Mommy Monday... Swingin Sloane

Sloane has grown so much in the past few months. She can officially sit up all on her own which in turn has opened a whole new world of fun.

 

She can sit in her stroller, without the car seat attachment.

 

 

She can sit in some of the toys at the park,

 

 

her favorite being the swing.

 

 

And bath time is a whole new experience now that she can sit up in her tub.

 

Next up is her actually being able to put herself into the seating position. She changes everyday!

Beauty Wise Wednesday: Studio 35 Beauty Blender Sponge

I just learned about these beauty blender sponge not too long ago and I was instantly interested. I haven't become a fan of putting on the foundation with a brush just yet and I always feel gross when I rub in my foundation with my fingers. I first found out about these from a YouTube video (of course) by Glamour Wonderland. She did a review of drug store beauty blenders to see if she could find a dupe for her high end beauty blender.

When I bought the Studio 35 Beauty Blender Sponge, I thought I had gotten the preferred one in her video but I actually got one similar to the one less preferred but still a good dupe. Mine is also a different brand which might make a difference in quality as well it was just slightly more expensive. I paid $6.49 at Walgreen's.

To use the sponge u run it under water and then ring it out. This part took a little getting used to because I wasn't sure just how wet I was suppose to get the sponge. It took me a few times using it to realize that the more water I put onto the sponge the softer it became and the better it would blend our foundation.

After you wet your sponge you dab a bit of your foundation onto your face and then blend it onto your face with little patting motions. I will mention that the first couple of time you the blender sponger it does seem like you need to use more foundation that usual. It might have been just because I hadn't put enough water on it. The pointed edge of the sponge is great for getting around the nose and under the eyes. I typically use the pointed end to blend all over my face and then the flat side I'll go back over to make sure I got it all blended together perfectly. I also love using the flat end to blend in my concealer that I put on after my foundation. 

Overall I really enjoy the Studio 35 Beauty Blender Sponge. I especially enjoy the cool feeling the damp sponge gives in the mornings. I would defiantly recommend this to any of my friends.

Mommy Monday: Babies Day Out

Saturday, my dear friends had the great idea to head up north to go to the Tulip Festival. I was so excited to not only be able to spend the day with my two bestest friends but I also got to introduce Sloane to some outdoor fun.

We started the day off by hitting the Seattle Premium outlet mall. We packed Sloane into her stroller and we made our way around the mall. It was so nice to have Sloane at a point that she isn't fussy. She was all smiles while at the mall. The girls grabbed a bite to eat at the mall so I took Sloane out of her stroller and let her play around. She was just a bundle of laughs, I can't wait till I can start giving her real food and seeing her reaction.

After the mall we headed up to Tulip Town. Sloane caught a quick nap on the drive up and that put her in a great mood upon arrival. I strapped her on in her sling. She was so excited because it was her first time out of the house in her sling. I wrapped her blanket around her outside her sling to keep her dangling legs warm and flipped on her hood to keep her head warm. Once in Tulip Town Sloane couldn't contain her excitement. She flapped her arms and kicked her legs and did her best to bounce. She was mesmerized by all the colors.

 She breathed in the fresh air with delight. Her first real day out and about experiencing the world out of the confines of her car seat and stroller. I let her see and feel the flowers. She loved watching all the people. Her aunties made her smile all day long.

Once in the car and heading home Sloane couldn't stop talking and blowing raspberries. She recounted the day to us, I'm sure, over and over again. I love how well she did all day, not a bit of crying or fussing. My friends captured some really cute pictures so that we can remember this day forever.

 

 

 

Things to do before I'm 30: UPDATE

Well it is just three short months until my birthday. I'll be turning 29, giving me just one year to complete my goals on my list of things to do before I turn 30... I have written one update post about two and a half years ago HERE. The original list was written in 2008, you can read it HERE.

So now I want to update this list and see what I really want to work towards in my last year of being 20-something.

