Fabulous! (pasta not included)....

Mama's Hangry...

2012-01-24T23:23:00.000-07:00

Around this time every year in January I'm usually at a point in my annual "Massive Weight Loss 2012" program, that I'm ready to tear off the limb of the person next to me, splash a little Tabasco sauce on it, chew on it and call it a day.

I am hangrrryyy, which by definition, is one step up from starving. I have a pounding headache from eating barely any carbs and I've taken snarkiness to a whole new level in this house.

But it's all in the name of thinness.

Behold my current thinspiration... I've taken the liberty of pointing out some of JHud's best attributes.

Lord knows her face is everywhere right now and every third ad on TV is one of her Weight Watcher commercials.

Nothing wrong with that...it keeps my eye on the prize!

Since half of my friends are on some sort of diet right now, I think we can all relate to wanting to look a whole lot more like Jennifer.

But in the words of my friend Jaimie in a recent text convo, Jennifer best be on the up and up and not be hiding any "procedures" or super secret Hollywood diet voodoo...

{Come on, you gotta admit that something else is going on with her cheeks, maybe a little lift here and there?}

So I don't have the luxury of doing anything other than busting my (ample) butt in the gym and counting Weight Watcher points like all the other ordinary shmoes.

But who else is with me?

If you're hungry and you know it ~~start to cry~~ clap yo' hands!

Mama's baking!....what what?!

2012-01-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

So tonight around 10:00 pm I decided that I was feeling DTB...."down to bake." And that's exactly what I did, if you call throwing a few super simple ingredients together to create pure awesomeness! I won't pretend that I even like to bake, it's way too precise and I don't even have a sweet tooth. But, I am a huge fan for anything with cinnamon, spice, cloves, nutmeg, etc, and this recipe has a big bunch of pumpkin puree in it. No, believe me, it's pure awesome. Allow me to share this little bit of yumminess with y'all...

"Easy Pumpkin Spice Muffins"

Ingredients

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line with paper liners.
In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves until smooth. Spoon equal amounts of batter into the prepared muffin cups.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.

And that's all she wrote! Yup, it couldn't be easier. Try these, they don't disappoint!

you can find this recipe here...

Go Glam or go Home!

2012-01-16T00:20:00.004-07:00

So tonight as I sat sipping a nice big glass of red wine* and tuned into the Golden Globes, I couldn't help but think that this years dresses were really beautiful. Nothing was totally hideous (Tilda Swinton is always excused because her acting makes up for it...) and most of the ladies put in a solid effort.
*(note, award shows offer a diet exemption to drink wine)

I won't go into a full-on snarky yet overly detailed analysis of my top fashion winners and losers (I'll leave that for the serious fashion bloggers), and instead I'll share my fave few. Simple enough!

{Ok, so before you go all whoa; why the brainy teen from Modern Family?? It's because Ariel Winter looked absolutely adorable and yet totally age appropriate. Love the shoes, the rich shade of purple and the demure yet glam hair.}
If the skirt could be modified towards less ruffle and more of a fitted style I'd wear it in a heartbeat!

{Elle Macpherson looks like a bit of a frilly confection here but she pulls it off like almost no one else can. Her hair and the flare on her dress are the size of Texas. Big and bold...super glam, no!?}

{Jessica Alba was perfection in Gucci, the powdery purple of dress doesn't really come through in this pic but it looked amazing on TV, most definitely my favorite gown of the night.}

{My honorable mention goes to the always amazing Sofia Vergara, her sapphire blue Vera Wang was a super bold mermaid silhouette but as always she worked it and then some. Gorgeous without too much cleavage.}

There you have it, short but sweet. A simple round-up of what caught my eye at the Golden Globes.
Who were your favorite stars of the night?

back in action!

2012-01-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

Hello lovelies! It's been a while but I decided to plant my rear in front of this computer and get back to blogging regularly. We had a fantastic Christmas and New Year minus a few run-ins with the evil Norovirus (aka near-death stomach flu.)

We're all feeling better now and I'm looking forward to an amazing 2012. I won't lie, 2011 wasn't my favorite year (fairly poopy overall) and I wasn't sad to see it go so here's hoping that 2012 brings on many bigger and better things...

However we did attend a super fun New Year's Eve party at our friends Angela and Peters house...things got kinda crazy (in a good way) and I finally decided to pull the kids away at 3:00 am (yup, our crew parties with their kids included) and my 2 little guys would have gone all night long.

{We were ready for the big countdown}

{kid #2 might just have a minor video game addiction}

{Kid #1 got his party-on!}

{drunk Greeks are the most fun Greeks!}

Hope you all had a great New Years shared with the ones you love!

This week was back to school and back to reality including the kick-off of

Massive Weight Loss 2012 (an annual tradition, obviously some years are more successful than others...pfftttt.)

I've kissed carbs, alcohol and pretty much anything that's tasty goodbye and I'm begrudgingly saying hello to the elliptical trainer. Most of my girlfriends are back on the wagon too, so I'm fairly sure Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig are laughing all the way to the bank this month.

~Here's to a healthy, happy and skinny 2012!~

elf shenanigans and more...

2011-12-15T11:21:00.005-07:00

Hello lovelies! Let's get down to brass tacks here shall we. This month has been super busy (isn't everyones December? Rhetorical question...)

I've been mailing out Christmas cards, attending concerts, baking (yes me actually baking!) shopping, decorating, getting together with girlfriends...all the usual poosual stuff. But it's that busyness in combo with my ~~addiction~~ love of my new iPhone that's made me dump my home computer completely- the computer I blog from.

I guess thats my excuse for spotty blogging but allow me to share what we at Casa Del "D" have been up to...

Note, all pics in this post have been taken by my beloved iPhone. I always wondered why people would post janky phone pics to their blogs. Now I understand, it's so fast, easy and yes lazy. I'll go back to my Nikon DSLR, someday...

{Last weekend I drove Kid #1 to Medicine Hat to visit my bestie Dana from high school and her 2 adorable kidlets}

{Kid #1 and his brother from another mother, Carter- building the best gingerbread house around, so they say}

{Dana and Carly doing what we girls do best (after the kids are in bed), drinking plenty of vino}

{Behold! 2011s "real" Christmas tree. Yes its real, as in it once lived in the ground}

Unless you've been living under a rock, any parent around could tell you that this years hottest toy, 'The Elf on the Shelf' is an absolute God-send and Mama finally got her hands on one. As explained in the children's book its sold with, the elf has magical powers and is a representative of Santa. Each night he flies back to the North Pole to report back to Santa all he's observed while spending the day in your home. Were the kids naughty or nice, either way he'll let the big guy in red know...

{ok, so that's not his tag-line but it is according to me!}

He's a mischievous little elf and the kids wake up every morning to find him in a new spot in the house getting up to all sorts of shenanigans. His magic seems to be working, I love this elf!

Check out what he's been up to...

{Just hangin' in the plant...}

{Relaxing with a beverage...flying to the North Pole can make an elf thirsty}

My kids are in Christmas countdown mode to the baby Jesus' arrival and I'll admit I'm really looking forward to spending some downtime with family.

My shopping is finito and I'm feeling pretty good, not fried yet anyway...hope you're all feeling the same!

Mashed potatoes and iPhones....

2011-12-01T11:35:00.003-07:00

Happy December dolls! Can you believe Christmas is only 24 days away?

Since I decided to be "on the ball" this year and start my Christmas shopping early (as in September) I really don't have many more things to buy. This has left me with time to enjoy all the stuff I'm diggin' right now...the little things that make my day a bit better.

This time of year I am obsessed with Glade's scented candles. The apple cinnamon scent is heaven on earth. What could smell better than baked apple pie? -sweet, spicy, delicious. Hea-ven.

Well hallelujah, Mama has finally entered the modern age and got herself an iPhone 4S. Needless to say I'm completely addicted. I did love my good ol' Crackberry but it was time to upgrade...and Siri is just plain awesomeness.

3 words. Lobster Mashed Potatoes. Yeah they're that good. I thought nothing could top lobster mac n' cheese but this could be a contender.

Butter? check.

Garlic? check.

Boursin cheese? check.

Lobster? check check check.

Roaaaar. I am completely in love with infinite leopard print scarves. A great scarf can elevate any outfit, even jeans and a t-shirt. Not a day goes by where I don't throw on a cozy scarf and head out the door.

Dark(er) lips. Ok, so it's taken me forever to come around to this but I'm finally feeling comfortable moving away from nude lips. A bolder red or mauve lip is perfect for this time of year and I'm not sure why I shied away from this so much in the past. I suppose I was afraid of an overdone look since I like a bolder (smokey) eye. Well not anymore, bring on the colour!

This list of faves could have gone on for days but I had to narrow it down...there are only so many hours in a day to read blogs, am I right?
What are your December loves? Share the good stuff with us!

Learn to love liquid liner....

2011-11-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I stumbled upon a fabulous pen-style liquid eyeliner and it was love at first use. After years of using traditional pencil liners as well as the click-up "automatic" liner, I dumped them both for my new bestie, 'felt' pen-style liquid liner.

Admittedly I was intimidated by classic liquid liner because you need such a steady hand to apply it properly and unfortunately my hands are really shaky.

I mean I'm super shaky...as bad a Lindsay Lohan on day 2 of 30 day rehab stint.

And since liquid liner sets so quickly and the color is so dark, any mistakes you make (janky zig-zag lines) can quickly ruin your whole eye look and you have to start over...

{just say no to this mess in a bottle}

This is where a pen-liner comes to the rescue. It offers the smooth, controlled application of a pencil liner without the goopy, unforgiving nature of the dip-in-liquid/cream with a tiny brush type of liner.

{some of my fave liners: Wet n' Wild Mega eyes, Smashbox Limitless Liquid Liner, NYX Liquid Liner in Dark Brown}

The line is clean, bold, and you can easily control the thickness of it from inner eye to outer eye.

Want cat eyes or maybe a more subtle slightly winged look? A pen-liner makes it easy peasy and anyone can create a gorgeous look, it just takes a little practice.

Of course for the lower lash line I still rely on my traditional kohl pencil liners, but for the upper lash line you can't beat the finished look you achieve with a pen-liner. Perfection!

Check out mama-to-be Beyonce's look, her makeup is totally simple and clean- just a nude lip and some bold liner on the top. How easy is that? Very.

Just about every major drug-store brand of makeup has a pen-style liner so it's definitely worth a try.

You'll never bother with messy liquid liner again...you can thank me later. :)

images via google

End of an era...goodbye gel nails?

2011-11-15T11:31:00.005-07:00

So after 12 long years Mama has decided to give up on gel nails.

