts up with nothing. Nothing!

I listen to the podcasts in the car (some are really only suitable for when Camille's not around). It's honestly a great break from the Frozen soundtrack. I should start trying to discover some calming, empowering ones to listen to in the morning as well. If you have any recs for a podcast that would fit the bill, I'm all ears!