Autumn Rose Reo

Five Ways to Make Giving Kids Medicine Easier

June 15, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 23 Comments

If having a sick kid is not enough, it’s giving them the medicine to make them feel better that sometimes is the worst mamachallenge. When my oldest was born, we had all kinds of meds to give him and most the time he was a trooper. But when he decided he was NOT going to take it, I’d end up with more of the expensive stuff on my shirt than in him. (And that pink crap doesn’t look good on me or the rest of my kitchen.)

So after years of practice with two kids and lots of great advice from other parents, here are five ways to make giving kids medicine easier.

1.Change Up How You Give It

There’s a reason that your medicine may have a dropper and a measured spoon when you finally get to the front of the line in the drive thru to pick it up from the pharmacy. Different strokes for different folks and with medicine that’s definitely the case. For my son, he’s a big fan of the dropper, while my daughter prefers to take hers with the measured cup. Some pills can also be crushed or chopped up to make it easier to take, so just make sure to ask your doctor and/or pharmacist before deciding to sprinkle the pill on their breakfast. That pill may need to be whole, chewed or directly swallowed. And definitely see if you should or shouldn’t have a drink before or after taking. Some meds are water only so don’t tell the kid to batten down the hatches with a glass of milk or juice until you know it’s safe.

2. Change the Flavor

The flavor of medicine can make a huge difference and it’s so easy to do! When your doctor sends of the prescription to your pharmacy, ask your pharmacy for FLAVORx. With 15 flavors to choose from, one of them is bound to be the “sugar that helps the medicine go down.” However, FLAVORx is sugar free, dye free, casein free and gluten free! You can find FLAVORx products in 45,000 pharmacies including Wal-Mart (which is $1.88 vs. 2.99 at other places), Target, Walgreens, and CVS. And you can even download the FLAVORx app for iPhone to find out if your pharmacy carries the product and what flavors are recommended for a specific medicine. Wanna learn more about FLAVORx, check out this video how it works.

3. Go Around It

This technique takes a little work from you, but it can be successful for some kids. If the taste or feel of the medicine is just too much for your tot to bare, then use a dropper to slowly let the medicine slide down the back of their throat by placing it towards the side of the tongue. This secret gets better with time (believe me), but you just need to have a kiddo that can sit still for about two seconds why you do it and will swallow it immediately. When kids are sick this one seems to work better since they are much more lethargic than a regular med and they know what’s coming. Again, each method is going to be different based on your kid and experience.

4. Let them Do It

Role playing can go a long way with children to help them understand what is happening and why. Using a doll or stuffed animal (preferably one you don’t mind getting wet), let your kid give medicine (I use water for these scenarios) to their doll and how it will make their doll feel better. Many times just going through the practice helps them to see that it won’t hurt their doll or them. This method is great for the first time you give medicine to help alleviate any fears they may have and allow you to talk about the medicine, their illness and how it’s going to make them feel better.

5. Diversion

This trick isn’t as 007 as you think, but more about getting your child in a state that isn’t anxious, scared or bouncing off the walls. While having the medicine handy (like already in the dropper, cup or nearby with a glass of water), just play with your child without any news of medicine. Let them be in a state of happiness and in their own element. After a little while when you’ve been playing, then just say or ask your child to give them the medicine. Because they haven’t had the built-up anxiety of medicine time and they’ve been doing something they like to do, the administering portion of your day just kinda slides into playing Barbies or creating a new LEGO car with no problems. The secret here is to be quick and then go back to playing so they see medicine taking isn’t a big deal and just part of the day.

Here’s to hoping it gets better and they feel better!

Cute, Quick & Easy Gift Wrapping Ideas

June 11, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 24 Comments

When it comes to wrapping gifts, there are two kinds of people…

Those who spend a lot of time to make them perfect and those who don’t understand why you spend any time on the what the OUTSIDE of a gift looks like.

Actually it’s possible to create a beautiful presentation without much time, money or creativity.

So just in time for Father’s Day, we’ve discovered cute, quick & easy gift wrapping ideas to wrap a gift without losing your time, money or mind!

