Feeding the Addiction

Like many good things, I first discovered this from Hungry Girl. When I saw that I could order this "ice cream" treat from Amazon and have it delivered, still frozen, to my doorstep, I had to try it. The first time I ordered, I got the combo pack of chocolate and chocolate peanut butter. Yes, it was $50 for a 6 pack, but I had to give it a try. A serving is only 32 calories for ice cream! It arrived two days later (gotta love that Amazon Prime membership) in a styrofoam box with lots of dry ice. Each pint was still frozen solid.

It was love at first pint! The problem was that because each serving is only 32 calories, the whole pint is only 128 and there is something so satisfying about being able to eat a whole pint of dessert. Plus, that pint contains almost 20 grams of whey protein! It is the perfect treat each night after a long day and a hard workout. It rewards me while not sabotaging all of my healthy habits - a huge serving of sweet, cold, creamy, high protein, low calorie deliciousness. It wasn't long before I had to order every week because I was having one pint a night.

This has gone on for a few months. And it probably would have continued had we not made a recent purchase. Now I need to trim the fat, or in this case, the fat free. I told DrRuckus that I would stop ordering it and consuming a 6 pack a week. But what was I going to do? I really am addicted. So, I asked my favorite grocery store to carry it. Less than 4 days later, they have it in stock! They have lots of flavors, and it costs A LOT less than buying it from Amazon. I am going to try to keep it to under 4 pints per week, but at least I don't have to give it up completely. And now, you who live near me can all try it for a lot less than ordering it from Amazon. And if you don't live near me, check their website because they are starting to carry it in more and more places. You will love it. But don't say I didn't warn you!

Can't believe I succombed!

At first I thought that they were Fugly. Then, they grew on me, but I thought that they were "over". And then I moved to Texas and thought that they were unnecessary (and "over"). And then we had a cold snap down here in tropical Houston.

Really, with all of the yoga and pilates I have been doing as well as the fact that all of my gym workouts are in my five fingers, well, I just didn't have the right foot attire to wear to and from the gym and studio. And it has been cold! (Plus, I am trying to be good and go barefoot or be as close to it as possible so as not to overly strain my hamstring.)

Okay, I love them. I don't want to take them off. I just realized why they are not "over" yet. People just don't want to give them up. I get it. Finally.

Toys for the Z Man

Funny, when I first started this blog, I thought that it would mostly be about all of the great things I have found for my kids that make all of our lives better. But, it has evolved to something else entirely. I know that I discuss by babies and some of the things that I have found for them, but it is certainly not the norm. However, I have to share some of our latest and greatest here.

Let me start out by saying that my kids are extremely fortunate. Not only do we adore them and shower them with love and affection, but we are able to provide for their needs and wants. And, on top of that, their grandparents do the same and send boxes of gifts all of the time. It is like a birthday here every week. We are all really, really lucky and try to instill in our kids a sense of gratitude and generosity as well.

Still, in the past few days, the Z Man has made out even better than usual. On Saturday, we were going to meet my friend in Round Top, TX. (She lives in Austin, and it is an adorable town halfway between us and has become our little spot.) En route to Round Top, we stopped at the Le Creuset outlet (didn't buy anything) and out of the corner of his eye, Z spotted something. "Mommy! Let's go over to that toy shop. I see something that I have been wanting!" I looked and sure enough was this Dalmatian race game that he first coveted when we saw it at a toy shop in Vail last winter. Knowing that it was under $20 and impressed that he had remembered it all this time, I bought it for him. It is not very interactive, but is cute and sort of mesmerizing, though the sound is rather annoying. But, he has been loving it.

In fact, it has been his obsession for the past 48 hours until it was package time again. You see, I subscribe to a number of online sample sales: Gilt , RueLaLa, ideeli, The Mini Social, and Hautelook. It could be a full time job scouring these sales each day, but I try to only look if it is something that I am really excited about. (Send me a message if you need an invite code to any of these, btw.)