*Party like a rock star: Well I defiantly haven't done this but this doesn't really seem like much of a priority anymore. I have had some pretty fun nights out and I'd say the closest I've come to partying like a rock start would be at Tony's 30th birthday where we had a party bus and a reserved area at Last Supper Club and bottle service.

*Full day at a spa: Still haven't done this and I would LOVE to make this a priority this last year. DO any of you guys have any tips on where to go?

*Lose 50lbs: This has happened a couple times but then I have gained it back... I still want have is as a priority this year. I will do it! maybe the spa day will be my reward!

*Have a kid: well I've accomplished this! I wasn't exactly a planned thing to accomplish when I did but I couldn't be happier with my life and being a mommy. Sloane is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me!

*Spoil my mom: This is another thing I really would love to be able to do! I think my goal would be to send my mom and dad to Vegas with a couple hundred dollars of spending money. They deserve a fun vacation and it just isn't really possible for them.

*Meet my dad: This is something that is always in the back of my mind. I have actually become friends with him on facebook which is the most contact I can ever remember me having with him in my life. I haven't actually talked to him over facebook and I'm not so sure how I wanna go about starting that but maybe by 30 I'll have made some progress.

*Better my credit: this is actually a work in progress. The main issue is y student loans and those probably won't be paid off by the time I'm 30.

*Week long vacation out of the country: This is something I don't see happening before I am 30 now that I have a child, but I'm OK with that. I would love to travel out of the country but when Sloane is older and she will be able to enjoy the travel as well.

*Have a savings: Well this isn't such a possibility right now because I am trying to improve my credit I have little money to save. I do need to make a saving account for Sloane a priority however!

*Climb a rock wall: This is a great goal to work towards in the next year. It can go hand in hand with losing 50+ lbs.

*Be at least a second assistant: This is accomplished... I'd like to update this to at least be in RLD and near becoming an Assistant manager.

*Wear a pair of designer shoes with a little black dress: Let's tie this all together and this will be the 30th birthday party outfit, after I lose 50+ lbs. I will also attend a spa and climb a rock wall on my 30th birthday too!

*Volunteer regularly: Well I volunteer as much as I can right now between working and being a mommy. I volunteer through Safeway and do nearly all the volunteer opportunities they have to offer. When Sloane is older I will make this a priority because I want her to understand how important volunteering is.

Beauty Wise Wednesday: April Ipsy Bag reveal

Hello Spring!!! It's April and that means another Ipsy bag has come in the mail. This is my forth Ipsy bag I have gotten. I realize that some people still don't really understand what this whole Ipsy bag thing is, so let me explain. It is a monthly subscription service where I pay $10 every first of the month (it comes out automatically from my account.) You can also pay for the whole year at one time if you want and save a little bit of money. Anyways, I pay the $10 a month and they send me a monthly package that arrives sometime between the 11th and the 14th. The package, as you might have already seen from my blogs, come with 4-5 "sample" beauty products and a custom Ipsy make up bag. I say "sample" products because it seems mostly the products are full sized.

So onto what I got in this months bag: It is a white canvas bag with fuchsia pink, patent leather trim zipper and lined with pink and white stripes.

 

Product #1: Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal w/Argon oil. .85 fl oz. The full size product is $21.95 for 4.2 oz on Ulta.com. I figure that this sample size is a value of  $4.40.
Coupon Code: Save $5
Product description: Nourishing Styling Treatment. It say's that it helps speed up blow drying or to reduce frizz.
First Impression: I'm pretty excited to try this product out. It is another way to try out Argon oil and I'm really interested to see if it helps speed up blow drying. The smell is a light, with almost a coconut under tone, great for spring and summer.

Product #2: Be a Bombshell Blush in Sweet Cheeks. This is $16 on the Be a Bombshell website.
Coupon Code: 30% off + Free eye shadow
Product Description: It's a light pink shade with a bit of a shimmer.
First Impression:  I'm super excited to try out a new blush. I have used only one blush in all of my make up usage and I can't wait to see what I think of this. Love that it is a full size product.

