Famous for make-and-take pizza, get your own heart-shaped pizza and take it home to make for dinner for only $7. Best of all, $1 goes to the North Texas Food Bank.
Butter up your office and pick up some Dunkin’ Donuts’ heart-shaped and filled Cupid’s Choice and Cupid’s Cocoa donuts. (Really sweeten the deal and pick up coffee, too!)
The original cupcakery offers its Raspberry Chocolate Chip cupcake only in February. The chocolate chip-studded Belgian dark chocolate cake is topped with luscious raspberry frosting and a pink heart decoration.
In addition to my normal tasks this week, I’m playing party planner for both kiddos Valentine’s Day parties. For the boy, we went with downloadable stickers that said “You Rock” on Pop Rocks and for my daughter, I had to create something a little bit more special. She’s changing schools, so I wanted to do something to say goodbye – even if she’s not even two yet.
I already had some Play-doh in reserves (from last Valentine’s Day clearance) and then had to come up with something to pair with it:
While the artwork isn’t amazing, if you’d like to use it, I thought I’d share – just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Every little girl dreams of being a princess. Except this one.
While, I’m pretty sure there was a time I wanted to wear a tiara and be Snow White (although this quiz says I’m a Cinderella), my dreams were really to be the witch – cackle, magical powers and all. Thankfully, high school drama musicals allowed me that opportunity to live out my fantasy as well as every Halloween where I love to donn my hat while I take my children trick-or-treating. (Isn’t that convenient?)
However, the celebrity-loved line, Virgins Saints & Angels now makes it possible for me to fulfill my fairytale fantasy and look good doing it any day of the year with their new line inspired by ABCs “Once Upon a Time.” (If you haven’t watched this one; make sure you catch up first on Netflix to get the rundown on this fairytale-come-to-life Sunday show the whole family can enjoy. It’s kinda complicated the first go-around, but be prepared to be hooked.)
Not only does my inner witch love these pieces, but that small sliver of me that still loves Madonna in her “Like a Virgin” days, adores it. How could you not? Take a look at some of my favorite pieces I coveted during the preview event on Feb. 7 at Swag.
Not me, but totally wanted everything around her neck!
I’ll do the laundry with a smile if I can do it with that tiara!
Virgins Saints & Angels makes it fashionable to wear dragons, daggers and spiders year-round.
you say Valentine’s Day, my pretty!?! You too can get your little paws on this line. And if you have a little time on Friday, Feb. 8 from 1-4 p.m, you can also meet the lady who made fairytales come to life with the Virgins Saints & Angels’ Cheryl Finnegan at Swag. The global trunk show runs until Sunday, Feb. 10 or you can always order a piece online at Swag!
Like many moms, it was a way to document my feelings as a mom and all the “things” that come with it. For me, it was actually a therapeutic band-aid/call-to-action and I felt like I was obligated to share my story and experience as a new mother of a beautiful son that also was born with a congenital heart defect.
That was almost five years ago — and today I have an even more beautiful son with an amazing, caring and relatively healthy heart. And I’m still blogging.Thankfully, it wasn’t the worst thing ever written and it resonated with other moms who like me, felt overwhelmed, undereducated and totally alone. Somehow, our story helped us connect so we could feel like we weren’t the only ones together.
It’s not as healthy as yours or mine, but no longer do I fair daily that he is turning blue. No longer do I have to keep him home in “a bubble” to shield him from illnesses like the flu. No longer do I have to think that he could stop breathing at night. My worries for the most part, thankfully, are just like any other parents, for now.
But I certainly don’t take that for granted. Each year since my little man was born I’ve tried to make sure to do what I can to educated others about congenital heart defects (CHDs). Sometimes I’ve gone big with ceremonies, mayoral proclamations or TV segments. Sometimes I’ve written an article. But it’s hard no matter what. It’s like opening a wound that I wish would heal and go away. Unfortunately, it doesn’t “go away.”
But I’m not the only mom of a child with a CHD. What I thought was such a rare thing since I had never heard of it until Jackson, actually is more common than most people think with 1 in 100 babies born every year with a CHD. And thankfully with new technology and awareness, more of those children, like my son, are born and live a wonderful life with their CHD. But that’s not enough. There still could be more children saved – as infants in utero and as teens with undetected CHDs with a simple screening.
Unfortunately, these screenings haven’t made the priority list for many state governments or there isn’t enough funding to make this possible for the public. Thankfully, committed parents and organizations have banded together to offer these screenings and awareness as much as possible, but that’s not enough.
So now as my little baby turns into a boy, I’m faced with new adventures as a mom. And there will be many other adventures as a mom of a CHD kiddo. Just recently I asked my son if he knew what the mark on his chest was.