A couple of weeks ago, I saw that Hautelook had Hape toys and I checked it out. The prices were great, and, even better, I had some store credit with them. So, I ordered a game and an intro quadrilla set. As soon as I saw the quadrilla set, I knew that the Z Man would go bananas over it. It is just so right up his little alley to build tracks and study the motion of the little marbles. My little man might not have much gross motor coordination, but his ability to engineer a track is incredible. He is thrilled and delighted each time he attempts a new configuration and is really smart about knowing how the marbles will move. I am truly impressed with how he uses his brain and his hands to play with this toy. And, I haven't seen him this excited about a toy since, well, since his grandparents sent him a Lionel train set (!) a few months back.

This little intro set is perfect for a three year old and was only $15 from Hautelook! Only problem is that the marbles are "baby chokers" so we have to be extra careful.

Oooooh, Look at these shoes

Damn that Antropologie catalog! I should put it right in the recycling bin and not look at it. I do love everything in it, even the things that have no relevance to my life, like ornaments and stockings. It is like a fantasy world for me.

But those shoes! Chie Mihara, a Spanish shoemaker, makes lovely , well made shoes with great style. There are even some on sale at Saks for 40% off, but not with duckie heads! These ones have a sexy vintage looking heel, a lovely soft black leather, and a whimsical little mallard head. Oh, how I love them. Any friends with November birthdays want let me use their 15% discount to buy these pretty babies? I have just the place for them in my closet.

Oh, speaking of "damn" . . . Yesterday the Z-Man was playing with his electric train. He was trying to put it on the track and having some trouble. He said, "Damn it, Damn it." I had to walk out of the room to keep from laughing. I guess it could have been worse. Me, I prefer the F word!

Outerwear solved!

Here in Houston, there are about 20 days a year that it is cold enough for a jacket. Last year I didn't even wear my little leather blazer one time here because with two little kids to buckle in and out of the car, it was one more thing I didn't want to deal with. However, we do travel to colder places, for our annual ski trip and to see family in NJ. For all of these trips, I usually only have an inappropriately light jacket, the aforementioned leather blazer, or an inappropriately bulky and casual jacket, my snowboard jacket.

Well, in today's NYTimes Style magazine, I found the perfect thing! The RainForest packable down coat.


It comes with its own cute little hobo, into which it can be packed. This way, when traveling to a colder place, I can still have everything in my carry on, pull my coat out and have a bag to use while I am there. There are a couple of other styles, but I am partial to the simple down coat. It is available in a chocolate brown and black. Knowing me, I will pick the black one. I always end up going with black. But, I am so excited about this find!

It's Not All About Food . . .

When I first started this blog, I didn't intend for it to be all about food, but it is becoming that way. It's just that I love food, the creation of it and the eating of it. Baking relaxes me and has become my retreat lately after I put the kids to bed. However, I do think about other things, (sometimes). It's just that I keep my laptop in the middle of my kitchen, and though I could take it anywhere, I stand here, next to the oven as I shop, plan trips, look at recipes, facebook, email and blog my day away.

If I do take a break from reading my computer screen, it is usually to read on my kindle. Lately, between the two, the dozens of magazines that I subscribe to have just been piling up. I usually love my magazines and fold down or rip out pages of what interests me. Sometimes, though, something interests me so much that I have to go straight back to the computer to look it up.

Case in point, a sweater I saw a couple of months ago in Conde Nast Traveler. It was so beautiful, a pink cardigan with huge flowers on the collar and down the front. For some reason, I can't resist anything that has three dimensional flowers on it, so I saw this and right away knew that I had to procure it. So, I looked up the designer, Katelyn Aslett to order one. Well, it turns out that Katelyn is in Australia and that she makes each of her beautiful pieces to order from hand-dyed, hand-made wool and felt. I gave her my size and color specifications, paid via PayPal, and, a few weeks later, this gorgeous confection of a sweater arrived at my house, Airmail from Austrailia.

It's a little bit funky, a little bit hippie, a little bit rock and roll, and a whole lot of pretty! Plus, it fits me perfectly and is very stylish for the coming season as peplum jackets are huge for the fall. I just hope that our weather cools off enough to wear it. So far, I have only gotten a chance to do so in Stowe.