In 1999 at my first big-girl job straight out of university, all the women in the office had gel nails...they caught my eye instantly. They looked clean, professional and dare I say a bit glamorous? I was hooked and have had a love-affair with nails for years now.

I've always kept them short, square-oval shaped and simple (no Lady Gaga dagger shaped nails here).

However after 12 years of consecutive wear - as in I've never had them off, I've finally decided to take a break.

via

Will I go back to them? I'm not sure, they're hard to let go of. My own nails have always been pitiful. They're ridiculously soft and paper thin. As in the kind of nail that you can bend back and forth, peels and never really grows worth a darn. And no amount of strengthening top-coat would ever help, thanks for NOTHING Sally Hansen...

So last Saturday when I took them off (I was in desperate need of a fill anyway) I decided to let my own nails "breath." It's a myth that gel or acrylic nails will wreck your own nails, if they're properly applied the nail underneath may grow a bit thinner but they won't be damaged. So now my natural naked little nails look fine. But it's not fine.

{Srsly Gaga, how do u get through the day with those...}

The problem is that I cannot function. I feel like I'm all thumbs! I miss the strength my gel nails had. They were like little tools to help open containers, scrape food residue off dishes that didn't come clean from the dishwasher (gross, I know) and I always felt my hands were strong and capable.

Not anymore.

Now my fingertips hurt, I can't open my eyeshadow palettes, can't get the lid off the coffee tin without it hurting. I could go on and on. I suppose I'll adjust and my hands will "toughen up" with time but for now I'm dying! (First World Problem, I know...)

So what to do? Should I go back to dropping $35.00 for a fill every 4 weeks or should I put my gel nails behind me? When you paint gel nails the color lasts forever, they always look polished and they make my fingers look longer and even thinner.

(maybe I'm delusional here?)

Gel nails, yay or nay? Speak!

Halloween hangover...

2011-11-02T10:43:00.000-06:00

Halloween was fun fun fun this year! I swear I'll never outgrow it. Never. Here's some pics from last weekend. We went out Saturday nite for a drink or 6 and then on Monday night I took my little monsters out trick or treating. My sugar binge is finally over. I think my skinny jeans are crying right now.

{Avast ye matey! This pirate likes a party...argggg.}

{my God-daughter is the cutest cupcake, AND bunny around}

{super fun Halloween party at "Craft", love the John Cusack's character from Say Anything holding up the stereo over his head-with fake arms of course. The Madhatter made her own costume including the hat, she won best costume of the night!}

______________________________________________________________________________

Onto the kiddos, I took them trick or treating in my parents neighborhood first...let's just say they made off with toys, full-size candy bars and left feeling like Halloween kings! (There's almost no kids in my parents neighborhood so our kids were treated extra special!)

Then of course we headed back home to raid our own neighborhood and then dove into the sugar stash they collected...

{Halloween extravaganza in my parents neighborhood...}

Hope you all had a fabulous Halloween, I'm looking forward to next year already!

Dancing Greeks and a Halloween Birthday...

2011-10-28T11:51:00.001-06:00

Well hello there! It's been a few days since I've posted but in my defence it's because things have been busy-busy lately. LET me reiterate my love for this time of year...so many parties, events and things to get all involved in! We were invited to possibly the cutest ever birthday/Halloween party for a 2 year old. Her mama went all out to create a fun, kid friendly party with a Harry Potter wizard and witches theme.

{there's a spider in the house...}

{these wizards and witches came to party...}

{ I die! This birthday girl was rocking her pearls, tutu and a sassy hat}

{Cheesecake "shots", mini-donut witch booms and custom cookies. Her mama has skillz!}

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Last Saturday night Husband and I joined up with 300 of our closest Greek friends to dance the night away in honour of St. Demetrios. (A great saint if there ever was one!) As always the wine brought on the dancing and the band played till 4:00 am- no big deal.

{self portrait time...why does drinking always make it seem like a great idea?}

{These Greeks got down to business,,,dancing, drinking, singing, drinking. Repeat.}

Alright all you witches and wizards, Halloween is only 3 days away. The count down is on and tomorrow night Mama is going out for drinks with the girls in full costume. Are you gonna get your BOO-on and go out this year? Don't tell me you're too old...you're never too old!

Oktoberfest....

2011-10-19T12:20:00.003-06:00

I'm really loving October and we've actually been having a fantastic fall this year (meaning the snow hasn't started, yet) and the colours and decent temperatures have me all into the season!

Thought I'd share some of my October faves with you...the stuff I've been using a lot and am currently diggin'...

{Finally I got my hands on the Wet n Wild 8 pan palette in Comfort Zone. It's the perfect combo of warm neutrals and olive tones. The pigmentation and quality is a-mazing. Srsly worth every inexpensive penny!}

{1. Maybelline Eye Studio Color Explosion in Amethyst Ablaze and Caffine Rush. I've never really been a fan of Maybelline eye shadows but like so many drug-store brands lately, they've really improved their quality. The application of this shadow is smooth and creamy and the color pay-off is fantastic. I'm beginning to think that my days of buying $15 MAC eyeshadows have come to an end...

2. Just in time for Halloween, orange Sally Hansen polish with a black crackle top-coat.

3. Lancome's newest mascara, Hypnose Doll Lash mascara. Like all of the Hypnose mascara's the application is impressive but the Doll Lash offers a more "wide-eye look with volumized, extended and lifted lashes." I'm sold, who doesn't want to look like "a doll?!"

{Ok, so since Captain Jack Sparrow arrived on the movie scene about 10 years ago, pirate costumes have had a serious renaissance and I'm ok with that. Now it's my turn to swashbuckle and plunder my way through Halloween this year.}

{Guten Tag! We survived yet another Oktoberfest at our pub. Older brother decided that on the last few weekends of October, our staff should suit up in lederhosen (the bartenders) and as beer maids (waitresses.) Kitschy? Yes. A huge success with our customers? YES!}

So how has your October been so far? What are your must have products or styles for your perfect fall looks?

Are you a serious ~~nerd~~ keener like me and already have your Halloween costumes figured out (since September?)

Thanksgiving indeed!

2011-10-10T20:41:00.002-06:00

This weekend was Thanskgiving (here in Canada) and we took time to give thanks for all the good stuff by eating, relaxing, eating, spending time with family and eating some more. Three guesses as to who has a diet and cleanse in her immediate future...

But it's all good because a weekend filled with turkey, wine and good times is always worth it.

{Fall decor...wherever possible!}

{Brother and dad -dinner at the parents}

{younger brother was a "turkey assassin" with all the wrong moves}

{older brother's best "Blue Steel" for the camera}

{Mom trying to get us to "eat more!"...as always}

{relaxing post dinner with the football game and ~~more~~ drinks}

Happy Thanksgiving long weekend to all my fellow Canadians...we have so much to be greatful for!

Ryan+Rosie= muy caliente

2011-10-05T16:58:00.001-06:00

Sweet Baby Jesus, could there be 2 more hotter people than Ryan Reynolds and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley?

Put them together in a slow-mo Euro style ad for Marks and Spencer's new Autograph clothing line and you've got a recipe for over the top rediculous-hotness.

I can't help but chuckle at Ryan's smoldering/I'm-sexy-and-I know-it look throughout the whole video, he'll always be Van Wilder to me.

It should be illegal for two people to be this pretty.

It's just not fair.

Baby shower of the century!

2011-09-26T12:31:00.003-06:00

Yup, in my humble opinion this weekend Mama pulled together the most amazing baby shower ever. The party was thrown in honour of my girlfriend Rolanda and her baby London (and that little girl most definitely came out to party...as much as a 2 month old can rock it out!)

My theme was a pink and green candy shoppe...super sweet fun for an even sweeter little girl.

The weather was hot and gorgeous outside and the white peach sangria was cold and delicious!

{The baby of the day, Miss London with a giant pink flower}

{Dessert anyone? Macaroons, chocolate chip stuffed raspberries, red velvet cupcakes and fruit kabobs}

{White Sangria with fresh peaches, strawberries and green apples- and a whole lot of Sauvignon Blanc and peach schnapps...Yum!}

{Mommy Rolanda opening her gifts and it wouldn't be a shower without at least a few ~~cheesy~~ shower games...}

{Lots of sweet treats to take home}

{Party blooms (pompoms) for a pop of fun and color}

{I'd rock a tutu too...if I could}

{fresh flowers make Mama happy}

It was beyond fun putting this shower together...and even more fun getting together with all of Rolanda's best girlfriends.

Babies are so special and they deserve to be celebrated as much as possible!

"Can't Have" List For Fall...

2011-09-19T10:23:00.001-06:00

Let's keep this brief and to the point...here's the stuff I want right now but am holding back on. Mama's saving her pennies for bigger things that include two fabulous vacations in 2012 celebrating 2 super-big-deal occasions (my birthday and anniversary). So I'll still share the items I'm coveting though I doubt I'll be dropping any dough-ray-me on them anytime soon...sigh.

{Tory Birch Aaden Riding Boot- I'm nuts about tall riding boots}

{Classic Chanel 2.55 flap bag.

Love. this. bag.}

{Tory Burch Glazed Leather Logo Clutch- classic and goes with everything}

{Halston Heritage "Studio 54" dress. Looks way cuter in person, sparkly and perfect for going out}

Not spending money is the opposite of fun but what's more worth while, a trip to New York or a Chanel bag?

BCBG lovin'...

2011-09-12T17:02:00.001-06:00

So we knew that the colder fall weather would show up around these parts (Calgary) eventually. We've been spoiled by amazing summer-like temps this September but all good things must come to an end. Our winters are crazy long here and I savoured every last minute of sunshine while I could butttt since the temperature is dropping I'm finally in the fall shopping mood. The only good thing about cold weather is fabulous fall clothes.

I was in BCBG the other day and fell in love with just about everything....

Leopard print, bandage skirts, cognac colour riding boots and leather coats with sheepskin lining -these are all classic, wearable pieces and you can't go wrong with.

I'll never get tired of leopard...in fact there's no such thing as too much leopard. Disagree if you want but you're wrong.

It seems like there aren't major changes in the trends for fall/winter this year...which is fine by me cuz I'm loving the status quo...

What are your fall wardrobe staples?

Planning only the most amazing baby shower ever...

2011-09-07T23:02:00.003-06:00

So my best girlfriend in the whole wide world surprisingly found herself preggers last October and after 9 quick months (I can say that because I wasn't the pregnant one), her precious little girl "Miss" London arrived this past July. I had the honor of acting as her birthing partner/coach and you better believe I sweet talked that little girl out into this world. What an experience...but that's a story for another time!

It's only logical that since I cut the umbilical cord I should also be the one to throw her a fabulous "welcome to this world" celebration in the form of a baby shower.

