Easter Fabulous!

How much do I love this time of year? Spring kicks winter in the butt and sends it marchin' (get it, March-in!) And apparently it brings on the lame jokes....

I'm totally wrapped up in Easter prep this year...I guess my kids begging to colour eggs for the last week has got me in the mood!  Easter is a time for new life, spring colours and rebirth.

{Kid #1 and #2 colouring eggs}

{ Kid #1 designed this 'table-scape', we'll call it "Easter went krazy all up on our counter-top"}

I heart Easter big time! I love colouring eggs (we managed to not dye the kitchen table pink), the colourful foil wrappers on the little cheap-o chocolate eggs, fresh flowers, Easter Lillies, going to church and big family Easter dinners.

I will however be using all the will power I can muster to dodge/avoid/deny all the dang chocolate that the Easter Bunny will be bringing...

Have a great Easter week kids, this time of year is special, enjoy it!

{All images- weheartit, google images}

Style inspirations!

These ladies of Hollywood have a great everyday style and esthetic that I'm definitely feeling right now. While their movie choices and acting may leave something to be desired, their stylists deserve a shout out! Maybe I'm a little in love (or a lot) with skinny jeans, long tops, blazers, heels and scarves. 

 

From top: Ashley Tisdale, Ashley Green, Hillary Duff, Kate Beckensale, Rachel Bilson, Lauren Conrad

Credit: All photos from Day Old News

It's on like Donkey Kong....again

I've had this rant brewing for a while...it's go time.

So I've been going on about "Massive Weight Loss 2010" for forever and this week I've decided that its time to get down to biznizz on these last 10 pounds. Bless your blog-reading hearts for putting up with my endless whining about muffin tops/mummy tummy/bikini phobias etc.  
Here's a little back story on my weight loss woes. I have a man-sized appetite (more like line-backer sized) and I absolutely adore food. Really really adore it. Lots.
I have for all of my adult life fought kicking and screaming managed to keep my weight within the "healthy weight range" for my height. Except while I was pregnant. Then the proverbial wheels fell off. Way off. I gained over 70lbs with Kid #1 and over 60lbs with Kid #2.  Apparently being with child is code for eat everything in sight. And then go back for seconds. A calorie crime scene.

{Mama 2 months after Kid #1 was born. Dang.}

{Mama 2 years after Kid #1. Ignore windblown hair/lack of make-up.}

I did lose all the weight and more after Kid #1 (snaps and cheers for me) but it did take over a year and a half. So here I am after my second baby and he's now a year and half, and I'm down over 50 lbs. I still have 10 pounds to lose but I'm feeling stalled-out and plateaued. I know that it's only 10lbs but I really want to be back at my fighting weight. I guess it's about being back to a place where all my beloved, overpriced jeans fit again...and back to the weight I feel most fabulous at.  I have seen Thinness, and it's a beautiful thing.
So what's the problem...just get 'er done!! Well the problem is I'm tired of dieting. It's been a redonculously long road and this Mama is tired of counting calories/points/carbs. I want off this ride please.

{source}

Of course no one knows better than I that weight maintenance is a way of life. I'll forever have to be diligent with working out and with my food choices. Again Mama, put down the Cadbury Mini Eggs, the Easter Bunny hasn't even showed up yet...   I'm gonna do this!

What's got me worked up, spurred on and newly motivated? My own mom is on the diet of the century thanks to the take no prisoners style Dr. Bernstein Diet. While she's in good health she's unfortunately at least 60 lbs over weight and really needs to lose the pounds. AND she's all "hey it's only been 4 days and I've already lost 3.5lbs,,and I'm not even hungry!"  This is most def the kick in the ass that I need. If she can do it God knows I can?!  My bitching and moaning has got to stop and I've got to show this fatty-fat who's the boss. And no it's not Tony Danza.

Hunger you are my friend. I will not resent you. Bring it on bitch.  (Oh, and anyone who says you can lose weight without being hungry lies, just sayin'.)

...soon to be even more

I love saving money $$$$

I picked up these little beauties on the weekend. Everything was cheap like Borscht!! I lurve dealz.  Saving money gives me a little thrill (and might just help me get over my orange hair disaster...)

h&m Military style jacket. Only $35.00 and seriously not too Sgt. Pepper-ish. Great with black skinny jeans

Rulon Bag in Grey from Aldo Accessories- $38.00

MAC Fix+  sets your make-up and makes it last ALL DAY and Creme de Nude lipstick...a great creamy, opaque beigey-nude shade. Goes well with everything! Once again because I have 1 billion HSBC (Bay Reward points) I redeemed a swack of them and got these two items for $9.00. Holla indeed!!