1. ULINE // www.uline.com

If they don’t have it at Uline, they don’t make it…

We’ll that’s not completely true, I’ve never found a better resource for finding just the right container. Uline is actually one of the largest online resources for shipping supplies and packaging for companies. While you do have to purchase in large quantities, the pricing makes it all worth it. While orders are shipped directly to you same-day, we’re lucky in DFW because you can go pick yours up directly at one of their shipping centers based in Coppell. Just take a look at just a few samples of fun containers I’ve found for gift giving and they’re also the ideal resource for favor boxes for birthday parties.

For dad’s day I used this paint can and filled it full of candy – then wrote “Dad’s Stache” for a candy basket that he’ll love. Also, you can source something basic like a blank gift sack and then let the kids create their own special packaging with paint, colors, etc. that dad might love more than the gift!

2. Giftskins // www.giftskins.com

Where taking personal wrapping to a new level with Giftskins. This company allows you to create your own wrapping paper! Just upload a photo, then they create an adorable, customized wrapping paper just for you and then ship it right to your door . They have all kinds of themes or you can just have an entire roll made of your favorite moments of Dad love. Or use a photo from a great experience for dad, like a picture of a fishing trip that will make your presentation EXTRA special. Want everyone to see your Christmas photo or show the giftee where this gift came from – put your picture on it. And for companies that want to promote their business, you can upload your logo for that branded touch.

3. Cool Wraps // www.coolwraps.com

Tired of gift wrapping with the traditional roll of paper or look lazy using gift bag? Just get your CoolWraps, the original shrink wrap bag, and throw away your scissors, your tape and your roll of paper. You just need a CoolWraps bag and your hairdryer. Featured on Shark Tank, this company makes it easy to wrap the odd shaped items that give you grief with the help of your blowdryer to form right to the gift. Just stuff it, seal it and shrink it! And best of all, you don’t need a large space to store all your gift wrap because these store flat!

Here’s a few helpful tips to make your CoolWrap look present perfect.

Best Lines from Bravo’s new Odd Mom Out

June 9, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 18 Comments

Last night’s debut of Bravo’s new scripted comedy, “Odd Mom Out” may have made you laugh out loud, but it was the jokes between the lines that sent me to the potty more than once before I wet my pants…

Here’s the Cliff Notes version: Jill (bet you can’t figure out which one she is above) has an interesting perspective into the crazy world of the Upper East Side—where money is no object to her peers and normal every day issues consist of how to get your child into the best private school, which elite cycling class you should attend, or when to add a “Von” to your name to move up a class. Jill navigates the social scene; one awkward moment at a time.

Now that you’re up to speed, here’s a few moments that will have you clicking over any minute now to the online episodes (they already have three online) or at rewatching if you didn’t catch them the first go around!

Your New Anatomy Lesson…Because I bet you didn’t know that’s was it was called.

Before you had kids you probably had thighs and a nice derriere, but as moms know, you sacrifice a lot – on the inside and the out – when you have kids. Sometime after birth, these two once-prominent regions merge together to be your Thass. While this is funny, make sure to wait to laugh big or you’ll miss the next reference to the Holland Tunnel… and that’s definitely one I’ll let you find on your own. [Watch it now]

Get ready to get your “SoulWheelz on” to support the newest Upper East Side charity, N.A.C.H.O… or not…

Beyond the irony of the fundraising efforts called “N.A.C.H.O. happening at a trendy cycle studio, there’s the fact that the acronym stands for “New Yorks Against Childhood Obesity.” Before you spend too much on that – watch to see how Brooke defends why the Y is missing from the name. [Watch it now]

“Sometimes I walk around and it sounds like someone is stirring mac n cheese”

Probably my favorite line from the show took me a few moments after the episode ended to realize what she was talking about and then to laugh about it only as mom would. I don’t think I need to go into this too much (but if you need to ask me, feel free to tweet me) but give yourself a second to snicker, laugh loud and then realize “you aren’t the only one.” [Watch it now]

[Tweet “What do they mean about Mac N Cheese on @BravoTV’s new #OddMomOut? #spon https://ooh.li/7b18ac8”]

And make sure you follow each week until June 29 to learn the secret hashtag, tweet it at @BravoTV and you could win $20,000 with the Tune it to Win Sweepstakes!