{Custom Pink Lollipop Invitation from Red Letter Design}

I'm beyond excited and have a million party ideas. The theme is a pink and green candy shop full of lollipops, gum-balls, sweethearts, cotton candy, macaroons and cupcakes. Considering that my own sweet tooth is absolutely non-existent I think I'm being mighty creative!

But of course because Mama is hosting this party there will be plenty of fruity sangria, sparkling pink champagne and boat-loads of spiked punch.

Here's what I've pulled together/plan on having so far...

{Custom Party Blooms from whimsypie}

{Via Hostess with the Mostess}

{party accessories via letsPARTYon}

Good Lord how cute is this stuff!? I can barely handle it. I'm so impressed by the creativity of these ladies...and myself -what what!

It's going to be challenging pulling it all together and I'll have to channel my inner Colin Cowie, Mindy Weiss and Martha Stewart - but I'm up for it.
I'm so excited to shower this sweet little girl with all the love, attention and gifts that she and her mommy deserve. It's not taking place till the last week of September but I'll be sure to update you with mountains of pics.
Can't hardly wait y'all!

So what else should I do to make this party special, throw me some more ideas girls!
What would you do to make a baby shower fun or original?

Blogger meet-up!

2011-09-01T12:12:00.001-06:00

So while we were in Greece visiting my mother-in-laws village, I finally had the opportunity to meet up with another fabulous blogger, Irene from Blushingloves. It just so happens that she lives in a city (Kalamata) about half an hour down the road from our little village and she was just as excited as me to meet up for a frappe (iced coffee) and a face to face visit! I've been following Irene's beauty blog for almost 2 years now and she's most defo deserving of her blog popularity as she's one of the best European beauty bloggers out there!

We've all heard of meeting up with fellow bloggers IRL (in real life) but I didn't think I'd ever really have the opportunity to meet one of my blog "friends" as they're scattered all over the world. It just worked out so well that this pretty lady happened to live so close to where we were staying. It was meant to be y'all!

And what a doll she is! We had a great time chatting about beauty products, blogging and family- ohhh we could have talked for hours! She brought along her hubby and 3 beautiful kiddos and they played great together with our 2 little guys, in fact our husbands really hit it off too...

{love this lady!}

I brought her a gift bag of some of my favorite makeup goodies and brands that she's not able to get her hands on in Greece like ELF, Annabelle, Wet n' Wild ,Cargo and NYX.

Irene was such a sweetie and we had a great time chatting about everything and anything, it was a fabulous blogger meet-up!

Check out her gorgeous beauty blog for great reviews of her fave beauty products, amazing pics of Greece and more from a girl who loves all thing makeup!

Can school start tomorrow please?!

2011-08-25T20:15:00.004-06:00

We are back home to Canada finally! After a great summer in Europe I'm beyond happy to be home and back to reality. School starts on the first of September and Kid #1 is starting grade one and Kid #2 is starting pre-school. I'd by lying if I said I wasn't totally pumped to see them heading out the door. This summer has been fun but they have been driving me ~~bat-shit~~ crazy. Potty training our little guy has been a bit of a poop-filled nightmare (read: total fail) and if I have to hear them fight over one more game of Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja I'm going to lose my mind. (Though games are obviously a great babysitter. Fact.)

{little gifts from above..}

Traveling with children is never easy and when it involves long flights (9 hours to Germany and 3 more to Athens) it's guaranteed to test your patience. To be fair to the kids we're the ones that are hauling them over to the other side of the world for weeks on end. They're just kids being kids. And if they act out, cry, fight and generally make our lives ~~miserable~~ difficult it's because that's just how boys can be.

{Typical facial expression of Kid #2...a total sweetie}

I try to remember that but when I see two little girls (sisters the same age as my boys) sitting one row behind us on our 9 hour flight home, who were quietly colouring, playing on their iPad and with their Barbies for the entire flight, it kinda makes me wish that my kids weren't total hooligans. The mother of these girls was able to watch movies, slept and basically looked like she was having no problem passing the hours. Meanwhile our kids are fighting, crying, asking to go the bathroom 16 times, throwing crayons and play-dough balls down the isle -while demanding we entertain them like freaking clowns.

It was exhausting and redonkulous all at the same time.

Sometimes I seriously wish I had little girls...yeah I just said that.

Alright rant over. Now I'll suppose you'll tell me how girls aren't all sunshine and rainbows but I'll never believe it. Girls are amazing. Boys make me lose my mind.

End of story.

images via google

Universal Truths...Mediterranean stylez

2011-08-16T04:15:00.000-06:00

Hey dolls! Once again I'll start by apologizing for the sparseness of my posts but I just haven't had the time (or motivation) to blog much during our vacation. Honestly my head is in the clouds and my toes are in the sand....

But I am looking forward to getting back home soon...I'm missing my friends, family and my own BED something fierce.

The kids are driving me a bit wackadoodle and you best believe they're heading to Nana and Grandpa's for a 2 night sleep over as SOON as we're back home.

But all that aside we have been having a great time here in Greece and I'll be sure to ~~bore~~ amaze you all with pics of our trip. Stay tuned!

For now I'll share some universal truths I've learned about this place....

1) Finding a lizard living under your mop is a sure way to scare the bejeezus out of you while you're house cleaning...

{Sweet Mother of Pearl- GET OUT now!}

2) Explaining that the cool air from air-conditioning and fans does NOT cause illness such as cold, flu, backache, toothache, headache and strep-throat is a pretty common occurrence. For some reason most people around here must have skipped biology class in high school because everyone (young and old) believe that sitting too close to the A/C unit will bring on some dire illness or condition?!? They're called viruses...

{This is not the enemy people...}

3) No matter how many times I come to Greece I will NEVER get used to not being able to flush toilet paper down the toilet. Apparently the plumbing infrastructure just can't handle t.p. so you have to toss it in a little bin beside the toilet. My poor kids just DON'T get it and cannot remember to put their t.p. in the garbage ever...

{Say what? ! Can you say ick?}

4) Regardless of the lizards and toilets here, we're having a great time. Any day at the beach beats the pants off of a day at work or school or a snowy January day. I'll enjoy every minute of it while I can!

{smiling in the sunshine...}

{"working" hard in the sand...}

{Even a rocky beach is a great beach...}

Another Big Fat Greek Wedding...

2011-07-26T03:16:00.000-06:00

Hey lovelies! Sorry for the lack of posting, we've been in Greece for about a week now on our annual summer vacation. The kids are finally over their jet-lag (thank God) because waking up at 4:30 am everyday for a whole week is less than awesome. We went to a huge wedding (almost 400 people) in the small town of Astros and had a great time with all our fam and friends. In fact almost 100 people came from Canada alone for the wedding...nothing like a 9 hour time change to bring home-town friends together!

One of these kids is not like the others... Mama's too tall and in need of a tan!

Up "the mountain" at the brides family home, starting off with some traditional dancing before heading down to the church for the ceremony

The tradition of walking the bride to the church to meet her groom

Arriving at the church

Joining the rest of the guest waiting for the wedding to begin

Inside the church during the ceremony

Waiting for the couple to exit the church, not all the guest "fit" inside the church so they waited outside!

The happy couple...they're married!

The get-away (Smart) car

At the reception dinner, traditional Greek desserts and candy coated Jordan almonds called" Boubounaries"

Mama feeling good after a few glasses of wine

The couple arrived to the party by boat!

The reception was outside by the water..dinner for 400!

The bride got the dancing started at around 1:00 am

The groom busted a move, dancing the traditional Zeibekiko dance

The wedding was a blast and of course we didn't make it back to our hotel until almost 6:00 am and the band was still playing...

More updates will be coming but our internet is a bit sketchy and I'm not sure how often I'll post... tho I'll try to keep you kids updated as much as possible!

Hope your July has been fun in the sun, where ever you are!

Latisse Update....

2011-07-17T11:53:00.000-06:00

So I've been using Latisse for about 6 weeks now and I'm not gonna lie, this stuff is over-priced GOLD.

After years of maintaining fairly low expectations regarding "beauty" products (they almost always over-promise and under-deliver), this is one product that really comes through. I'm not even half way through the "treatment program" but the results are really exciting and my lashes are actually considerably longer and fuller. It's ~~kinda~~ really strange to see them changing!

I don't know why I would expect anything less then a wunder-drug from the people that brought us Botox and Juvederm- Allergan.

Now if they could just figure out a product that would make the hair on my head grow thicker and longer....

{Pre-Latisse, no makeup on}

{Here's my 6 week progress pics without a lick of makeup}

They're definitely fuller and longer and they're starting to curl upwards and out. Loooove this!
I'll post more pics in another 6 weeks and final pics with Mascara when the 4 months of using Latisse is done.

Girls, forget eye-lash extensions- for the money Latisse is most definitely the way to go...

Winner winner chicken dinner!

2011-07-11T11:12:00.000-06:00

Ok so I wasn't playing blackjack (or actually winning dinner) but I did recently find myself the winner of a fabulous beauty blog giveaway of more foundation/tinted moisturizer then I could use in a life-time. The lovely girls Lisamarie and Christelle at Beauty Crazed in Canada randomly selected me as their foundation contest winner.

I've reached foundation nirvana....check out my winnings y'all

Illamasqua Powder Foundation - 10g - PF215
Shiseido Sheer Matifying Compact Refill - 9.8g - Natural Fair Beige B40
Clinique Acne Solutions - 30ml - 03 Fresh Neutral
Lise Watier 12 HRS Glam Flawless Complexion Foundation & Concealer Duo - 33g - Neutre
POP Beauty No Show Correct & Protect Tinted Moisturizer - 30ml -Two Balance
L'Oréal Magic Smooth Souffle - 20ml - 520 Creamy Natural
Avon Ideal Shade Custom Shade Foundation - 30ml - Mediukm
freshMinerals Tinted Moisturizer - 40ml - Ivory & Natural
MD Skincare All-In-One Tinted Moisturizer - 15ml - Medium-Dark

Source: beautycrazed (http://s.tt/12snH)

I'm super excited to try the Illamasqua Powder Foundation (since it isn't available here in Canada) as well as the L'Oreal Magic Smooth Souffle.

I'll admit I'm a bit of a foundation junky and I'm always on the search for perfect coverage that will magically make me appear pore-less, ageless and downright amazing. That's realistic right?

Foundation can be ridiculously pricy and you're rolling the dice when you spend the money on trying something totally new, so I kinda feel like I've won the cosmetic-lottery!

Take a peak at Beauty Crazed in Canada for all things makeup/beauty related and of course some amazing giveaways!

http://www.beautycrazed.ca/

Beyond busy times!