Of course, Mama,” he said. “It’s because so many people love me, my heart got too big.”
While one day I’ll need to explain that a little more, his explanation is better than anything I could ever explain.
That’s today’s challenge. And as he gets older there will be more. I can only hope I can continue to carry the mama challenge torch in efforts to reach one more child and one more mom affected by CHD.
When you’re pregnant, the words “mint,” “toffee,” “chocolate” and “torte” immediately give you tasty visions of sugar plums (and probably create a little craving, too.) On the other hand, the idea of bras and undies when you’re pregnant certainly doesn’t conjure up any sweet thoughts, but rather ugly images of “boulder holders.”
And that’s where the expectant and nursing moms’ lingerie line Cake cut in.
Taking one of the biggest complaints of moms and moms-to-be, the company gave itself a name that was sure to ignite the want in every mama! And just in time for Valentine’s Day, Cake’s sweet line offers the much-needed style and polish for new and expecting moms that can make you look beautiful when you don’t always feel that way (pregnancy certainly does a number on you.)
Here’s a little sampler of the Cake line:
(Hint to dads and hubbies: this is a great present for Valentine’s Day gift for your baby’s mama!)
Mint Toffee Bra and Boy Shorts
Toffee is a confection made by caramelizing sugar or molasses and adding butter and occasionally flour. The mixture is decadently sweet and so is Cake’s Mint Toffee. Gorgeous green color and sleek styling, it is ULTRA HIP looking and sophisticated.
Shortbread Bra and French Knickers
Shortbreadis a classic Scottish dessert made with flour, sugar, and butter. For centuries shortbread was expensive and reserved as a luxury for special occasions such as Christmas. Shortbread from Cake pairs FUN COLORS of orchid and green on a smart tartan frame and then adds cream-colored lace! Sure to wow a young mama and make her feel like a goddess.
Cotton Candy T-Back Bra and Briefs
Remember watching spellbound as the cotton candy maker at the fair spins a confection that looks like pillows of wool but melts in your mouth like a snowflake? Light pink, soft and pretty and considered one of “The Most Comfortable Maternity Bras,: thebra has a feminine, sporty design. Uniquely constructed with a silky soft knit and intelligently placed support panels, Cotton Candy will expand and change with the woman who wears it.
Cake lingerie and sleep wear (so comfortable and beautiful) is sold in more than 30 countries and 350 stores worldwide including Nordstrom’s in Dallas as well as online.
At least if you’re breastfeeding or sitting there with swollen feet your bra looks good, right?
DISCLAIMER:
I received one or more of the mentioned products for the sole purpose of this review. No other compensating was given and all opinions expressed are 100 percent my own. (Accordance with FTC’s 16 CFR Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)
I have to start with this – “Pilates: I love drinking those!”
[First off, for those of you that got that reference, give yourself two points before we begin this week’s discovery down uncharted fitness territory. My husband reminds me of that commercial anytime I mutter the word pilates, so I had to include it in this week’s post!]
Anyhow… I’m all for finding new things to keep exercise exciting, that’s the reason I created Tried-It Tuesdays. It’s given me a reason to get out there and explore while losing weight as well informed others about what other interesting things are out there and can keep you fit. From pole dancing and now to pilates, it’s been lots of fun AND I feel great.
This week I found myself at the PilatesBarre in Dallas. I had heard that Gap Fitwas paying for the class and if you tried on a pair of their activewear line, you got to take it home with you for free. (Double-whammy!) So I signed up like a champ and got ready to burn some calories.
I mean, how hard could it be…
When I arrived, I realized that this place wasn’t the Pilates that my Y offered, but the real-deal holyfield with the latest and greatest REFORMER machine called the Megaformer. This was the class that stars like Jennifer Aniston do once a week to look like a million bucks. Unfortunately, since my abs look more like the Marshmallow Man, I was starting to rethink my latest challenge. Especially if I had to take on the Reformer machine. (If you haven’t seen one of these before, it resembles something I imagined out of “Shades of Grey.”) But I couldn’t back out now. I had put on the grip socks and put on the Gap pants, so I had to work for these babies.
All I can say now is Gap, thanks for the pants and thanks for making my body ache and shake like it never has before. But to be honest, isn’t that the point? I get why they call it PilatesBarre now – I felt like I needed to hit the bar when I was done. Maybe order up that ‘pilates’ they keep talking about.
Anyhow, I wish I had brought a photographer to see me do all the wild exercises we did. While relatively simple moves, they made my body burn like never before. I worked muscles I never knew I had and honestly, I now understand why people say it makes their body feel longer – because my body was stretched WAAAAAY out.