In the UES, that’s enough to get a on the waitlist for a Birkin, right?

Watch the episodes now – including the not-yet-aired Episode 3!

Go Healthy, High End, but Never Hungry at Taste of Dallas {Discount}

June 9, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo Leave a Comment

It’s food, fireworks and flavor at North Texas’s largest event dedicated to all things food June 12-14 in Dallas’s Fair Park. Taste of Dallas presented by Ford is set to satisfy hungry tasters who love to stroll Dallas’s Fair Park and taste from restaurants all over North Texas.

In honor of its long-standing partnership with the American Heart Association, the charity beneficiary of Taste of Dallas, this year experience a new Heart Healthy Sunday. All restaurants will be making heart-healthy fare, and there will be free screenings and CPR training, family-friendly entertainment, jump rope teams and more fun ways to learn about good-for-you food, healthy activities and more that contribute to overall well-being. Help kick off Heart Healthy Sunday by lacing up your sneakers and participating in the HeartStrong 5K & 1 Mile Fun Run in Fair Park to raise money for heart disease research alongside legends of the NFL.

Also new for this year is a VIP tasting experience within Taste of Dallas called Taste the Difference, which celebrates and elevates the art of the meal. A separately ticketed event for 21 and up only, this fantastic foodie experience produced by culinarian Scott Jones is a culinary tour for your tastebuds through the best restaurants in North Texas, all within the Centennial Building at Fair Park. Complete with wine, beer and spirits tastings, chef interactions and mixology madness, this is an event not to miss. Celebrity chefs including Dean Fearing, Brian Zenner, Kirstyn Brewer, Omar Flores, Anthony Van Camp, Jeff Harris, Bob Stephenson, Scott Gottlich, Abraham Salum, Uno Immanivong and Randall Warder will star at the event. Please visit TastetheDifferenceDallas.com for details and tickets. Use #TTDDallas to follow all the action!

Because we love our BBQ, new for this year is a Celebration of BBQ. From brisket to ribs, chicken to pork, taste your way through the best BBQ in DFW from more than a dozen BBQ restaurants and local pitmasters. Samples are available from $1-$4 from restaurants including Eddie Deen’s, Riscky’s, Hard Eight, Smoke to the Bone and more, making it easy to taste around and find your own personal favorites while finishing every finger-lickin’ good bite. You won’t want to miss the $25,000 BBQ Battle Royale with 18 professional BBQ teams from across the Southwest will stampede into Taste of Dallas’s Celebration of BBQ to duke it out for cash and bragging rights. . The Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned event will take place on Sunday, June 14, with the awards presentation at 5 p.m.

[Tweet “Follow .facebook.com/tasteofdallas to be a People’s Choice aficionado, a judge + win free tickets to @TasteofDallas.”]

Beyond BBQ is a collection of exciting North Texas restaurants and food trucks set to deliver a tasty experience. Restaurants including Fat Rabbit, Texas de Brazil and Winners BBQ offer up their best fare for only $1-$4. Or park it at Taste Curbside, where you can sample from some of North Texas’s best food trucks including: Bellatrino, Misha’s Food Truck and Best Bayou Bites. There is no better way than Taste of Dallas to taste cuisine from more than 50 of Dallas’s best restaurants: with no entrée more than $4, participants have the opportunity to savor plenty of different tastes without breaking the bank.

29th Annual Taste of Dallas Presented by Ford
Dallas’ Fair Park (1200 S. Second Ave, Dallas, TX 75210)
Parking is available at Fair Park, or attendees can ride the DART to Fair Park Station
Friday through Sunday, June 12-14
5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday
One-day admission is $12 per person at the gate or $9 per ticket at Walgreens. Kids 10 and under are FREE with accompanying parent or guardian. [Please note: Taste the Difference VIP Indoor Tasting Experience is a separately ticketed event for 21 and up only. Visit TastetheDifferenceDallas.com/Tickets for details.]
Available via the website, www.tasteofdallas.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tasteofdallas.org, on Twitter @TasteofDallas or via phone at 972.587.6090.