2011-07-06T12:04:00.000-06:00

Hey dolls! It's been such a busy last few weeks that unfortunately my posting has been mighty sparse, however I thought I'd share a few pics of some of the stuff we've been up to (though if I'd remember to bring my camera even half of the time, I'd have mountains more worthwhile pictures to share.)

We've been to baptisms, soccer tournaments, end of year school plays, trips to the water park, had busy days playing outside and even celebrated Canada Day on July 1st... Happy B-day Canada!

FACT: Summer is finally here and it's about damn time.

{Cheers to good friends and lot's of Vino}

{Kid #1 at our friends daughters baptism}

{Husband inhaling some tasty Greek food at the after-party}

{Kids # 1 and 2 busting a move with their "girlfriend". Opa!}

{A star is born! Kid #1's Kindergarten end of the year class "rainforest" play}

{Mama's favorite "anteater" posing with his teacher}

{Receiving his kindergarten graduation diploma. They celebrate everything these days?!}

{Future David Beckham?}

{Feeling like a number one}

{Kid #2 wanted his brother's medal BADLY}

{5 busy (and LOUD) boys in the backyard...}

{ Slip sliding away...}

{It's Canada day, so don't all goats wear bandanas?}

{Petting Zoo at the Canada Day celebration}

{Pigs and sheep and kids. It's wild in there...}

{"Mom can we take these pigs home?"... "Not unless you live in a barn little buddy."...."So is that a no Mom?"
"You could say that..."}

I have to admit that I've been loving our fabulous warm weather and having the kids home on summer holidays. What what?!...I can't believe I just said that.

We're done classes and after-school activities so no more pencils, no more books, no more teachers dirty looks....cuz it's summer time and the living is easy peasy!

Quick Mall Haul....

2011-06-28T17:39:00.000-06:00

Being that today was Kid #1's last day of school I decided to hit the mall while he was still at kindergarten and shop with only one ~~urchin~~ child by my side. Trying on clothes with a 2 year old is an exercise in futility but I really wanted to grab a few things before holidays start and our days get really busy. Plus the summer sales are so great right now that you'd be crazy not to shop...

Layered Chiffon top from OId Navy- $8.99

Stripped tank from Old Navy- $5.00

More Michael Kors...

From The Bay -Michael Kors Runway with Glitz chronograph watch in gold. I decided to just go ahead and grab it. It's big, heavy and flashy. Love it.

V-Neck Dolman blouse and Navy Chiffon Tiered Tank- Suzy Shier

From Sephora- Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation. Time to see if its $42.00 price is worth all the hype. I'm pretty much looking for perfection in a bottle with full coverage. Is this too much to ask?

Living Proof -Full Thickening Cream. Best product for thin/fine hair ever. Period.

And a gift for my mother-in-law who I'm visiting in 3 weeks time, her fave Clinique products- Dramatically different moisturizing lotion and Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle and UV Damage Corrector

Wanting on Wednesday...

2011-06-22T12:40:00.001-06:00

I thought I'd share my latest list of "wants" with you all. They can be classified in different categories, stuff I dream of, stuff I might get my grabby hands on someday and stuff that shall be mine.

Let's start with the attainable items then work up to the not getting this anytime soon...

Michael Kors watch in gold.
A lot of people are loving rose gold right now but I'm still a fan of traditional yellow gold. I'd of course stack it with a mountain of bangles and other bracelets. Perfect with a tan.

Bobby Brown "beach" perfume. Honestly I've heard so many rave reviews about it's fresh, summery, beachy smell and it sounds perfect for summer.

House of Harlow 1960 Black resin triangle necklace. From NicRic's jewelry line, this piece has been around for a few years now and I honestly didn't like it at first but now I need it badly...yeah I'm late to the party.

Bottega Veneta BV93S Wayfarer Sunglasses. The perfect blend of the classic wayfarer frame shape but with larger lenses.

Oh look, it's Kim K. again.....

Rick Owens Leather Biker Jacket. So this has become a star-staple but I love love love the flared collar and cropped styling....

Alexander Mcqueen clutch and knuckleduster style clutch. These are fun and funky and I want one (still)...
I defo think that they're worth the price as they've become an instant classic.

So what's on your wish list currently? Is it pie in the sky or could you buy it tomorrow if you wanted?

images via google, alexander mcqeen

Dress Dilemma,,,

2011-06-16T02:33:00.011-06:00

In July we're off to sunny, hot and ~~financially floundering~~ Greece. I'm beyond looking forward to our annual summer in the sun. Mama needs a tan and a holiday beyond badly. We're a part of some special events while there including the baptism of our good friends daughter. We're going to be her God-parents and for Greeks this is a super HUGE deal because God-parents (Koumbari) are like family forever.
Greek baptisms are a major production. A big event in a child's life that is celebrated with the same enthusiam as a wedding. Hundreds of guests and huge reception-dinner after parties are completely standard. Many people spare no expense and hire professional photographers, have lavish dinners, live music and bring in entertainers or clowns to keep the kids occupied so the adults can drink and dance the night away. It's a good time.

{after a baptism outside the church- balloons for the kids to take home}

{at a friends baptism in 2006}

{at the after party}

{At our boys 2009 outdoor baptism reception}

{My son's God-Mother and my sister-in-law at the reception}

But as the God-Mother (Nona) what am I going to wear? A lot of the women in Greece are as fabulous as they are glamourous and I need to look great while still dressing appropriately for the church. I'm torn between 3 dresses that I have and honestly none of them really excite me. My practical side says don't go too crazy and that I should wear something sensible that will look good in photos 20 years from now.

I'll pair the black dresses with black patent heels and the pink and grey dress with nude heels. And of course I'll accessorize (heavily) and have on enough makeup ~~to pass for a drag queen~~ for it to last all day in the heat.

Which dress would you choose or should I go for something completely different?

Help a sister out...I'm totally open to suggestions!

H and M comes thru again...

2011-06-09T11:50:00.001-06:00

H&M is proving to be my go-to spring/summer store. While I'll admit that sometimes it can be a bit too

Euro-23-year-old-ish, most of the time their styles are totally doable for just about anybody. I'm loving their bright colour-blocking pieces (though I didn't buy any this time) and their summery pastels and whites. Even better, the prices are ridiculous- they're practically giving their stuff away.

However,

Dear H&M, please start steaming your merchandise before you hang it on the racks. This was a seriously wrinkled haul and Mama hates ironing!

{I'll get my Chloe inspired bag on the cheap, only 10 bucks! }

{ Roar for more animal prints}

{This top is black not grey but my Nikon disagrees}

{Ughhhh, ironing blazers suckssss -why do you do this to me H&M?}

{pretty in (peachy)pink}

{White pants are the epitome of summer. But since I practically live at the North Pole I almost never wear them here. These ones are heading to Greece with me}

I'm finally wrapping my mind around the idea of warmer weather clothing. The farmers almanac says it's supposed to be a "super hot year" but I'll believe it when I see it. Right now I'm still hoping my garden/flowers don't get killed by our cold nights, we're still having frost warnings. Even in June there's no guarantee that we won't get a bit of snow...

But today the sun is shining and its 23 degrees Celsius out. I'm off to the greenhouse to buy more plants for my flower beds- I might wear my white pants.

I'm on Latisse....

2011-06-03T11:41:00.001-06:00

I finally broke down at my last doctor's appointment and asked for a prescription for Latisse- the eyelash growth miracle liquid. Of course my GP had never even heard of the stuff before so after I explained what it was he gave me a referral to a dermatologist.

Bring on the ridiculously long lashes please!

{Falsies are great but I want the real deal. Is it unreasonable to want this look all the time?}

{Before: short and boring- my lashes without mascara or false lashes}

{Miracle growth in a little bottle? Better be....}

I'm hoping that this ~~overpriced~~ little bottle of magic will make my lashes grow insanely long, thick and dark. They're already curly but just average length. I'm a pro with falsies but I'm tired of putting them on. As for the price, it's not cheap and I know you can by "generic" Latisse-like products off of eBay but I wanted the original prescribed from my dermatologist and not some knock-off coming from who knows where in China.

Stay tuned for After pics, I'll document how things looks at 4, 8 and 12 weeks. I'm excited!

Bravo Italian Vogue!

2011-06-01T18:39:00.000-06:00

Check out the gorgeous June 2011 cover of Vogue Italia magazine. The ladies are smoldering with sexiness and I'm thinking that even Sophia Loren would approve.

These girls all happen to be plus size models from Ford+ and the Wilhelmina WCurve agencies.

I love that Italian Vogue is willing to show women of all sizes without the edition being specifically about the inclusion of "plus sized" models.

It's just a photo-shoot with curvy models and it's no big deal. As it should be...

image Vogue Italia, Photographer: Steven Meisel

Where would I wear this?

2011-05-30T21:01:00.002-06:00

Like a seagull trolling the skies from above looking for something sparkly to snag for their nest, I spotted this shirt while flipping channels last Wednesday night. I couldn't take my eyes off of Carrie Underwood's ridiculously shiny disco-ball inspired top that she wore for the finale of American Idol. I don't normally watch Idol but what she wore during her duet with (unknown Idol finalist?) was beyond eye-catching and fun.

Apparently Carrie works out her legs a lil bit....

After searching the interwebs high and low I've found out that the top is by Vince ($295.00). Khloe Kardashian wore the same top in gold during the opening credits of her show Khloe and Lamar.

Vince sequined cropped tee

Vince sequin tank

I'm thinking this would be great to wear while we're in Athens this summer when we go out for drinks. The flashier the better! Perfect with white skinny jeans and heels (though I highly doubt I'd ever be able to pull it off with shorts and heels as my legs look nothing like Carrie Underwood's.)

But if it's good enough for reality TV "stars" then it's good enough for me!

images via Google, Khloe Kardashian

It's the final countdown...

2011-05-26T11:59:00.004-06:00

Yup, it IS the final countdown and no I'm not talking about the "Rapture" end of world type thing.

It's the final countdown for massive weight loss before our annual summer vacation to the sunny beaches of Greece. Cue 80's rock band "Europe" and their 'epic' rock anthem of the same name, "The Final Countdown."...

Ok so is the tune playing in your head now? Let that set the scene for you.

Mama is waging all out war with these 10 lbs I've gained over our long ~~never ending~~ winter.

Health and fitness will prevail as the beach takes no prisoners.

We've got too many important events coming up that require mama to not appear as a stuffed frankfurter in a cocktail dress. All the Spanx in the world can't help that much...

The only option when executing tactical warfare is to bring out the big guns. No carbs.

more non-subliminal imagery by Mama

Don't worry, I'm not going all Atkins on you and eliminating anything with even a trace of sugar. I'm still eating plenty of vegetables and fruits, including lots of fresh berry's.