China Glaze Nail Polish in Re-fresh mint- A fresh, light mint green polish. So great for spring (if it ever gets here). Note this is not my hand. I just had my gel nails resuscitated done and won't be covering my french mani with polish till absolutely necessary!

It's important to save my pennies and nickels for this lovely, my next must-have that won't be cheap as Borscht unfortunately. Love u Marc Jacobs and your 'New Q Solid Groovee' Satchel.

There's a tear in ma beer.....

Mama's been lookin' rough lately, a hot mess indeed. My Hawaiian tan is ancient history and I have Franken-fingers because a few of my gel nails flipped off. Classy.
 Last week I decided to try a new hair salon since I was desperately in need of some highlights and a cut.  So my bff tried this new 'stylist' a few days before me and her hair turned out fabulous. Her colour was great and the price was right, so off I went to get my scary-bad roots taken care of.
Two and half hours later Mama's hair was done. DONE WRONG. My honey brown J-Lo inspired highlights are actually full-on orange. And not orange in a Anne of Green Gables cute and spunky kind of way. I have no brown low-lights and "blonde" highlights that are so brassy-bad that even Lindsey Lohan would cringe. That girl has got some eff'n awful hair. And now so do I.

Isn't it interesting how quickly you can go from feeling pretty stinkin' cute to just plain stinky.  I could have gone back to the salon and demand that the amateur stylist fix my orange mess hair but I just don't have the time to sit in the damn chair for another 2 1/2 hours. Could this be any more frustrating?

{mmmkay, so it's not this bad. But close.}

Solution to this crappy-ness: the Vietnamese ladies are gonna hook Mama up tomorrow with a fresh nail fill....and I've decided to ride out this heinous hair colour and dodge cameras/social events until next month when I go back to my regular 'stylist'.
Have you ever felt pretty much hideous due to unforeseen beauty mishaps?!



NOT

Denim has changed my world...

While reading a copy of the magazine/catalogue that H&M puts out every month, I came across a piece about how fashion has changed and evolved over the last 10 years. One big change they mentioned was the introduction of premium denim, or designer jeans as we call 'em.  I'm not talking Brooke Shields in her Calvin Kleins circa '82, I mean brand name jeans like Rock & Republic and Seven for All Mankind.

Yeah they're wildly over priced, but I really do adore them! There was a time (1999-2000) when my friends and I wouldn't dream of going out (to a club) without wearing black pants, a black skirt or a black dress. But wear jeans? Never. What kind of hillbilly, ghetto misfit would wear jeans to the bar? We needed to dress up in our thick chunky heels, open back shirts and leather pleather pants. Hot. 

 And then around 2003 along comes designer jeans. Jeans that make your butt and legs look good, jeans that have a ridiculously long inseam, (what, you're not all 5'10"?) and a painfully low rise (6 inches should cover it, right?)  

Premium denim is in it's own world. The fit can be totally unforgiving. (You're bigger than size 32? No need to apply. Next.) So put those Mini-Eggs down, in fact just spit them out!

I find that Joe's Jeans and True Religion are 'generous' in their sizing. Seven and Paige Denim fit sorta middle of the road, and Citizens of Humanity and Rock & Republic fit insanely small. ( Of course fit varies according to the cut of the jeans, and your individual body shape/size. 

So now when my friends and I go to the bar (as much as that ever happens), skinny jeans and heels are the uniform du jour. The thought of wearing black 'dress pants' -as we called them, makes me cringe. Gah! Hideous! 

I suppose jeans are more a part of my everyday wardrobe then they were 10 years ago. Sure I had my GAP jeans, but the wash probably wasn't dark,  there wasn't a decent bootcut, and the waist was probably up to my belly button (maybe that actually wasn't a bad thing...)

{source Google Images}

I wear jeans everyday, in fact my fave pair right now is a black pair of skinny's from Zeller's of all places (it's kinda like Target) AND they were only $19.99.  If all my jeans were premium denim, and cost over $200/pair I think Husband would have a heart attack. But then again he's rockin' his True Religion/Armani/Dolce and Gabbana jeans and he's way more of a brand name jean-hoe than I'll ever be. For realsies, that man can shop, you've gotta see his closet to believe it.  But that's another post for another time...

Like a krazy blue monster....

C is NOT for cookie...and it's NOT good enough for me! (One cookie is never enough anyway...)

 C is for I CAN'T stop eating today....