Love it While You Lose it: Medifast Meal Makeovers

June 8, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 18 Comments

When I’ve shared with friends and family I’m using Medifast plan to help me lose weight, I get a lot of “isn’t that just shakes and bars?” Just like I shared last month there are 85 different meal options with Medifast, but I admit every once and while I still want some of those familiar meals like chicken strips, mashed potatoes, and cupcakes with cream cheese icing…

Luckily I found a way to stay on the plan AND satisfy those southern comfort dishes that got me into this whole mess in the first place – just modified with healthy ingredients from Medifast! That’s right I’ve created Medifast meal makeovers that you will want to eat AND can eat! Before you start firing up the oven, make sure you talk with your counselor first at Medifast to show how recipes like this fit into your personalized Medifast plan.

The key for the chicken strips was using a bag of Medifast Parmesan Cheese Puffss!

Keeping them in the bag, I let out a little stress from my day until the puffs were beat to the pits (a fine texture) and then dipped the strips straight into the crumbs on a plate. Blended with a little chicken salt and pepper, I covered the chicken in the crumbs and then laid them on a cookie sheet. With a little cooking spray, on each strip, bake them in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes until brown. That was SO easy, right?

While eating crispy chicken strips, creamy mashed potatoes , and steamed greens was pretty heavenly that night as part of my “Lean and Green” meal for the day, it was that I was able to bite into a pumpkin cupcake with a cinnamon cream cheese icing that kinda took me over the edge…thankfully that was just figuratively not over the scales.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

2 packages Medifast Spiced Pancakes
1 package Medifast Original Style Eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, divided
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 – 1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp low-fat cream cheese
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 packet calorie-free sweetener
Cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine pancake mixture, egg mixture, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice in a medium bowl. Add oil and water, and mix until a batter consistency.
Lightly great a muffin tin (must do), divide batter into three portion, and full three muffin cups.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center until it comes out clean.
Beat cream cheese with vanilla, cinnamon, and calorie-free sweetener until blended. Spread over cupcakes.
Enjoy!

The most important thing to remember with this recipe is to know your conversions! For instance one cupcake is a serving of 1 Medifast Meal, 2 Condiments, and 1 Healthy Fat. There are tons of ways to create a healthy way to create a meal makeover that will still keep you on the Medifast plan!

Get Your Truly Radiant Perfect Smile

June 3, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 11 Comments

When you look at your life and the things you’ve done, which moments make you the proudest? Was it the moment you crossed the finish line of your first 5K? Was it getting up the guts to get on the stage to sing or make a big speech? Or was it something that didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but inside every time you reminisce about it, you end up with a smile from ear to ear and gets your heart beating just a little louder?

Those are truly radiant moments.

While I have a few stellar milestone moments, one of my most memorable was my first real TV segment starring…ME. Working in PR for more than a decade, I had always been happy to help others tell the story of their business on camera while I held their hand behind the camera. However, when a producer actually asked ME to be the one on camera, I was instantly was terrified.

Why would anyone listen to me? What is it that I could help viewers learn? Why would anyone ever want to watch me?

Ready to take on this mamachallenge in the face, I made it my goal to not just get in front of the camera, but I would make it something I was proud to share with others. After all, there would only be 50,000 people watching the segment, right? After a lot of blood, sweat and as you can see, many plastic baggies later, I had my first live segment in the can. And I was proud of it. You can even tell with my huge smile at the end of the video, it was a #TrulyRadiantFinish!”

Want to know the tip to making your #TrulyRadiantFinish moment picture perfect?

SMILE! And with the new ™ oral care line featuring a mouthwash, toothpaste and the only manual spin brush in the market, I can whiten my teeth in less than five days, prevent stains before they happen while strengthening enamel and leave my mouth feeling extra clean, clean and crisp with its minty fresh flavor.

[Tweet “Join ARM & HAMMER™ 6/4 for #TrulyRadiantFinish Twitter Party 9 AM PST/11 AM CST/Noon EST”]

Now through the end of 2015, Arm & Hammer™ Truly Radiant™ is commemorating our #TrulyRadiantFinish moments while helping to give back at the same time. Partnering with City of Hope Cancer Treatment Center, Arm & Hammer™ has launched a social media initiative encouraging women to share their radiant moments using #TrulyRadiantFinish across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For each use of the hashtag “#TrulyRadiantFinish, the company will donate $1 to City of Hope.