But I will say that I've eaten more eggs, nuts, bacon, turkey burgers, lettuce, and full fat salad dressing in the last week than in the last 3 years combined.

The fact is that I actually lose weight when I cut out my beloved carbs. AND IT'S SO HARD. Pasta, wine and bread actually bring me joy. I'm no heavy meat eater so giving up carbs seems unnatural.

But based on the blood type diet by Peter D'Adamo, Eat Right 4 Your Type, according to my blood type which is O, I should basically become a carnivore.

Blood type O is believed to be the earliest human blood group. Directly descended from the cavemen.

mama's ancestor, Great Uncle Eats-no-carbs

Here the "prescribed" diet is low-carb, high in meat and fish, low in dairy. And type O's should work out like a Mofo.

So no carbs and lot's of exercise eh? This is sounding pretty basic to me. I think just about anybody would lose weight this way. Thankfully I've spent no money on this book/diet plan.

So far things seems to be working pretty well, I'm down a few pounds and not feeling hungry at all.

BUT

My birthday is tomorrow, my son's birthday party is on Saturday, and we have a Baptism and party to attend on Sunday, then another birthday celebration on Sunday nite.

It's going to be a cake/wine/desserts carb-fest.

But this is war, and the beach doesn't care how good that cupcake tastes. Am I right?

This post is what my blogs name is all about.

images via google

Tasty little bun

2011-05-18T12:42:00.002-06:00

I'm in love with the top-knot/bun hairstyle that's so popular right now. It's quick, fun and still manages to look put together and chic. No wonder half of Hollywood is using this as their go-to red carpet up do.

Sadly the hair-gods always let me down and once again I'm faced with a cute look that I can't really pull off because my hair is so thin. Boo to fine hair.

I've tried backcombing and twisting my hair to make it appear fuller but usually my completed bun looks more like donut-hole than an actual donut.

images via Teen.com and google

Apparently there is a new simple hair product by Conair that allows you to build up your bun. It looks a lot like a pot scrubber pad but it allows you to swirl and pin up your hair into a cute bun type style. Of course it's not available here in Canada yet but when it is I'll be all over that. In the meantime I suppose I could hit up Walmart and search for a brown or black coloured pot scrubber...yeah I'd go there.

via Pretty Petals

Do you really get what you pay for?

2011-05-16T20:25:00.001-06:00

On Saturday I visited my stylist for a much need hair colour and trim (dusting my ends only.) Since I went back to a solid dark brown colour last year I'm glad to say that my days of enduring hours in the chair with highlight foils are over. Though I can't seem to go more than 6 weeks without desperately needing to cover my grey roots. (Yup I'm complaining about my hair once again...)

Anyway, I love the finished result at the salon... but for something that seems so simple- application of one hair colour, why the heck does it still cost so much? ($175.00)

Honestly any monkey could apply one colour, and yes I understand it's a salon-quality product but does it really make that much of a difference from a box of Nice and Easy you buy at the drug store? Logically I'm thinking yes but sometimes I still wonder. Am I being hosed by my stylist because I'm afraid to try colouring my own hair at home?

It's easy, but is it nice?

And of course he always has to tell me how he's going to rescue my terribly dry ends with a deep conditioning mask/treatment/glaze while I'm being rinsed out at the sink. Am I going to say no to this? "No I don't want your deep conditioning treatment that will make my over-processed hair look fabulous again..."

No one ever says NO to the deep conditioning treatment!

Who knows if it really does anything except give them a reason to charge you more.

Why is the salon so expensive? It's not like The Zohan is at work here

So the point of my post is, would it be crazy to try colouring my hair at home? Some friends look at me like I've grown 3 heads and stepped back into the dark ages when I even suggest it.

What do y'all think. Providing I select the correct colour for me, is it possible to screw up a simple one colour dark brown hair dye job at home? Share your experiences please!

yet another reason I love wine...

2011-05-10T21:05:00.003-06:00

Mother's day was full of high's and low's last weekend. I managed to put out my back and woke up Sunday morning in A-GON-Y. I seriously could barely drag myself down the stairs to make breakfast for the fam. Ironically was that not the one day other's should be ~~waiting on me hand and foot~~ making their mother or wife breakfast? Apparently not. Fortunately after a few hours and a few muscle relaxants everything started to feel better. We had my whole family over for dinner and I barbecued up a storm and I'm fairly certain that while a Sauvignon Blanc-muscle relaxant combo isn't advisable, it's most definitely enjoyable!

NO PAIN

Flowers from my boys

Husband decided to spend a buck and is catching on to this whole 'buying your wife nice things really is a good lifestyle choice' way of thinking...makes me smile.

Happy wife, happy life. In theory anyway!

Hope you all had a fabulous mother's day weekend celebrating the special women in your life, including yourselves.

Massive Weight Loss 2011...

2011-05-02T23:05:00.000-06:00

Finally. Finally the sun is shining and we're having spring-like weather. I can hardly stand it! This week I've already been out walking with the kids, playing soccer with them and hitting up the park (more outdoor activity than the last 3 months combined.) How was I supposed to play soccer when my backyard was covered in snow until recently?

I'm turning over a new leaf. Fitness Mama is on the scene. More regular gym visits, fresh veggies, bbq'd fish and chicken, working out outside (walking and possibly even, gasp, running.)

12 lbs to lose in 2 months. That's the goal kids.

I've got 2 baptisms, 2 weddings and 2 showers to attend in the very near future and it's time to shed my winter fatness.

It. is. ON.

What's my motivation? Actually I"ll take it anywhere I can get it. It seems like everyone in Hollywood is shrinking their asses and getting skinny. First there was the wave of pregnancies and now there's the weight loss epidemic. What's in the water down there?

Mama's next y'all.

Jennifer Hudson at the Mary J.Blige Honors Awards. Girl is just getting better and better. I believe I've found my fitness role model...

"American Idol" season 6 winner Jordin Sparks is skinny now too! She's obviously feeling pretty great about herself since she tweeted this pic. Bold move Jordin.

Hollywood funny-man Seth Rogan slimmed down for his role in the "Green Hornet"

Chubster/joker Jonah Hill has lost 30 lbs and is still losing for his roll in "21 Jump Street"

Sara Rue recently lost weight on the popular diet plan Jenny Craig. How cute is she?

Former Cosby kid and That's So Raven star, 25 year old Raven Symone has also jumped on the diet bandwagon and is looking ay-mazing.

Even the perpetual yo-yo dieter, Kirstie Alley is looking pretty darn good after losing 60 lbs, partly through her time spent on Dancing with the Stars. She admits she has another 30 to go but she's getting there.

Lord knows if 60 year old Kirstie Alley can do it then so can Mama. I'm not looking to drop 6 sizes here, just the unwelcome pounds I've gained through this ungodly long winter.

I'm always a little shocked at how hard losing the last "10 pounds" really is. Like ridiculously challenging?

I've lost mountains of weight after my babies but I'm always stalled/stumped at around 10-15 lbs before my "goal" weight. Why why whyyy?

Enough complaints. It's go time.

images via Just Jared, Splash News, Google Images

Congrats Kids!

2011-04-29T12:37:00.001-06:00

I set my alarm clock to get up to watch the Royal Wedding. However I couldn't manage to yank my tired rear out of bed so I'll be watching it tonight in it's entirety.

Everyone in the blogosphere is writing about this and I'll keep it simple by summing up Kate's dress.

Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen nailed it! This dress is perfection....on Kate.

Defo not my personal style, I prefer more poof, bling and wow!

But for such a formal occasion and because of who she's marrying, this dress could not be better.

Congrats kids...time to get your par-tay on.!

Now u know me....

2011-04-22T13:17:00.003-06:00

Hey Dolls, hope you're all enjoying this Easter long weekend. I've got a whole bunch of church, cooking, family dinners, egg colouring (and hunting) and chocolate eating coming my way.

This week has been all things Easter but I thought I'd do a different post on some random info about Mama. It's not because of receiving a blog award (like most people do) but instead because this has a been a fairly slow news week and I've got nothing else...

1. I can talk like Donald Duck. Great "skill" to have when babysitting.

2. I love French's yellow mustard and go through a bottle every 10 days. Best condiment ever.

3. I'm a pretty awesome (and fast) driver and in another life I should have been a Formula 1 race car driver.

But since I've had kids I've totally changed the way I drive and now have a huge new appreciation for driving safely and responsibly. These days I'm more like Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy than Michael Schumacher.

Fastness. Hotness.

Note: I said Formula 1 driver, not NASCAR.

NASCAR is beyond lame. Sorry Ricky Bobby Fans.

Round and round. Uncool.

4. I can type up to 83 words/minute (according to typing tests I've taken) however my accuracy/spelling could use work. Obviously.

5. I am a great cook but a lousy baker. Baking requires precise measurements and it's like following a formula. Cooking is more free-style and dare I say, creative.

I don't have much of a sweet tooth and I never had an Easy Bake Oven as a kid. That explains it.

6. I am blind as a bat. I've worn contact lenses everyday for 20 years. I really should have laser eye surgery but I'm scared. What if something goes wrong and my eyesight gets worse? Though I doubt that's possible.

7. I have a pretty fantastic Operatic voice (Mezzo-Soprano) but more or less no one has ever heard it. I'm ridiculously self-conscious about being judged.

I'm even scared to sing Karaoke after a half a dozen cocktails.

Mama's dream Karaoke song of choice: Roberta Flack/Lauyn Hill's, Killing me Softly

This list could have gone on forever but I'll save more Mama-fun-facts for another time.

Happy Easter Lovelies!

Kloset nirvana...

2011-04-15T23:00:00.002-06:00

It would appear that Mrs. Lamar Odom, aka Khloe Kardashian is flying high these days and is on top of the world (translation: she's making a whloe lotta dolla bills.) With her multiple product endorsements, his/her fragrance, clothing stores, umpteenth reality shows and superstar b-ball player hubs, she seems to have it all and more.
And a whole helluva lot of shoes.

Check out the reality queens shoe closet.

more red 'soles' than Communist China

via

Mrs. Odom, if you are ever looking for new bestie up in Canada do not hesitate to contact me. I just so happen to take a size 9 shoe and since I'm only a bit taller than you I'm betting we're almost the same shoe size.
I'm not against shoe swapping.
In fact I encourage it. It's not like you've stuck your perfectly pedicured feet in these shoes more than once or twice. You can wear my winter-worn Uggs and I'll rock some of these

Loubies. Sounds good right? OKdonedeal.

H and M finds...