For some reason on Sunday's I want to eat everything in sight. It's really the only day of the week that I cook a decent large meal and we all sit down as a family together (with Husband included because he works every night). Obviously  I do eat with the kids most nights, but the convo around the dinner table isn't as stimulating as it could be with a 4 year old and an 18 month old that has 20 words or so in his vocab. (Don't worry little guy, soon enough you'll be driving Mama krazy with your endless ramblings just like your big brother.)   And as much as I hate to admit it, I way too often default to serving easy and crappy kid-friendly foods. During the week I don't really want to eat mac and cheese or chicken fingers (well I DO but for the sake of the size my rear-end I forgo and opt for some fish/chicken/salad/boring healthy stuff.)  I often force offer these healthy choices to my kids too. BUT on Sundays I seem to eat like it's my last day on earth and I just might never have another soothing refreshing glass of Sauvignon Blanc again. Where does my will power and resolve go? To hell and fast.  I am a firm believer in the 80/20 rule and that while it's important to eat well/clean/healthy throughout the week, on the weekend one can indulge. But my indulgence goes "off the reservation" and over a cliff! What's the point of being "good" and starving eating with moderation when it all goes out the window at the end of the week?

It's like a krazy switch goes off in my head, it's Sunday so MORE is BETTER!  It sometimes takes days to undo the damage from Sunday. It's not like I'm eating mountains of Chinese food or pizza...it's just good, home-made food. BUT JUST SO MUCH.  I am self sabotaging "Massive Weight Loss 2010".  At this rate it WILL be 2012 before I knock off these last 10 el-beees.  Kid #2 is 18 months old and the "I had a baby and that's why I'm still kinda heavy" schtick is getting old fast. I'm in a vicious cycle of  going up and down on the scale throughout the week. WHY WHY WHY is losing the last 10 pounds SO HARD?!?!?!  And why do I eat Cookie Monster stylez on Sunday?

Friday greatness!

 Just a quick thank you to the lovelies who've been spreading some lurve around lately. I snagged these fabulous new awards...

Thanks  to Tamara Nicole at Memory Bean Designs for the "You Dazzle Girl!" award

A big shout out and thanks to Irene at Lovely Violet for the "Tres Chic Award"

Both of these girls have fun little blogs so go on and check them out!

You also have to take a quick peek at  Memory Bean Designs,  and her Etsy Shop- Tandy Photography

Look at this fabulous photo that I recently won in her latest Giveaway. She most definitely is a talented photog...I had such a hard time deciding which of her pics to choose.

Woot woot, Mama is indeed a WINNER!

Don't you just love this pic? Its of the island of Santorini, Greece. One of my favorite places I've ever visited.  Husband and I were engaged there while watching an amazing sunset 9 whole years ago!!  Spectacular views and amazing blue water. A trip to the Greek Islands is so worth doing at least once in your lifetime!

Have a great weekend kids!!!

Yes, I am too old, however...

The new trailer for Eclipse is out, indeed Mama is excited!!! And while everyone and their pooch will likely post something about it, I felt like sharing anyway... K-Stew and R-Patz are looking good. But why did they have to sub out Victoria's character with Bryce Dallas Howard? Of course because she's Ron Howards daughter and she wanted in! If my dad was a big movie-director-producer type kinda guy I'd be all "hey dad, get me in on Twilight, snap snap!"

Allll byyy myyyyselfffff.....don't wanna beeeee......

Yup, I'm alone.  Husband has been in Europe on business for almost two weeks and I'm missing him something fierce. So I've been 'single parenting'. He called this morning to tell me his flight was cancelled ( he was supposed to be home tomorrow), due to a nation-wide 24 hour public employee strike. He's coming through Germany, but is in Greece right now and the airport is basically shut down.
Don't even get me started about how frustrating/ridiculous/untimely this strike is.  Whatevs. A few more days alone won't kill me (maybe I'll kill my kids, but I'll still be fine...)

This time alone has definitely given me a new appreciation for the single parent's out there.  While Husband works crazy hours (60-70/week) on a regular basis...he is still home on Sunday's and in the late evenings. (Husband has several varied business interests, among them is our pub/restaurant that has him home between (9:30pm-2:00am) most nights of the week. I'm no stranger to raising these kids on my own...but I'm certainly NOT a single parent. Husband does come home (eventually) and I'm not currently working outside of the home so that means I'm not responsible for bringing home the bacon. (Which would be another huge responsibility.)

So to all those mom and dads out there who are single due to whatever reason, (divorce, death, spouses in the military that are deployed for long periods of time), I salute you!!  Raising kids is the ultimate challenge, and doing it without the support of life-partner/spouse is dang hard.  Being a hands-on, caring and loving parent who is present both physically and emotionally is so important. But it's so much more difficult when you're facing it alone.
Single parents out there, I have a new respect for you all! Hang in there...