So what is your #TrulyRadiantFinish moment?

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Arm & Hammer™.

Knot Just a Good Dad You’re the Best Gift Card {Free Printable}

June 1, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo Leave a Comment

With Father’s Day just around the corner, it’s his turn to get a little love with this Knot Just a Good Dad You’re the Best Gift Card Free Printable and a massage.

While MamaChallenge.com might be the name, we recognize that the role of a “mom” is sometimes played by the dad (or another male) who deals with all the dadchallenges that happen, too.

Show the fathers in your life how important they are and that you care about their well being with a massage gift card like from Massage Envy. The 34 Dallas-Fort Worth Massage Envy Spa locations offer a variety of massage treatments including Swedish, trigger point, deep tissue, sports and prenatal. The proven benefits of routine massage include improved circulation, joint flexibility and posture, relief from pain and swelling caused by arthritis, reduced blood pressure, fatigue, migraine pain and stress, as well as improved sleep, concentration and overall sense of well-being. Other services that are part of Massage Envy Spa’s Enhanced Therapies menu include AromaTherapy, Sugar Foot Scrub Therapy and Deep Muscle Therapy, which can be added to any massage to enhance the experience and stress relief.

At Massage Envy Spa, an introductory, a one-hour massage session (a 50-minute massage and time for consultation and dressing) is just $49.99 and a one-hour Healthy Skin facial session is $59.99. Memberships are available for $59.99 per month and include a one-hour massage session. Members can enjoy unlimited additional one-hour massage sessions at the $39.99 member rate or a one-hour Healthy Skin facial session for $49.99.

All Massage Envy Spa locations are open seven days a week. For more information, visit MassageEnvy.com. Follow Massage Envy Spa Dallas-Fort Worth on Facebook and Twitter.

Best Subscription Boxes 2015

June 1, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 33 Comments

I’m a sucker for a delivery to my doorstep.

Each time the FedEx man or that brown truck shows up with a box, it’s a fight to finish to meet him at the door so I can quickly whisk it to the kitchen to rip open the contents.

So ever since that first subscription box showed up in the market, I was hooked. It had all the fun of Christmas morning PLUS it was delivery to boot. I loved the idea so much I featured some of my favorite boxes on Good Morning Texas in June 2014.

A year later the subscription craze is still running strong and now each one is getting even more creative in efforts to fit your perfect fix. Subscription companies have stepped up their game with curation and education. Just check out the best subscription boxes 2015!

MISTOBOX

Coffee isn’t just about caffeine anymore with the MistoBox. Each month you receive four different roasters inside of your MistoBox from some of the hippest and tastiest coffee houses around. Each box includes tasting notes to help you learn more during your coffee journey and where it’s from. So you can just sit back and enjoy the grind…

Cost: $12.99 to $22.99 per shipment depending on the options a customer selects.

CLUB W

For some it’s coffee, for others it’s wine. Club W works directly with wine makers. There are no middlemen, which means you get better wine for less. Shipping directly to you also so they invest in smaller, more unique lots with companies they don’t require quotas on quantity. Learning about wine should be fun, not overbearing or pretentious. Each month you’ll also receive with your box of three wines, short videos for every wine including tasting notes and other background information such as the producer’s story, an explanation of the growing region or a primer on the varietal.

Cost: Starts at 3 bottles a month for $39 + $6 flat rate shipping. Club W covers shipping on orders of 6 or more bottles.

CRAFTED TASTE

And for those of us looking for a new go-to-drink or are willing to expand our craft cocktail, there’s Crafted Taste. Purchased as a subscription or as individual kits, each new kit gives you everything you need to become a mixologist. From the sugar syrup, liquor and even the napkins, every month’s shipment is a new reason to celebrate. I love this idea for a mandatory date-night in idea, girls’ night get together or the ideal birthday gift. And they’ll even customize based on tastes or large gift orders.

Cost: $65/month for a mixer-only subscription or $130/cocktail subscription and $200/premium subscription

SPICE MADAMS

Explore the world through curated spice kits from different cultures delivered to your kitchen every month!

