AVEENO NOURISH + MOISTURIZE

Last night I tried the newest Shampoo from Aveeno. It is wonderful! I have very curly dry hair and this definitely did the trick and I didn't even use a conditioner. Although not heavily scented, it reminded me of the beach and summer. It is VERY clean smelling.This product nourishes the hair by replacing the moisture and helps repair each strand. They do have a conditioner and a leave in treatment as well that I would LOVE to try. Thanks to Glamour for the sample!Anything that is simple and saves this busy Mommy time is A-ok in my book!


I was given this Sample to do an honest product review by Glamour Magazine and Aveeno. I was not compensated for the review.

Picture Perfect

I take TONS of pictures of my kids, TONS! At dance class the other day ,one of the moms , Debra , mentioned a site where you could upload the pictures to scrapbook pages and they get mailed to you. No time spent buying papers and accessories and not time spent cutting and gluing. Mind you that I LOVE to scrap book , I just can't find the time to ever finish a project. I have started books and never finished and have shoe boxes full of pictures. The site is called Create Inspiring Story Books you can make scrap book pages, greeting cards, posters, thank you cards etc...all at a reasonable price(scrapbook pages are around $3 a page). It saves time and money. I don't have to buy all of the items to scrap book and I can make duplicate pages with a click of a button! This is definitely a time saver and a fun way to make gifts for family members and friends! Oh, and did I mention there are over 2000 pre-made TEMPLATES? You can't go wrong!

Check out what I created here.



P.S. To buy items on the site , you pre-pay for credits and have a year to use them. You can even buy gift credits for others! L-O-V-E IT! For more info you can reach Debra at Debra@createinspiringstorybooks.com

Wellness Wednesday: be a Mover & a Shaker!

Getting and staying in shape with kids is a struggle.  It reminds me of when grandparents tell the "when I was your age I walked to school 4 miles, barefoot, uphill both ways, and still had energy to help with chores when I came home in the afternoon!"  story.  We try to eat right, but convenience usually gets in the way.  We try to exercise but time usually gets in the way.  We have every intention of being good to our bodies but there always seems to be a stumbling block in our path.
Last week I started TRYING to get healthy again: I started walking, with my son.  Sam is almost 14 months old and is still a good stroller napper so I figure I should take this chance while I have it.  I go home at night, change, and take Sam out for 4-6 miles while Dad has some "ME" time of his own.  I get time with Sam...it's a win-win for everyone.  I logged 22 miles, by walking a couple miles for five of the seven days last week.  I was shocked!  Who knew an hour here and an hour there could equal 22 miles???
On rainy days (which we have in abundance this time of year in Chicago!) we have family dance party!  This is when we put on music or one of Sam's music kids shows and we ALL dance.  We dance fast, we dance slow.  But we really, really move.  Sam can shake it with the best of them, so we repeat his moves or show him a new one and he tries it out.  It's always loads of fun, and great together time.  It may only last 15-20 minutes, or may go on for 45, depending upon everyone's energy level.  We started it to get Sam tired for bed...but it usually just exhausts US.

I'm learning that I MUST take time for fitness.  Pressed for time?  No problem: you don't need a gym to be healthy.  Get up and dance with your kids.  Or walk with your kids.  Or walk with your kids in the stroller.  Or play soccer in the back yard.  Or ANYTHING.  Just get up and MOVE!

What are you doing/can you do to add more fitness into your days?

Rough morning recap

This morning was a pure disaster.  I try to plan ahead to make morning easier in our house (have my lunches & breakfast ready, set the coffee maker, have my outfit and Sam's pre-planned if not already set out, etc.)  but I clearly and utterly failed today. 

Let's recap:
Although I set my alarm last night, I evidently put it in the "off" position, so instead of waking at 6am, I awoke at 7am.  Okay, I can get myself together and make the next train, arriving at work only slightly late.  As an attorney, I don't have firm hours, but try to get to the office at 8 am everyday, so it wouldn't be a big deal.  But while trying to leave the house (my guys drive me to the station, 2 miles away, so they can have the car all day), we couldn't find the keys.  Mind you, we have ONE set of car keys (I know, a big mistake in and of itself.)  We knew Sam had been playing with them last night (again, a mistake on our part), but couldn't figure out where then ended up.  We searched everywhere for about 35 minutes, while arguing with each other (why didn't you take them from him?  Why did you give them to him in the first place?  You MUST have moved them because last I saw they were here!) ...by now I had missed another train.  We FINALLY found them behind a heat register, where Sam had evidently dropped them/hid them; I say this because he was laughing at this point.  The next train wasn't until 9:04, so I had G drive me downtown to work.  Arrrggghhhh!  Although I got into work at 8:55 (no big deal) I proceeded to spill my morning oatmeal on my shirt while stirring it (I use instant packets), had to rinse the shirt to prevent a crusty stain, and now look like a candidate for the annual Ft. Lauderdale Wet T-Shirt Contest.  Thank goodness the shirt is teal blue instead of white!

With small children, do you ever have days like this?  How do you plan your mornings to prevent these debacles?