Product #3: Two Cosmetics Duo Eyeshadow in Heartache. This is currently on sale on the Two Cosmetics website for $5.75.
Coupon Code: 25% off + free lip gloss
Product description: It is two shades of pink. first is a rosy pink that's matte and the other is a light shimmery pink.
First Impression: I'm a bit nervous to try out pink eye shadow because I know it can make you look tired. I think I'll have to play around with it a bit to see what other colors I can wear it with.

Product #4: Miss Professional Nail Sation Nail Lacquer in Love at First Byte. This is $5 in the Miss Professional Nails website
Coupon Code: 20% off
Product Description: It's a bit of a salmony pink.
First Impression: I'm not so sure about the color but I'll put it on for a few days and see what I think.

Also included is 30% off MICA Beauty Cosmetics and a 60% off Generation Beauty convention ticket.

Total value of the bag is $31.15 plus the make up bag. I'm pretty excited about this months bag and I hope all the products live up to my excitement.

Mommy Monday: Sloane is 5 months old!

 

 

To Our Darling Daughter,

     You are 5 months old now and have grown and changed in so many ways. You have started eating solid food almost once daily. So far you have had sweet potatoes, apples and peas. You started out not really knowing what to do with these crazy flavors and textures but you have really grown to enjoy solid foods and and almost all of it actually gets eaten.
     You have figured out how to army crawl this month and that has opened up a whole new world for you. You crawl all over the floor going from toy to toy. Your favorite toy is actually your jumper. you love bouncing around in there and playing the music.
     This month we also celebrated your first Easter. We had our family and friends over for the day and you were all dressed up in your Easter dress you got from your Aunt Brenda. This holiday you did really well, laughing and playing with everyone until it was your nap time.
     Sloane you have become such a strong a beautiful little lady. Daddy and I know you are going to do so many amazing things in your life and we can't wait to be right there supporting you.

Love you Lots
Mommy and Daddy

Beauty Wise Wednesday: March Ipsy Bag review

It's that time again! Another month and it's time to tell you guys what I thought of the March Ipsy Bag.

First of all the bag. I really loved the pattern! It's a fun nautical theme colored blue and white. I didn't like that it seemed like a weird thin material but maybe that is so it is good to bring to the beach. I will defiantly be using this bag this summer.

Product #1: Juice Beauty Hydrating mist 1 fl oz worth $3.25 (based on the 6.75 oz cost of $22) 20% off coupon code juicebeauty.com Product description: Tone with this refreshing blend of rosehip, ylang ylang, resveratrol grapeseed oil and antioxidant-rich organic juices for a fresh complexion.
My Thoughts: I really enjoy this product. I used it everyday after getting out of the shower before putting on my face lotion. It does have a strong scent but I found it fresh and invigorating in the morning. I felt like it really made a difference in the condition of my skin. It has felt much smoother day to day. Normally my skin would start to feel rough like it needed a good exfoliation by the end of the week buy I think this product really helps with that feeling.

Product #2: Glam Rx Z palette $8.25. This isn't the full palette they sell on the website for $16.50 so I figured that this was approximately half the value. 20% off coupon code http://glamrx.goodsie.com/ Product description: This is a small magnetic palette that holds eye shadows that don't come in their own case (I don't know the technical term for those) It is about 3.5 in by 2.5 in and has a mirror.
My Thoughts: I have been wanting to get on of these because it is so much less expensive to by the inserts for this rather than a full eye shadow or blush. The only real compliant I have is that the Coastal Scents eye shadows we got in the past bag aren't magnetized so I wasn't able to put those in there.