2011-04-12T21:02:00.001-06:00

Hello lovelies! Today I ran into H&M to pick up a few things I`ve had my eye on. Once the snow stops around these parts I might actually be able to wear them. As you all know Mother Nature is a Biznatch that`s not in my good books lately. I`m hating on her, but with good reason. We`re suppose to get another 10-15cm (6 inches) of snow tomorrow night coming up from Montana. That`s super awesome Montana but this is Canada and we can produce enough snow for ourselves- we don`t need it coming up from you.

Now I`m hating on Montana snow storms too.

Anyshittyweather, here`s a couple of looks I put together with my latest finds. Leopard print always makes me smile so maybe I`ll just wear it everyday from now until spring truly arrives.

I love that this blouse is longer in the back and shorter in the front allowing you to leave the back untucked. (Didn`t we do that circa `95?)

And I honestly don`t know if these harem style pants are working for me or not but they`re the most comfortable cotton and I love the flat, high waist and gathered ankle.

Leopard Chiffon Top- H&M, Harem style Pants-H&M (has Mama lost her mind?), Nude Heels- Nine West, Pencil skirt- Ricki`s

Observations: -The walls in this spare-bedroom are seriously not this red, they just photo that way.

-Only Husband knows why there is a bottle of Sriracha hot sauce on top of the dresser

-Mama needs to hit the gym ASAP, I cannot hide in black forever.

Winter blah blah's....part deux

2011-04-07T17:48:00.002-06:00

Spring has most definitely not `sprung` where we live. In fact these pics from last week pretty much tell the tale. The stores are filled with gorgeous spring clothes, shoes and bathing suits etc. and honestly I can't even wrap my mind around wearing them anytime soon. It all that seems a million miles away right now. As awesome as a foot of snow in April is, I'm really over it.

The kids thought the massive snow fall was fantastic. I disagreed.

Since bikini season is still so far away (at least I keep telling myself that) I`m still all about ~~carb loading~~ cooking hearty, satisfying dinners. BBQ`s, fresh salads and watermelon are sadly not on the menu. (Possibly because our BBQ is buried under the snow.)

Beef Stroganoff with cream cheese, sour cream and white wine. I might be fearing the beach because of this stuff...

On a brighter note, the kind weather-woman on the local evening news says that ``spring-like`` conditions and seasonally (warmer) temperatures are on their way this week. Bring it on bitch, mama needs to see the light of day...

Hopefully the sun is shining, tulips are popping and flippy-floppy`s are being worn where you live...

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Update on my Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips

Cue: shock and amazement. These nail strips actually held up. Except for some minor peeling at the cuticle, the last pic was taken after 8 days of wear! I`m thinking they`re worth the 10 dollars after all...

Before

After
8 Days...not too shabby Ms. Sally Hansen!

Though I`m getting really tired of Houndstooth...

ELF and Wonder Woman...

2011-04-02T00:29:00.016-06:00

I finally broke down and decided to order some elf products directly from their website. Up until now I`ve been grabbing whatever I could find from Winners (TJ Maxx) but the selection is seriously hit or miss and the prices are jacked up for who knows what reason since most elf products sell for between 1-5 dollars (US). Since we don`t have Target here in Canada yet (2013 seems so long to wait) the only other option is to buy direct. The shipping was fast and cheap and there's always promo codes to be found online for an even bigger discount from their already ridiculously cheap prices.

I won't go into a full review of the haul (and as expected some products are way better quality than others)...but I have to say I love this stuff!

As if I didn`t order enough, while Husband was in L.A. this week on business, he called me from a Target store he`d stopped into while killing a few hours before he flew home. He asked if there was anything I wanted from the store, "Is the the Pope Catholic, is snow cold, is tan better than pale? Yes.

"Head to the makeup isles and look for the brand called elf." "Elf?" he asks. "Yes elf, just go with it..."
He actually went over and I walked him through what I wanted him to buy. He's a good man yo.

I`ve had my eye on MAC`s Wonder Woman collection for Spring 2011 that came out a while back. Wonder Woman is just about my fave fictional TV character ever and I may have rocked the heck out of my Wonder Woman Underoos once upon a time...but I still felt the collection was a bit gimmicky.
However I noticed this Mineralized Skin Finish, Pink Power and it was love at first swatch. It`s more like a matte bronzer, blush, MSF highlighter all in one. Perfect for travel. It wasn't cheap but you get so much product (20 g) that it seemed totally worth it.

It`s like a Lasso of Truth- there`s no lying about it, this stuff is fabulous...

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nailpolish Strips...

2011-03-30T13:09:00.004-06:00

I've been on the lookout for these for a while and finally snagged a box of Sally Hansen Salon Effect Nailpolish Strips. Basically they're nail polish stick-on sheets that can last up to 10 days and are removed with regular nail polish remover. They come in packs with 16 sheets and you stick a sheet (of various sizes) to the corresponding nails that best fit. The application is pretty straight forward and just requires clean, dry nails, a small nail file and cuticle stick. They definitely take longer to put on then a regular nail polish application but a little practice makes perfect. At around 10 dollars a box (for one application) they're not an amazing value, but they're definitely different! The final application is smooth and you don't require a top-coat because the finish is already glossy. The big question is how long they'll hold up for?

My money is on 3-4 days.

Creative yes, but are they funky or fugly... I can't decide?

who doesn't love Houndstooth on a painfully pale hand?

(personally I would have preferred the leopard print)

What do y'all think? Is this something fun and different or should this be reserved for 15 year olds only?

Why I love the weekend....

2011-03-26T14:52:00.002-06:00

Weekends are obviously the best time of the week. Husband is home (at least for a few hours), the kids are relaxed while they take a break from the weekly routine and Mama gets to drink a glass or three of wine (and maybe go out with the girls.) I love getting together with friends for BBQ's and house parties, going to weddings and baptisms (there seems like there is always at least one on the weekends.) And on Sunday nights sitting on the couch with Husband watching movies and DVR'd shows (missed during the week)...

the best weekends include...

Going out for a glass of vino

House parties...

Lounging on a Saturday in our jammies

Trying new recipes- Lobster Mac n Cheese with Truffle oil never tasted so good....

Movies movies and more movies....

What's your favorite thing about the weekend...besides not working!

passing the days....

2011-03-21T18:51:00.001-06:00

Since we've been living in a quarantine zone of a home for the last week with everyone sick with chest-cold/flu/plague-like symptoms, I've been feeling like one big biohazard. We've had no play-dates or friends come over to visit (unless they wore their HazMat suits) so with my downtime stuck on the couch I've had the chance to watch a few movies, download some music and catch up on my book-club reading.

Currently reading

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. So far so good, kinda like a mix between Steel Magnolias and The Help. I've already cried a few times and I'm only a about 100 pages in (but a combo of NyQuil and Ambien will do that...)

Like the book of the same name, it seems to be one those movies either you really like or kinda couldn't stand to get through. Personally I didn't mind it. And, obviously Italy is the best country in the world. Period.

The original Swedish movie version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo from the book trilogy. It was long, dark, a bit twisted and very Swedish. Overall a good interpretation of the book. However reading subtitles can get old, fast.

Due Date, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. Pretty much an updated Planes, Trains and Automobiles. I had heard mixed reviews on this one and didn't expect many laughs but both actors are so real in their performances that I couldn't help but like it. And Zach G's deadpan delivery of ridiculous lines like "Dad...you were like a father to me."... make you stop, think for a second and then chuckle.

Listening to

If you haven't already discovered British singer/songwriter Adele, you're seriously missing out. Her new album "21" was just released in the US in February and her single "Rolling in the Deep" in inspired. Trust.

Feast your ears on this....

Shopping! For Japan...

2011-03-18T11:25:00.002-06:00

In honor of the blogging day of silence for the disaster in Japan I thought that it was most definitely worth mentioning that FOREVER 21 is participating in a promotion to help with the relief efforts. If ever there was a day to online shop it's today because they are donating every dollar you spend. Let's get shopping girls!

SHOP FOREVER 21 ONLINE TODAY!

Wednesday Wants...

2011-03-16T13:45:00.005-06:00

Happy Wednesday lovelies.

Mama is officially (for the first time this entire winter) sick and down for the count. Je suis malade.

I knew my time was coming, I couldn't keep the virus gods at bay forever. I'm achy like I just finished a week of doing the 30 Day Shred though I haven't worked out all week (and won't be reaping the butt-kicking benefits.)

My lungs, throat and brain hurt. That alone is reason to close up shop and throw in the towel for the remainder of the week am I right? Send in the Nanny please.... Oh, I don't have a Nanny you say?

Never mind, since I am a trooper (read: gave-birth-to-2-boys-without epidurals type of gal,) a simple chest cold/flu combo won't bring me down or keep me from sharing my Wednesday Wants. Just bring on the Advil, NyQuil, NeoCitran and I'll be fine- just don't stand between me and my cold- meds.

AnySickness, lets talk about the shopping I won't be doing cuz I'm stuck in bed...

Ok this Alexander Wang Rocco Duffel is nothing new but recently I've been so drawn to the signature studs on the bottom of the bag. Edgy but not too crazy. I'm starting to fall for Alexander Wang....

The new Bobbi Brown-Tibi Collection Peony and Python Pallette. Love these neutral and purple eye shadows in a super cute little case...it will be mine.

I'm wanting a pair of Levi's jean. Yeah Levi's. I haven't owned a pair since probably grade 9 and then they were passed aside for "premium denim." But I might just have to try out their new Curve ID jeans that are made to fit your shape not your size. And at under $60/pair they're practically giving them away!?

And finally, truly a pipe-dream (or maybe I'm just high on cough syrup) this Alexander McQueen Union Jack Skull Clutch in pink Swarovski crystals. Husband says that Alexander McQueen's signature skull reminds him of something from Ed Hardy or Christian Audigier but I say that's crazy talk and those names shouldn't be uttered in the same sentence as the late, great Mr. McQueen. Have some respect...

However at over $2100 I think I'll have to admire its sparkle from afar.

NOT feeling so

Perfection. Period.

2011-03-08T23:51:00.007-07:00

Please take a moment to observe the following example of everyday pure fashion perfection by Mrs. Victoria Beckham.

Exhibit A- Black on black monochromatic sleekness
Exhibit B- Perfectly fitted Brian Atwood over the knee boots

Exhibit C- Perfectly pressed tuxedo blazer

Exhibit D- Perfectly draped top that covers derriere

Exhibit E- Coordinating oversized black clutch

Exhibit F- Gold watch, black mani, oversized sunnies

All this AND she's preggers to boot.

This woman puts to shame just about everyone else who travels regularly/has 3 children/juggles multiple business interests all the while maintaining her reign as Queen and Empress of All Things Fashionable...