More Ladybug Feeding

I love the baby aisle at the grocery store. Whenever I am there I find something to buy. A new sippy cup, some type of lavender lotion, travel containers, and, of course, food! A few months ago, when the Ladybug first started on solids, I discovered Sprout baby food at HEB. This might have been one of my best finds ever. We bought some and were hooked immediately. Amazon doesn't sell them. You have to go to HEB, but if you want to buy them in bulk, like we do, you have to go to the source. (And use the coupon code JS15 for 15% off your order!)

I know a lot of people who make their own baby food. Good for you! I just can't be bothered on a regular basis. Sure, I smash up avocados, sweet potatoes and bananas. I might grind up the occasional meal if the mood strikes me. But, I believe in making my life as easy as possible. Sprout does that. And, not only do they have amazing baby food, but they have all sorts of great green baby products and are adding more every week.

Sprout was started by Tyler Florence, the cute, personable Food Network Chef. They are 100% organic, which makes me feel good about giving them to LL. But, unlike Earth's Best and some of the others, they are really fresh. The foods are packaged in small, CD size vacuum pouches. They are really easy to throw in a diaper bag, in a purse, in your pool bag, etc. And, they are re-sealable. But, that is not the best part. The best part is that that they taste really good! I have tasted them. I would eat them. Hell, I have eaten some of them. (Peach Rice Pudding is my favorite - peaches, brown rice, cardamon, cinnamon, nutmeg are the only ingredients.)

Though I can get them at HEB, as I have said before, I prefer the convenience of delivery. Especially if I can save money. So, with Sprout I joined their club and received a regular shipment. The company has been so friendly and accommodating. They will customize my order for me with the quantities that I want and makes sure that I get them quickly. We travel frequently, and they have sent me packages of food overnight to where ever I am because I have forgotten to bring. When I asked for a coupon code for my blog readers and my facebook friends, they gave me one. I can't say enough about the customer service.

Unfortunately, Sprout only makes mashed baby food right now. Now the Ladybug is eating more table food and I am not spoon feeding her very much. I am proud of LL for growing up and being more independent. However, it is sort of a bummer. First, because she is going to be one in a month and I am NOT having any more babies, and she won't be one soon. But, the bigger bummer is because spoon feeding is so much easier! It is neater, cleaner, and quicker to feed her. Now, with her bite size pieces of everything, she takes forever, makes a mess and makes the dog sick with all of the table scraps.

I will miss Sprout's food, but I hope that some of you will love it as much as we have!

Gossip Girl Hair

One of my (albeit many) guilty pleasures is the CW network show, Gossip Girl. I love the scenes of New York and all of amazing fashion eye candy. It is so much fun to watch the melodrama and sheer over-the-topness of this show. However, to assuage my guilt at watching this (awesome) teeny bopper spectacle, I only let myself watch when I am working out. I have bought seasons one and two on iTunes and have been known to stay on my elliptical for two episodes because I am so hooked.

I truly cannot get enough of the fashion and style showcased on the show: Lily's luxurious elegance, Jenny's trendy funkiness, Vanessa's vintage flair, Blair's preppiness. However, Serena van der Woodsen is my fashion icon. Her style is a blend of rock and roll and boho. I LOVE it! If I had her money, I would dress exactly like her. (Though really, what 17 year old dresses like that?)



As much as I idolize Serena's SoHo style, Blair Waldorf is my hair icon. (Serena would be that too, but that blond would just not work for me.) However, Blair's red is gorgeous and really flattering. I love her color, her waves, her length, her thick locks, even her headbands!



I have the color now, after many months of dying my brown hair more and more red. I have found a way of creating soft waves with no work by spraying my hair with Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray, twisting it into a bun and letting it dry. However, I do not have the length or the thickness yet. So, last week I went to my usual salon to explore getting extensions to complete my Blair Hair look. It is incredible what they can do with extensions! They can last for six months and would be oh so beautiful. But Holy Hair, Batman, are they pricey! I mean really pricey. As in, to get Blair Hair for up to six months, it would cost me over $2000! Now, I am quite good at taking care of myself and treating myself very well, but even I could not consider this. Oh well.

I Hate Wal Mart

Here in the bubble that is The Woodlands, we have two Wal Marts. One of which is pretty standard and one of which is actually quite nice, for a Wal Mart. But, I rarely go there. First because I use Amazon Prime for so many of the things and that one might buy at Wal Mart (which is everything) and thus can avoid dragging my children around. But, secondly, because Wal Mart just gives me the creeps. I love Target, but Wal Mart just makes me feel kind of dirty.