I did have to look around to figure out if I was doing things correctly. I admit many times I was so involved in making sure I was doing things right, I didn’t listen to the instructor and just let my body do what made sense. The instructor was calm, helpful and never made me feel out of place, although I know I was (I was wild on that machine!) While I wasn’t a pro from the get go, the 50-minute class included everything from core strength training, cardio, and overall body conditioning and stretching—everything I need to work to achieve a lean physique – the “Pilates Body.”
DISCLAIMER: I received one or more of the mentioned products for the sole purpose of this review. No other compensating was given and all opinions expressed are 100 percent my own. (Accordance with FTC’s 16 CFR Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)
Me Mondays: There are many days that I wish I could be a member of the Real Housewives of enterprise…on Bravo. The makeup, the hair, the clothes and of course, the houses! I’m a huge fan of the original The Real Housewives of Orange Countyand The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, their lives seem so different than this real housewife back in DFW… Or is it?
Heather Dubrow from RHOC (photo: Bravo)
I recently had the chance to chat with Heather Dubrow, the only beautiful brunette from the RHOC. She’s married to a plastic surgeon’s wife, a mother of FOUR kids, a TV actress (she’s been on several sitcoms on primetime), and oh yeah, a reality star. So it was hard to think what this gal and I could possibly have in common except brown hair. However, after only a few minutes, I was totally at ease chatting with her. She was a likeable girl and we had a nice chat on just being a mom and women!
Here’s a little bit of what I learned from our chat: About the Show: Her husband, a plastic surgeon, has also been on reality TV shows like The Swan, really wanted her to do the show. Now she’s glad she did and she’s happy to have met the girls. “Tamara, Gretchen and Vicky are great gals.” [Ok, my hubby isn’t a surgeon on TV, but he’s a real cut up…tee-hee!] About her Personal Philosophy: “I’m not perfect – I have a beautiful life that I am thankful for, but I am a real person.” [I hear you sister!] On Family: “Our family go-to meal is one of my favorites to make – it’s breakfast for dinner with biscuits, eggs and bacon. It’s great because we all come together and enjoy it as a family.” [Did you read the part about her making the food and no chef? In the winter I love to make breakfast for dinner. What’s your favorite go-to dish in a quickie?] On Her Looks: “I’m an active person with a healthy eating. And to keep fit, I have a trainer 2 times a week.” [I try to be this girl everyday. I think we all do, right?] On Her Must Haves: One thing she must have is her mobile phone and a big bag of Twizzlers! [I HAVE to have my Iphone and I bet I can always find a bag of Goldfish!]
See I totally could be on a Real Housewives’ candidate. Sign me up!
***
Season 8 of The Real Housewives of Orange County is set to premiere in late March! So make sure to check your listings for more info or follow them on Facebook.
The last of this month’s focus on diet and exercise, The High Intensity Fitness Revolution for Women claims it can make your look good, fast.
“If you’re the kind of woman who spends an average weekday lounging around, then feel free to put this book back on the shelf. This is a fitness regimen for women who don’t have an hour or more to work out each day.”
The High Intensity Fitness Revolution for Women: A Fast and Easy Workout with Amazing Results leads you through a revolutionary workout routine by Pete Cerqua, one of New York City’s most applauded fitness trainers.
Cerqua owns and operates the 90-Second Fitness flagship studio in New York City. One of New York’s most respected and in-demand fitness trainers, he has been helping people lose weight for more than 20 years.
Cerqua claims he knows the secret that will change the way you see exercise forever: short periods of high intensity workout are much more productive and effective than lengthy periods of “overtraining.” This bookis about getting the best possible result for your body in the shortest amount of time— at home. It focuses on toning your muscles, increasing your metabolism, strengthening your bones, preventing arthritis, achieving great legs, and all around looking and feeling better.
What I like most about it: there’s pictures on how to do the exercises on the machines. While I’ve downloaded plenty of workout apps on my phone, I still spend most of workout time looking on my Iphone and not on actually doing the exercises. This way I have not only a list of my workout, but how to do it and on what machine. It’s the next best thing to the trainer.
Best of all, if you and your honey are looking to lose some pounds together, there’s actually a book just for the hubby, too –The High Intensity Fitness Revolution for Men.
The High Intensity Fitness Revolution for Women
A Fast and Easy Workout with Amazing Results
By Pete Cerqua
Skyhorse Publishing paperback, also available as an ebook
DISCLAIMER: I received one or more of the mentioned products for the sole purpose of this review. No other compensating was given and all opinions expressed are 100 percent my own. (Accordance with FTC’s 16 CFR Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)
As a mom that is always on the go, I’ve been known to make some pretty bad choices about food.