Product #3: LA Fresh Makeup Remover wipes $3.36. They sell these in a box of 48 singles for $19.99 so I figured what 8 are worth. 30% off coupon code Lafreshgroup.com Product description: Instantly dissolves even heavy duty makeup with silky, lite-touch formula.
My Thoughts: These were nice quality wipes, but nothing too exciting. the wipe was soft when at times i might want one with a bit more scrub to it. I also didn't see any improvement on the ability to remove eye make up than any other face wipe. (sorry no picture cause I used all the wipes and threw away the package, it is in the picture on my March open bag blog)

Product #4: Yaby eye shadow, two colors $6.30. I don't know the exact size we got but they look similar to the one's on the web site for $3.15 each. 25% off coupon code yabycosmetics.com Product description: I got "sand dune" a matte tan color and "so vein" a teal greenish color.
My Thoughts: I got two very different shades and their pigmentation was just as varied. "So Vein" was a beautiful teal green color with tons of pigment. A little went a long way. "Sand Dune" on the other hand had very little pigmentation. I would work very hard to get color onto my lids and had very little pay off. This brand might be a bit iffy due to the fact that you don't know how pigmented a color you buy will be, but at the low cost it might be worth a shot for the more colorful eye shadows.

Overall I was happy with the bag even though it didn't blow my socks off. I'm not sure if I would be running to the store to buy any of the products but I enjoyed using them all this month.

Here is a link to my March bag opening blog

Can't wait to get the next bag in a day or two and share it with you guys next week!

Chicken and Spaetzles

I made this recipe a while ago and it was funny to me that no one knew what a spaetzles was. I have heard that word all my life as this recipe was a staple in my house hold.

As defined by my grandma: "spaetzle.... they are a German pasta-like dumpling but more moist and tender than an Italian pasta"

Chicken and Spaetzles soup:

Ingredients:

Soup:
* 1 whole chicken
* Water
* 1 large can of chicken broth
* Carrots cut into small pieces
* Celery cut into small pieces
* Onion or mushrooms if desired (I didn't add these)
* salt and pepper to taste

Spraetzle's
* 2 cups all purpose flour
* water
* 1 egg
* 2 Tbsp of seasoning salt

Start by placing the whole chicken into a deep pot  and will with water till covered. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 1-2 hours depending on the size of the chicken. You will know it is done when the chicken is falling off the bone.

Once done separate the meat from the bones. Strain and save half the broth made for the soup. You can save the other have to use for something else.

Add all the chicken meat back into the broth. Add in the can of store bought chicken broth and the cut up veggies. Add in the salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to a boil and let cook for another half hour or until the veggies are cooked.

Put the flour into a bowl ( I used a large glass measuring cup so that it would be easy to pour the batter) To the flour add the seasoning salt and mix. Then mix the egg and add water 1/2 a cup at a time until you get a good thick batter.

Make sure the soup is at a small boil then simply pour in the batter maybe a 1/4 cup at a time moving sporadically around the soup. The spaetzles will first sink to the bottom but as they cook they will float to the surface. Once they are all floating they are done and the soup is ready to be enjoyed!

This while recipe is just by family memory and there is no real need to measure any of the ingredients.

I hope you guys try out this recipe and really enjoy it! It's been a favorite of mine all my life!

Beauty Wise Wednesday: Face wash

Happy Wednesday everyone!!

Silly me, I kept thinking it was Saturday because I had two days off in a row. Today Mat and I both had the day off together so of course we had to make the most of it. I actually was able to sleep in till nearly 8am because Mat got up early and got Sloane up and dressed before I had to wake up! It's so nice to have him home in the mornings. After looking out the window and seeing that it wasn't likely to rain we decided to head to Green Lake in Seattle (our favorite park).

As we were driving there I thought of what I wanted to write my blog about. FACE WASH!! I have used the same face wash for years. I grew up with quite an acne problem and had serious self image issues because of it. While in my need to become more girly and high maintenance I thought I would try out a new face wash. I didn't have much direction but every night at work I noticed a face wash that was on sale and finally one night I bought it.