Founded by two Dallas ladies, you sign up for the box, and you get four spices from a specific country or culture with education and recipes that feature the spices. Allows you to expand your culinary adventures with just one box a month!

Cost: $20/month and discounted rates with longer subscriptions

Spice Madam fans can use promo code UASPICEMADAM15 at Urban Acres to get a free UA membership and first Medium Share ($83 Value)!

CUPCAKE OF THE MONTH & BACON OF THE MONTH

From Amazing Clubs, America’s #1 Gourmet Gifts of the Month Club with over 1 million satisfied customers, you can’t go wrong with cupcakes or bacon, but they have 40+ other monthly box subscriptions to choose from.

Cupcake of the Month
Each month they’ll deliver a delicious selection of 12 gourmet cupcakes in four new flavors. Flavors range from old-fashioned favorites like creamy chocolate and red velvet cupcakes, to exciting new flavors like banana cream and tart raspberry. The cupcakes are made with only the finest, all-natural ingredients and delivered fresh, moist and pretty.

Cost: $54.95 with a 3-month subscription

Bacon of the Month
Each month they’ll deliver two generous, one-pound, thick-cut, hand-rubbed selections of gourmet bacons tha are low-production, artisan bacons from specialty producers nationwide. Bacon-lovers will be in hog heaven with delicious flavors like honey BBQ, sun dried tomato, fresh cracked pepper and many more. Each one-pound selection of gourmet bacon is made with only the finest, all-natural ingredients and delivered perfectly fresh in refrigerated packaging.

Cost: $49.95 with a 3-month subscription

PLATED

Plated takes the work out of making exciting fresh and restaurant-quality meals at home. This is flexible, weekly subscription service that allows you to skip as many weeks as you’d like and simple to cancel at any time online. All of meats are 100% antibiotic-free with no added hormones, all seafood is domestic and sustainably sourced. They offer up 7-9 new recipes on our site each week including 3 vegetarian options, and 4 meat and seafood options per week so that there’s a range of options for everyone. Featured on Beyond the Tank (Shark Tank spin-off) the idea of Plated is to help get busy Americans cooking more and living better by bridging the gap between how we say we want to eat and how we actually eat. Professional chefs create and test new recipes each week, with plenty of options for different tastes and different skills levels.

Cost: Dishes are $12 per plate (1 plate = 1 person or 1 serving) with a 4 plate minimum per order (that’s 2 meals for 2 people) and you can order as many plates/recipes as you’d like (in multiples of 2). Right now you can get four plates for the price of two.

GWYNNIE BEE

Gwynnie Bee is the only clothing rental subscription service exclusively for women sizes 10-32. Described as a digital department store with 2,000 styles from 150 brands to choose from, you receive unlimited exchanges and free shipping. With the most common plan, members receive on average $900-$1,200 worth of apparel for the same cost of just one dress but all the fun of having something new to wear!

Gwynnie Bee members on Facebook

Cost: Most popular plan is $79/month for 3 items at a time and receive around 6-12 items a month. Gwynnie Bee is currently offering a free 30-day trial of the subscription.

Make sure not to miss many of these offers with free trials and BOGOs for the first month.

Win your own MistoBox from MamaChallenge.com!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Three Camera Must-Haves for a New Photographer

May 28, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 51 Comments

I achieved a big milestone a few months ago…I purchased a “big girl camera.”

AKA a DSLR, I finally made it a priority to purchase a camera that wasn’t something to be handy and quick, but instead had the capability to capture those beautiful, Pinterest-ready shots for the blog AND even click a few of the family for those perfect opportunities between Christmas and Easter family portraits. Since I had made the choice to make the purchase, I bought everything I THOUGHT I needed to be the best photographer in the world…or at least begin to try.

After the first full photo card and a long day of taking shots, I realized I needed not one, not two but MANY memory cards. One of the best tips I had heard from well-seasoned photographers is that you just keeping taking photos and eventually when you get back to your computer you’ll find that magic one that’s just the right angle, the right lighting and the right look for your perfect shot. But to do that you need lots of space on a card and you never want to get stuck when you’re just about to get that great shot and then you the “CARD FULL” come up. So bottom line, get big memory cards and many of them.