“Have you found yourself at McDonald’s with the idea of ordering a yogurt parfait and getting a cheeseburger instead?”
“Ordering Chick-Fil-A for the kids and then eating 3-4 of your own, along with a couple of French fries and a half the cookie before you hand it to them?”
Between running through the drive-in or ordering dinner to go, the crazy schedule that families like mine try to deal with everyday is hard…especially on a mom who needs to lose around 20, 30…well I need to lose some weight!
So you can imagine my surprise when I was told that a COOKIE could make me lose weight. This was definitely a plan for me!
While I could have told you that an Oreo cookie doesn’t make you skinny, I was all for a “magic cookie” (even if it wasn’t an Oreo) that could. Especially if it was made from other busy moms who were facing the same dilemmas I was.
The Magic Cookie was created by Dallas mom/daughter duo Nanci Masso and Faryn Clark. In addition to being successful business women, both are busy moms – Nanci is a mother of five ranging from 40 to 14 years of age and Faryn is a mother of three boys ages 5,3, and 22 months. Wow…and a few lucrative businesses to boot!)
Dallas mom/daughter duo Nanci Masso and Faryn Clark of Biosanes.
Biosanes, the maker of the “magic cookie,” evolved from more than 25 years of research and development in the nutrition industry. The local Dallas company offers health and weight loss products that are good for the whole family. The “magic” (as called by Biosanes) is Arabinogalactan, which is 100% soluble fiber derived from the Western Larch tree, has been found to be more powerful than echinacea in its immune enhancing abilities. What really makes it work like magic is that it encapsulates fat and removes it from the body before it turns into unwanted pounds, supports healthy glucose and cholesterol and aids in digestion.
While some of that went over my head, I understood a couple things very plainly: “remove” and “unwanted pounds.” So l was all about trying these babies out.
So I armed myself with two boxes of cookies, stuck them in some convenient areas in efforts to fend off the times when I start to roll into the drive through…like in between meetings, doing errands, etc. Here’s how I faired:
And even more than just being a weight loss supplement, these cookies are also good for maintaining a healthy living by boosting immunity because it meets 1/3 of your daily nutritional needs while supressing hunger.
I’ll admit I favored the Oatmeal Raisin cookie to the Granola Cranberry and so did my kids:). Many times we shared the cookies to keep us all from eating sugary crap we could be eating. While I ate the Cranberry cookie, it tasted a lot more like a nutritional supplement than the Oatmeal Raisin recipe. Additionally, I always made sure I had something on my lap as I ate the cookie so it wouldn’t get all over me and the car (the cookie does have a crumbly texture, but was still soft like a cookie should be. Thankfully Biosanes is already working on perfecting that part too!)
If only they would come out with a chocolate chip cookie or an Oreo, I’ll stock up my whole pantry.
Biosanes
Individual: Oatmeal Raisin: $3.25and Granola Cranberry with Chia Seeds: $3.49
DISCLAIMER: I received one or more of the mentioned products for the sole purpose of this review. No other compensating was given and all opinions expressed are 100 percent my own. (Accordance with FTC’s 16 CFR Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)
This Sunday is like the big daddy of Sundays with the SuperBowl in New Orleans! So for the next few days I’ve got food and football on the brain.
A great recipe that the kids can do themselves!
Can you say, “CHEAT DAY?” Actually, you don’t have to with Cabot. Recently, I got a special opportunity to chow down on some tasty lowfat cheese (we’re talking like 50% – 75% reduced fat) from CABOT while learning some great lowfat, kid-friendly recipes including the ones included here, Cheddar Mice and Lowfat Mac n Cheese!
Who doesn’t like mac n cheese? Here’s a delicious lowfat recipe!
While at the event I learned some great tidbits from a chef at Central Market (so you know she’s got great tips), so I thought I’d share.
Looking for a crusty brown topping like on mac n cheese? Spray a little cooking spray on the top before you put in the oven and you’ll good nice and crispy!
Putting things in muffin tins is all the rage…make your clean up and portions easier to control with an ice cream scoop!
While these recipes are simple, they are great ways to make your diet tastier without the fat (or the work) with Cabot Cheese. Looking for more Super Cheesy SuperBowl Recipes, check out these recipes from Cabot!
Score this SuperBowl with CABOTs Pin It to Win It Contest!
10 winners randomly selected. Each will win $75 Cabot Gift Box and 1 of the winners will also win an additional $75 Gift Box to gift to a friend. 50 pinners will receive a Cabot coupon for FREE cheese.
DISCLAIMER: I received one or more of the mentioned products for the sole purpose of this review. No other compensating was given and all opinions expressed are 100 percent my own. (Accordance with FTC’s 16 CFR Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)
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