Yes she has more money then anyone you'll ever know and a stylist and an assistant and multiple nannies but whatever because she's still a busy hardworking mama and wife that somehow through it all manages to walk around in those completely ridic heels while dashing through Heathrow looking fabulous.

For all this: Mrs. Beckham (soon to be mother of 4) I salute you...

image via

Home parties

2011-03-04T01:18:00.003-07:00

Lately I've been invited to a lot of home parties, not house parties but "home parties." As in the type of party that women over the age of 25 are invited to as an excuse go out (dump your boyfriends, husbands and children) and get to together to shop, eat and drink in the comfort of a girlfriends home.

The idea is nothing new (think Tupperware) and you'd be hard pressed to find a girl out there who hasn't been invited to at least one candle, jewelry, food storage system, cookware, house wares, beauty products, sex toys or clothing party. Usually a friend will invite you over for an evening of food, drinks and the chance to shop for whatever the sales rep is selling (and in turn that hostess will receive huge discounts on products for themselves.) It's easy to see the appeal.

I myself don't mind them cuz I'll take any opportunity to get out for an evening with friends to talk, drink a lot of wine and shop for more stuff I likely don't need. (Refer to previous hoarding post)

I recently picked up this completely over priced necklace from a jewelry home party. Apparently it's the same one that Courtney Cox's character Jules wears in "Cougar Town". It sucked me in....once again.

Honestly I also like supporting my friends who've decided to earn extra income by selling the products and brands they like. And often the stuff is really good so why wouldn't I get behind them and throw down some cash?

Who ever dreamed up the "Home party" concept was a fracking genius. "Yes, let's get a group of women together in a confined area with their friends, give them a 3 minute sales pitch, fill a table full of product and encourage them to drink wine and then buy buy buy."

Sounds good to me!

So do you get invited to home parties by your friends looking to sell stuff to you and how do you feel about them? Are they a fun excuse to get together with your girls and shop or would you rather pass on the idea and head for the mall?

P.S. Mama isn't endorsing or selling any particular brand or product here. She only shops.

images via google, ebay

Miss Kim K singing (?)

2011-03-02T10:29:00.011-07:00

So my lady "love" Kim Kardashian has a new single out called "Jam." It's a typical top-40 sound and of course it's all auto-tuned and over produced fakeness. Though it pains me to admit this, it's pretty much terrible...but I still lurve her.

Stick with fashion, clothing boutiques, swimsuit calendars and reality TV okay Kimmie?!
Please for all of us.

I'll give her credit for taking risks and trying something new (and finding yet another way to make more $$$) but much like on Dancing with the Stars her musical talents are pretty much non-existent....
Deep down I was secretly hoping that she might be vocally talented- giving me one more justifiable reason to love her...but not with this song. Keeping trying Kimmie.

Have a listen to Kim's new Single JAM

Post edit: I read that a portion of the proceeds from the songs sales on iTunes will go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. I'll give Kim extra credit for her charitable heart....

Hoarding issues?

2011-02-23T13:33:00.001-07:00

So we as women all manage to buy and collect a lot of beauty and makeup related products. But what happens when they start to take over - your countertop, your bathroom, your life!?

Like most areas of my home I try to minimize the clutter and purge the stuff I don't need to prevent pile-ups of unused junk. Easy enough right? No one likes a hoarder. But when it comes to beauty products I have such a hard time tossing the unused products.

What if I suddenly run out of Coconut scented body lotion, I have 3 back ups. What if there's world wide shortage of extreme-hold hair spray? I'm covered with multiple extra cans. It's the fear of maybe/possibly/someday needing to use the extra products.

Are all these products really necessary? No. So why can't I minimize and toss?

Under the sink ~~mess~~ assortment of products

(A box of nursing pads and ovulation test kits from 3 years ago...there's just no excuse for keeping those?)

Srsly, so what's my deal? I go to throw out the products I'm not using then I"ll see that it's practically brand new and it would be so wasteful to throw it away. I just can't do it. I might want to use it someday, just not in the immediate, foreseeable future or ever really. But what "if"?

Do you have trouble parting with things that you might someday need even though you never use them? Am I just being thrifty and practical or am I on my way to needing an intervention or making an appearance on TLC's "Hoarding, Buried Alive?"

Jimmy Choo Who?

2011-02-19T01:09:00.001-07:00

Move ovah Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin...I've found two new (newer to me anyway) shoe designers to love.

Brian Atwood and Charlotte Olympia are taking over and I'm loving their sky-high stacked-heel style.

Will I ever buy or wear these heels? Of course not. That's crazy talk.

Who but Victoria Beckham, Cheryl Cole or Olivia Palermo could get away with these?

One must be short, weigh next to nothing and have lost all nerve endings in their lower extremities (thus negating the pain) years ago.

But they're just so deliciously gorgeous...

Brian Atwood Nude Suede Pump $597 Saks, Grey Chain Leather Pumps $1050 US, Net-A-Porter

Charlotte Olympia Dolly Black Suede Platform pump, Purple Satin Paloma Platform Pump, Net-A-Porter $840

These Paloma pumps have an easy 6 inch heel with a 1.5 inch platform.

Say what?

Obviously these shoes aren't for everyone. That I've ever met. In this lifetime.

V-day miracle. For real.

2011-02-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

We've all heard of Christmas miracles but on Monday a Valentine's Day miracle happened.

Husband brought home flowers.

I just about fell out of my chair when he walked in with these. Yes they're boring super-market roses (probably $19.99 from Safeway) complete with tacky Baby's Breath but who cares. He actually bought flowers. Swoon and sigh, he loves me.

Ooooohkay, of course it does take more then flowers to demonstrate his love but the fact he took the time to buy these proves that he's not completely clueless on Valentines day. I may have to retract my last post.

{ Photo evidence is always required when documenting a miracle}

We went out for a romantic Valentines Day dinner to a local restaurant called LeVilla. We ~~inhaled~~ enjoyed several deliciously decadent courses including Saffron Seafood Chowder, Duck Breast and Arugula salad, Oysters Rockefeller, Enoki Mushroom Risotto, Lobster with Black Truffle Hollandaise, Filet Mignon and then dessert (since we apparently weren't completely full yet.)

And of course we enjoyed several ~~bottles~~ glasses of an amazing Sauvignon Blanc.

It was all obscenely calorific. Yum.

Ingeniously after a few glasses of vino I completely forgot to pull out my camera to snap some pics of our meal. However I did take a pic of the heart shaped pizza I ordered for the kids from Boston Pizza. They thought it was the coolest thing they'd ever seen and it totally made up for the fact that they weren't allowed to join us for our adult-only dinner.

{Who orders over priced heart shaped pizza on Valentines Day? Mama Does.}

I hope all you lovelies enjoyed your Valentines Day with the ones you love the most and that you were gifted with something pretty...like a super-market bouquet of flowers.

You don't bring me flowers....

2011-02-10T22:55:00.004-07:00

Babs and Neil Diamond couldn't have sung it any better. Husband does not bring me flowers. Not now or ever really. It's just not how he operates. Valentines Day is around the corner but it'll be another day without flowers or gifts or any other symbolic gesture to reassure me that the love is still there. To be fair I suppose it's because giving gifts isn't his "Love Language." If you've never read the 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman you're missing out on some basic, honest to goodness relationship ~~5 Cent~~ psychology. But it's good stuff cause it's pretty much totally accurate.

"— everyone has a love language, and we all identify primarily with one of the five love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch."

Let's just say that Acts of Service (vacuuming the living room floor for Mama), Quality time (he has to actually be at home occasionally right? Husbands work schedule prevents this), Words of affirmation (again, see "quality time", the person must actually be present), Receiving or Giving gifts, is seriously NEVER going to happen. So I suppose Husbands "Love Language" is Physical Touch. Like isn't EVERY man all about that?

{not that I want this tacky shiz anyway...much}

So it falls on me to make reservations to go out for dinner on Valentines Day because otherwise NOTHING would happen. It's just another made up non-holiday as far as Husband is concerned. He really doesn't give a hoot. And I can't help but feel a little deflated by this. It would be nice if he put a little bit of effort into things at least some of the time? To be fair though it's not like I didn't know what I was getting into, he's never been any good at being romantic or thoughtful.

I'm blown away when I hear about big elaborate, creative marriage proposals, or secretly planned romantic getaways that are sprung on unsuspecting wives or girlfriends. That stuff impresses me.

Even the little things like a simple bouquet of flowers on my birthday or on Valentines Day would be really appreciated but I know it's not going to happen. (At least it's highly unlikely.)

It's not like Husband isn't a great guy. He IS...but he really falls down when it comes to thoughtful gestures and romance.

Tell me I'm not the only wife or girlfriend who's lives with this? I'd like to wallow in my self-pity with someone who understand me?!

Girl crush...

2011-02-04T11:36:00.004-07:00

Hey lovlies! Hope you're all having a great Friday, thank the Baby Jesus it's almost the weekend. Husband has been working 24-7 for weeks and sometimes I forget that I'm married. It"ll be nice for the kids to spend some time with him on Saturday while I'm off to lunch and a movie with a friend. (Does that make sense? He'll be around and I'll be taking off...)

We're going to see "Black Swan" (yes, I'm the last person in the world to see it.) Husband was almost a tiny bit disappointed that he's not going to see it because of the much talked about girl on girl action. I suppose any man would be willing to put up with watching some crazy-ass dancing ballerina's in tutus if there was some "action" somewhere along the line. Typical.

Anywho, speaking of girl action I've decided that Mama has developed a new girl crush on Sofia Vergara. She's lovely, talented, on a hugely funny popular show Modern Family and even her accent is delightfully annoying. Millions of men can't be wrong about her, right?

{is she not spicy hot latina perfection in this Vera Wang dress...?}

{Stunning in sapphire blue at the 2011 SAG awards}

I'm loving her gorgeous dark hair (even though she's naturally blond), her curves, her not-so-pin-thin body, her big toothy smile and the fact that she's an actress with experience and not just another 20 year old starlet. (Haven't we had enough of them?!)

She's a Columbian ray of sunshine and because of all that she's my girl crush du jour.

Images via Just Jared, Google

Winter blah blah's....

2011-01-30T11:24:00.002-07:00

Unfortunately Mama has been suffering from my annual bout with "The Winter Blah Blah's", also know as "I hate you January" and "winter can suck it." I certainly don't have Seasonal Affective Disorder but the combo of super cold weather, minimal sunny days and months before spring arrives makes me want to act like a grizzly bear and hibernate. No jokes. I'd like to fast forward through this bunk time of the year and jump directly into spring. I've upped my vitamin D intake, increased my workouts at the gym and tried to stay active. But all I really want to do is not much of anything. I went to the mall for the first time in weeks (which is total craziness) because normally it's my home away from home.