However, I had to take the dog to the vet today and the vet's office is right next to Wal Mart. I asked them to keep the dog for 20 minutes while the kids and I ran across the parking lot to get a trunk load of storage bins and hangers for my upcoming and much overdue closet cleanings. These things really would have cost me more on Amazon, so I sucked it up and went to Wally World. I found everything that I was looking for (and a few things I didn't know I was looking for) and $250 later, we were out of there. I felt like I needed a shower. It might have to do with the lighting and the layout of the store that makes one feel like a mouse in maze. It probably has more to do with the idea that "Hey! We have everything, why do you need to go anywhere else?" Well, they do have everything, but much of it is crap. And ugly, And, well, cheap. Which is great for some things, like storage bins, but for other things just seems yucky.

For example, on the way out of there with my storage bins, hangers, dvds, cumin, toddler tighty whities, a hot wheels car, pool noodles, a pair of scissors, sugar free dulce de leche pudding and biter biscuits, I saw Rainier cherries. As you know, I LOVE them, so I was thrilled to see them on sale there. I never made it to Sam's Club the other day and figured that these two are the same company (BTW, though I hate Wal Mart, I adore shopping at Sam's Club), they'd be the same cherries. I was WRONG! These were mealy and gross. Ugh! I hate Wal Mart

Gifting

My good friend from high school and his lovely wife had a baby boy the other day and I am so thrilled for them. They have a spritely three year old and now have a tiny little boy to join their family. Congrats J and J!

Though I know that they do not expect me to send a gift and that it is not necessary, I LOVE when I find the right thing for someone. I am really good at gifting and love thinking of something that will really make the recipient smile. Today I sent a gift from my go to source for baby gifts. When I found Uncommonly Cute, I immediately bookmarked the site. The make adorable baby shoes that are like the ubiquitous Robeez but personalize them for you. (These are the shoes with non-slip soles that actually stay on a baby's feet.) Ladybug has a pair and I have sent a few as gifts that have gone over really well. Uncommonly Cute also makes clever tee shirts and onesies with ironic and amusing phrases like "Elmo is my homeboy" and "AB/CD". Thanks to the magic of Facebook, I have reconnected with J and J. For their new bundle of joy, I found a onesie that says, "Famous on Facebook". I can't wait to see the photo they post there of little B.

If you ever need gift ideas, please ask me. I love to think about it and make suggestions!

Tripp Trapp

When The Right Start went out of business in my area, I was very disappointed. I loved that store from before the Z-man was born in Chicago and was so excited that one had opened here in The Woodlands before Little Ladybug was born. It was so convenient to go in there to get all of the handy gadgets that make parenting easier. Plus, they had great toys so my kids were entertained while I shopped and a clean restroom and changing table. All in all, it was a frequent destination of mine and I was bummed to see them go.

However, I did manage to score some good deals when they were closing. I had always wanted a Tripp Trapp high chair but had never wanted to spend $300 on it. However at 40% off, I pulled the trigger. From about 5 months on, Little Ladybug has been in her Tripp Trapp and we have been loving it. It is modern, stylish, simple and puts her at the table with us rather than behind a huge plastic tray. We have found this to be both convenient and pleasant as she seems to be more a part of things sitting with us at the table. Plus, it is all open so it is really easy to clean. There are no creases and crevices for food to hide in.

We have the Tripp Trapp and the baby rail. At first, we didn't use the shoulder straps because they are just kind of a pain and the baby chair had been keeping her pretty contained. However, lately the Little Ladybug is becoming a big shot. First she was standing up on the foot rest. No problem; it was easy to lower it down. Then, she was pulling one foot up onto the seat and trying to climb out.

This child will definitely not be like her brother, who to this day, at three and a half could not and would not climb out of a crib. Z-man has been in a big boy bed for months and is really good about not getting out until it is time to wake up. But, a few weeks ago, he got "stuck" in his sister's crib and did not even attempt to get out of there. She is 9 months old and I can see her already trying to figure out how to get out of there. One day I forgot to put the rail all the way up and I got her from her nap and she was standing up, holding on, trying to put her leg over the side. No, I am not kidding!