L'Oreal Youth Code: Youth Regenerating Skincare Foaming Gel Cleanser: This foaming gel cleanser gently exfoliates and removes impurities down to every last trace of eye make up, without over drying. Skin will become luminous, smooth and younger looking with continues use. $3.99 on close out at Safeway.
My Thoughts: I have used it more than several times in several different situations. I have used it in the morning in the shower, at night to remove my make up and at night after using a face wipe to remove my make up. First impression is that it has a strong smell that is pretty floral. I could have dealt with the smell if I hadn't tasted the soap while washing my face. I don't ever remember tasting my face wash before and the flavor of this face wash seemed unavoidable. it just seemed it get into my mouth every time i used it. I also feel like it didn't foam up as well as I hoped it would, I really needed to work the wash into a lather in my hands before I washed my face with it. Finally I didn't notice an youth renewal to my face, however I probably don't really have that many wrinkles to worry about. Now I have sensitive skin and have a history of patches of dry flaky skin in the T-zone so I'm not sure if it was just conscience or what but I did have a flare up on dry skin in my eye brow area while using this face wash. I continued to use it maybe once a week since and haven't had too much problem. Also I still had eye liner/mascara on my face the morning after washing it off.

Clean and Clear: Essentials foaming facial cleanser: Washes away problem-causing dirt, oil and make-up without over drying. $3.95 regular price at Walmart.
My Thoughts: This face wash has a very mild smell that probably is just a typical soap smell. I haven't ever noticed a taste to it during a normal face washing session (of course if you put it directly into your mouth I'm sure it would have a taste.) This has a nice foam that I feel like really helps with lifting the oils off my face. This cleanser also gets my face really clean feeling. I know it is possible that people might think it is too clean and it has been stripped of it's natural oils but I find with my oily-combination skin this kind of squeaky clean is really nice. Again I might be biased but since using this face wash but I really feel like it doesn't over dry my skin and I typically only get dry skin out breaks while using this face wash if I change my face lotion. I will admite this doesn't remove all my eye make up, but I have come at accept that. Maybe one day I will find an eye make up remover I love.

Overall I still favor my old trusty face wash by Clean and Clear. I think the real clincher is the fact that I can taste the L'Oreal face wash while washing my face. I also don't really enjoy the strong floral scent. On the other hand I bought one of my best friends that same face wash at the same time and she said she really enjoys it. She, however, also has the face hydrating system that she bought on clearance for $20 at Target, that might make a difference. I wil note also that while writing this blog post I looked up both face washes on the Walmart web site, just to get the pricing and I saw that the L'Oreal face wash got a much higher rating. Ever face wash and how you like it is a very personal thing so I wouldn't take my opinion at a be all end all.

What face wash do you use? I think it is possible that there is another face wash out there that I will love even more, I just haven't tried it yet. Also what eye make up remover do you use. I think it has become clear that I need to find one I like.

Mommy Monday: Sloane's First Easter

Yesterday was Easter and Sloane third holiday that we celebrate with my extended family. The first was Thanksgiving when she was only a couple weeks old.

We celebrated Thanksgiving at my parents house and Sloane did simply fabulous, Besides peeing and pooing in front of everyone during a diaper change, she pretty much slept the entire time.

Second holiday we celebrated with my family was Christmas. She was a almost two months old and I'm pretty sure she was completely overwhelmed by all the people that she basically cried the entire time. This was the time when I basically reverted to the boob to sooth her so we didn't get much socializing with my family for that holiday.

Easter, however, Sloane was nearly 4 months and 3 weeks and she was a perfect angel. She did so good socializing with everyone. I actually think she completely loved all the attention she was getting because Mat and I will leave her to play by herself sometimes while we do dishes or what not. She looked absolutely stunning in her Easter dress we got from Mat's aunt.

Also later in the day after she awoke from her nap after everyone went home I spent sometime playing with her on the floor and she was a crawling machine! I'm excited that I was able to capture it on video.

It is so awesome to see Sloane grow and develop everyday and the milestones like these really remind me just how much she is growing.