I really haven't had much desire to shop lately. Shock and horror.

{Though on Friday I did manage to grab these cute nude Nine West pumps. Someday when I can pry the snow covered UGGS off of my feet I'll be able to wear them. Someday...}

I go to bed at a decent hour and I'm still tired when I wake up which is super annoying. Where has my energy gone? It's obviously time to start drinking double Red-bulls in the morning because coffee is no longer cutting it.

This time last year we were packing our bags for Hawaii but sadly it's not in the cards this winter. Boo.

I seriously think that winter vay-cays to sunny destinations should be MANDATORY for people living this far north. Mandatory and Government subsidized. Sounds like a brilliant idea to me.

January, I'm sooo over you.

before they were big....

2011-01-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

I came across a couple of pics of some well known stars before they were A listers. (Actually Husband found them on a celebrity style website from Europe but won't admit that he cares or reads about "useless bunk" like Hollywood, stars and everything else related to pop culture.) Obviously he lies since he cared enough to show me these pics. No one can resist the lure of the celebrity!

I've always thought that Angelina is gorgeous but girlfriend needs to eat a sandwich real bad. (Spoken like someone who has the opposite problem...)

Obviously she's always been incredibly, naturally thin. Which again proves that we were not twins separated at birth.

{loafers, black socks and no pants make it super sexy...}

RPatz -he's brooding, shy and pasty white, always a bit Metrosexual and always complete hotness. And I will say he's gotten better with age since he decided to bust out his comb from time to time.

My Visa is smokin'....

2011-01-19T16:59:00.005-07:00

Apologies for the delay in posting my Vegas Shopping Review (sounds official doesn't it?) Unfortunately my computer had decided to act like a pouty little girl and deny me from accessing the inter-webs. Even though Husband is an IT computer ~~geek~~ genius we still went without for a few days. Sad story but true.

However in happier news I can finally share my shopping finds with y'all right now. (See that...3 days in the U.S. and I've picked up an American twang. Give me another week down there and I'll bet you I'd sound like Paula Deen.)

From CVS and Walgreens I did a bit of a makeup haul on products I can't always (or ever) find here.

1. YSL Rouge Volupte No.2 nude lipstick

2. Rimmel Stay Matte Clarifying Matte Foundation, 200 Soft Beige

3. EOS Lip balm in Fruit salad

4.Victoria Secret Radiant Face Trio in Head Turner, highlighter

5. N.Y.C. Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny

6. Wet N' Wild Color Icon Blush in Pearlescent Pink

7. Covergirl Cheekers Blush in Golden Pink

8.Covergirl Eye Shadow single in Golden Sunrise

9. MAC Mineralize Skin Finish special reserve highlight powder in Chez Chez Lame

10. Monistat Chafing powder gel. (Ok, I didn't invent this idea...chafing gel makes an amazing makeup primer)

11. Illamasqua Powder Blush in Lover

12. Victoria Secret Perfect Lipstick in Scrumptious

13. L'Oreal Eye shadow in Deep Mocha (brow fill)

14. Revlon Colorstay Mineral Lipsglaze in Lasting Shimmer

15.Wet n' Wild Mega Eyes Defining Marker in blackest black

16.N.Y.C Liquid Lip Shine in Pink Sand

From the "biggest Forever 21 in the world" I picked up these 3 tops. Honestly the store is so huge that I couldn't even handle it (the old Bloomingdales Home location in the Fashion Show Mall). Two massive floors of Forever 21 clothes and accessories. Obviously a Forever XXI lovers dream...it was all a bit too much though.

I picked up these accessories (earrings, and necklace) for super cheap (srsly, practically for free) from Forever XXI and Charlotte Russe (at the Premium Outlets.)

The number one item on my shopping list of must haves was a gorgeous pair of flat leather cognac coloured boots. I got these at Bakers for only $89.00. Can't wait to wear them but since we've got about half a foot of snow outside I'll instead be wearing these Uggs that I got at the Premium Outlets. A winter staple for me and even though I resisted them for a long time (I too thought they were fugly), I finally broke down a few years ago and have a several pairs now.

Brown classic Uggs, $139.00

In the airport I snagged the Kardashian sisters new book. Yes it's mindless reading written at a grade 6 level but it's fun and light and entertaining!

From the Sugar Factory candy store at the Miracle Mile shops in Planet Hollywood I couldn't resist this celebrity line of signature lollipops. I love the sparkly refillable, reusable stick. This one was designed by Kim Kardashian (of course.) Was it over priced? Yes. I guess a "sucker" is born every minute, Mama included!

At Macy*s I got this Michael Kors bag. I've been hunting for a great leopard print bag for a while and though this isn't exactly what I wanted, it'll do. Originally $300 on for $130 (including my Canadian discount), apparently you receive another 10% off almost anything in the store if you show your passport at customer service.

From the Alexander McQueen shop in the Wynn hotel I snagged this super cute signature McQueen Midnight/Sun skull silk scarf.

Saving the best for last, I finally got my hands on a Yves Saint Laurent "Arty" oval ring from the YSL boutique at the Bellagio. Its a great statement ring and will be gorgeous to wear in the summer when I finally have a tan again. (Ignore winter dry Alligator skin on hand)

As always it was a great shopping trip, Vegas never disappoints. I will say again that the lack of decent sales (especially after Christmas) is surprising?! They just don't offer the deep discounts like they do in Canada. However the awesomesauce variety of brands and stores keeps me coming back for more. Till next time Vegas...

Shiny Disco Balls...

2011-01-12T13:49:00.001-07:00

Hello lovelies, Mama's back with Vegas recap 2011. It was a quick and dirty trip but I survived (though my dogs are still barking from all the walking I did.) Note to self, just because the Kardashians can manage to traipse through the airport in high heel boots doesn't mean Mama can or should. Sore feet is NO way to start a ~~shopping~~ walking tour of Vegas.

We stayed at Aria Hotel in the new City Centre. Yes its a beautiful hotel, but also extremely modern and we couldn't help but feel that it was missing the charm and kitschy over-the-topness that Vegas is known for. I think that Wynn (where we stayed last January) has the perfect mix of Vegas flair and contemporary sophistication (in my extremely valuable opinion.)

At the mega huge CES Consumer Electronic Show (the reason we were in Vegas), Husbands company HSTi, with their Wireless Media Stick, was voted the Best Android Accessory of the CES 2011 by Android Central. Yeah, I'm a bit stoked!

I'm not gonna lie, we ate a lot and one of our fave restaurants was Julian Serrano Tapas. We had fabulous Ceviche, Tapas and of course a super delicious Paella. Muy sabroso!

Later we went to Haze, the main club in Aria.

Feathers, rhinestones and fabulous

Drugs, Rock and Roll, Bad Ass, Vegas Hoes, Late Nights, booty Calls, Shiny Disco Balls...

Only one pic of Mama. Husband never remembers to take pics...

The music was pretty amazing and even better when Maroon 5 hit the stage at around 1:30am. While we were standing in the casino I saw Adam Levine ( pure hotness) and band walk by, I had to seriously do a double take but then there they were later that night playing a few songs in Haze. Prerequisite Vegas celebrity sighting- check!

I wished I'd taken more pics while I was there but Husband had our camera in his briefcase and my crackberry takes terrible pics. So this is all I can share for now. The best is yet to come though, next post is dedicated to the shop shop shoppping recap. Stay tuned kids...

Entertain me Vegas...

2011-01-04T23:44:00.006-07:00

I'm leaving for Vegas in a couple days and sadly this might likely be my only winter "vacation" this season if you call Friday to Sunday a "vacation", never mind that Vegas is freezing ass currently. (I already live in the North Pole and now I'm traveling 1031 miles/1659 kilometers straight south for more cold weather? Srsly weather gods?)

I'll be fine, I'll just console myself with fabulous retail shopping and massive portions of food while dining out.

Ha! God bless America.

So as you can tell the 10 lb. rapid weight loss plan didn't really come together since I'm already talking about Vegas food binges, though I have been trying to eat well for the last few days. Honestly!

We're going again because Husband is on business at the huge CES Consumer Electronics show. So basically Vegas will be a techie-geek-mecca while we're there. And since I only pretend to be interested in the tech show (for Husbands benefit) I'll be spending my time in Nordstrom or the outlet malls.

I've been to Vegas plenty of times but I can't help but feel I might be missing out on something while shopping the whole time. We always try to maximize our time there by getting tickets to a show, dinner in a great restaurant or two and always a night out at a club but what else is there to do? (I realize that sounds like a ridic question...) And we only ever seem to go for around 3 days so I suppose the tour of the Hoover Dam/Grand Canyon is a no go (as much fun as that sounds...)

I'm NOT a gambling woman so the casino is out. Money should only be spent on a sure thing like shoes! I cannot handle losing things. Especially money.

{boring?}

So tell me lovely readers, what do you recommend doing in Vegas?

I only have a weekend, and I'll likely be by myself most of the time (sounds like a blast right?)

Lay your ideas on me, what do you like to do while in Vegas? What's fun, interesting, exciting,,,even if it's all a bit cheesy. It is Vegas after all.

I'm up for anything (minus male strippers, that's no fun going to alone. So I hear.)

{not this time thanks}

Eat nothing...

2010-12-29T23:36:00.007-07:00

Christmas is winding down around here and things are finally getting back to normal after an über busy December. Normally I'd be kinda lamenting the fact that Christmas is over but I'm still looking forward to a few more family get togethers after New Years. Yes more food and wine.

Question: how is one supposed to lose 10 lbs by January 6th when the fattening food won't go away?

(Why the seasonally inappropriate quest for rapid weight loss you ask, we haven't even hit New Years yet?)
Its because Mama and Husband are off to Vegas the first week of January and while we're there my plan is to find some serious dealz shopping for clothes, clothes and more clothes.

However I've apparently (over the last month) managed to eat a third of my total body weight in Ferrero Rocher, cheese and red wine.

Obviously one solution is to maintain the December status quo and just continue eating, but then walk the Vegas Strip and shop till my legs fall off, thus burning off the extra el-bees that have recently decided to call my muffin top "home."

Or I could pull a Bethenny Frankel and "Taste everything, Eat Nothing."

{What does that mean? Like literally eat nothing at all? Well she did shed all her baby weight in 3 weeks...}

Let's keep it real here. I shall continue to eat, and I'll in all likelihood not drop 10 pounds by January 6th. However the elliptical trainer and me are gonna be on a first name basis. Hopefully?

What is your plan for the post holiday slim-down?