Anyways, in addition to trying to pull up on everything, Little Ladybug wants to eat big people's food. She wants to feed herself. The problem is, the chair is pulled up to my round table. So, as she learns her pincher grasp and tries to pick up her food, she is dropping a great deal of it on either side of her chair. My dog is sitting there, waiting to pick up any morsel that she drops. However, the dog is getting older and we don't want to make her sick from eating too much people food. So, until the Little Ladybug learns to eat neater, this chair will not work for her and we had to drag the big, ugly plastic one down from the attic. Yuck!

But, all was not lost. We took off the baby rail, made some adjustments and now the Z man has a seat at the table that is just the right height for him. He does not have to sit on his knees to reach the table and he can now begin to eat a little bit more neatly. Yay! The Tripp Trapp will be with us for years to come.

NY Weekend

Though I was just in NJ/NY last week, that trip wasn't planned.  My mom had surgery for which I wanted to be there, so I booked a trip last minute.  She is doing much better now, but I went back to NJ this weekend for a long planned trip.  I wanted to bring my baby girl to see her grandparents and to do a number of other things.  It couldn't have worked out better.  Getting to see my mom up and about was a highlight.  

In addition to the little Ladybug, I brought a good friend with me since MrRuckus decided to stay home and have a boys' weekend with the Z-man and his brother.  So we had a girls' weekend with my sisters and a little bit of time with mom and dad.  Luckily for me, they all got a chance to spend some QT with the Ladybug while my friend L and I had some QT with the city.  For a day and a half we walked, ate and shopped in my favorite city in the world.  NY in perfect weather, with great company and lots on sale, what could be better?  

Started out by showing L the Union Square Greenmarket, then wandering through the Village and SoHo.  We just wandered in and out of stores, purchasing trinkets from street vendors.  We finally made our way to Magnolia Bakery and took our cupcakes to the park across the street to get our "fix".  

We then went to a shoe store where I purchased one of my all time favorite pairs of shoes years before and each had luck finding something that fit our styles perfectly.  Shopping bags in hand, we headed back uptown through the meatpacking district.

Now, this area I do not know very well at all, so we were just wandering.  Then, all of a sudden, we passed a shop with windows filled with beautiful shoes with red soles.  My heart, literally, started beating faster.

We were standing outside of the Christian Louboutin store and I hadn't even planned it!  I have wanted a pair of Louboutins for years, but have never pulled the trigger as they are usually so pricey.  We immediately went in and started delighting in the beautiful array of shoes only to hear that an entire wall of the store had a sale going on.  At this point, I was practically hyperventilating.  I spotted a pair of shoes that was very much my style: basically simple with a rock and roll edge.  And, they had my size!  These babies have 5.5 inch heels and a pewter platform in front and are so beautiful and make me feel so good (except at the end of the night after walking many blocks, but that was my fault, not the shoes).  Buying them was one of my most exciting shopping moments EVER!

That night, we went to the chic bar at our hotel, none other than the Palace, (home of Serena Van der Woodsen) and then on to dinner at Asia de Cuba (Cuba being the thing that brought us to NY that weekend in the first place).  The restaurant was quite good and was still trendy, stylish and lots of fun.   Went back to the room and feel asleep watching Confessions of a Shopaholic (fitting for the weekend).

Sunday morning dawned (okay 9:30 a.m.) bright and beautiful.  Here is the view from our room, St. Patrick's right there and all the way to the Hudson in the distance:

We had a delicious brunch at Fred's and then spent the next two hours exploring every other floor of Barney's.  L decided that she loved Barney's so much that she wanted to live there!  Barney's also had a huge sale going on, but we restrained ourselves and only bought presents there for our families and nothing for ourselves.  Then we went back to the room, checked out, and took the bus to Hoboken.

The whole purpose of the weekend was to attend the opening of my father's first one man gallery exhibit.  The Almanac Gallery in Hoboken showed a collection of his recent photos of Miami and Cuba, and it was wonderful!  I was so proud of my father, who has been passionate about this work for so long.  Many of his friends and family members were there to support him and his work looked amazing hung together there.  

All in all, it was a great weekend.  I love and miss NY so much.