The other thing I learned was a must-have was a good camera strap. Sure, I had the one sent with the camera. But one hour after you have that hanging around your neck with your camera attached, you’ll feel exactly what I’m talking about. That uncomfortable and raw feeling of the not-so-soft strap. So consider one that’s cute, comfortable and so useful, like the straps from mod. Not only are there tons of designs to choose from, but you also can get this strap wrap attachment that allows you to insert additional photo cards, ID, money, batteries and more so it’s not in your pocket (or later lost on the ground.)

And the last thing was a lens-cap saver. That’s right…I needed something to help me keep up with my lens cap. I would put it in my pocket and then kneel down and it would roll out every time. Then I would scour the world, in grass, dirt, wherever, to find it. While it may seem kinda silly, a lens-cap saver saved me HUGE on keeping my camera lens clean of scratches and me from having to keep buying more each time I lost mine. Mod’s lens savers are adorable and have tons of personality…and why can’t you have fun while being functional?

Dallas-based mod is a mom-daughter company that I’m proud to say I worked with a few years ago when they just began their business. Now this USA-made business is not just online but distributed and sold in several stores you may *even have heard of *like Target, Nebraska Furniture Mart and Amazon. While I would love to tell you more, I think they both do a better job…

AND NOW YOU CAN HAVE ONE TOO! Thanks to mod we’re giving away a special bundle with a strap, lens saver, and drop-in pouch ($79.00 value).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Show Your Blogger Style with Dallas’ Katydid Collection

May 27, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo Leave a Comment

There are all kinds of bloggers, but basically it comes down to two classifications. There are the ones that are able to pull off runway looks walking through Walmart and then there are those who can’t because of all the kid crap (and more) that gets on us every day so we’re just happy we got clothes on at all.

Photo by Stephanie Drenka Photography

While we might all aspire to look like we some of my favorite fashion bloggers, but with all that a mom can go through in a day from coffee to counting sheep – I can’t imagine doing most of it in clothes that I can’t move around in. But just because it’s comfortable, it doesn’t mean it has to be dull and boring.

Photo by Stephanie Drenka Photography

And these shirts from the Katydid Collection are anything but boring. Not only does each design have a fantastic feel that you’ll love wearing all day, but also lots phrases to match the exact mood or occasion that you might be headed to. And for bloggers, there’s a whole line committed to your daily lingo…from #ootd to this one I love “Eat, sleep, blog and repeat,” you’ll make a bold statement without saying a word (that’s a great tagline for an ad campaign, right? wink, wink.)

Dallas-based apparel designer Katy Messersmith is founder and owner of Katydid Collection, the brand that transforms the basic casual sportswear tee into a fashion-forward staple of women’s closets throughout the South. Katydid’s designs are modern, flattering, and exude confidence. Katy is known for embracing saturated colors, mixed motifs, detailed embellishments, and incredible quality that endears repeat customers and continually captivates new audiences. Katy insists on the highest standards for her label, and the entire apparel line is made in the USA.

The label is sold in more than 5,000 boutiques across the nation and can also be purchased online at www.katydid.com.

« Previous Page

Five Ways to Make Giving Kids Medicine Easier

Cute, Quick & Easy Gift Wrapping Ideas

Best Lines from Bravo’s new Odd Mom Out

Watch the episodes now – including the not-yet-aired Episode 3!

Go Healthy, High End, but Never Hungry at Taste of Dallas {Discount}

Love it While You Lose it: Medifast Meal Makeovers

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients

Instructions

Get Your Truly Radiant Perfect Smile

So what is your #TrulyRadiantFinish moment?

Knot Just a Good Dad You’re the Best Gift Card {Free Printable}

With Father’s Day just around the corner, it’s his turn to get a little love with this Knot Just a Good Dad You’re the Best Gift Card Free Printable and a massage.

Best Subscription Boxes 2015

Three Camera Must-Haves for a New Photographer

Show Your Blogger Style with Dallas’ Katydid Collection

Pin This!

Pictures Say a 1000 Words

mamachallenge

Follow Along!