Happy 4th birthday, Brayden!

I can't believe my baby boy turned 4 this month!  Seems like only yesterday I was spoonfeeding him his milk (yes, I spoonfed him milk 4x a day because he refused any bottle I tried.)

Per his request, we held a small party with our closest friends and family at Johns Incredible Pizza.  We did this last year and he really enjoyed it.  The buffet is actually really good and the kids can play arcade-type games to their hearts content and wear themselves out.  They also offer a couple rides and bumper cars within the restaurant so there's really something for everyone.  For the wee ones there's a small play area dedicated just for them.  For the adults they offer beer so hubby always appreciates that. 

B loves loves loves playdoh so that was the theme for the party.  You're not allowed to decorate much in the room where you eat, which I kinda appreciate because I've gotten super lazy on party décor and such.  Makes it much easier on mom. 

For party favors I ordered sugar cookies and cake pops and of course, we passed out containers of playdoh. 



How cute is this?! We packaged them up individually

Adorable!  And everything is edible



               B's favorite banana cake

                     

The only family pic we took that night

 





Brayden had a blast that night.  He even went on the "big" kid ride that spins around and around.  I was surprised he not only agreed to go, he wanted to go on it again and again. 

My goal for his 5th birthday is to be more prepared and spend  more time organizing it and putting more thought and effort into it.  I always feel so bad because it's right after the holidays so I'm usually mentally drained from the holiday festivities. 

I still can't believe I have a 4 year old!! Stop growing up so fast, Brayden!

 

 

Till next time...

 



The holidays are OVER!

Happy new year!! Here we are, already diving into 2015.  Is it bad that I feel relieved that the holiday hustle and bustle is gone?  I felt incredibly busy and overwhelmed this holiday season (as I do every holiday season, lol)  we had a ton of people to shop for and planning and packing for our Christmas trip to Disneyland was forced to be done so last minute.  Seems ironic to me that the holidays are meant to be a season of happiness yet I feel more and more stressed by the year. Anyone else feel this way?
I did manage to take a few pictures of our tree which Brayden was so proud of.  He loved showing it off and loved going into the living room nightly to stare at it in awe. 

 

We spent the last week of December in California (my mom joined us) and Christmas at Disneyland!  Disneyland was absolutely breathtaking at night.  They had a spectacular firework show and blew tons of snow.  It was very beautiful and memorable, and very very COLD.  I had no idea it gets so cold at night in California! 



 

 

 

 



My little nuggets in their Disney gear
 

Night time was absolutely breathtaking



 It was our first time traveling with both kids and damn I don't know how people do it!  Granted California is only a short distance away, our flight was about 2 hours and both kids did awesome but having to lug the 2 car seats on top of our luggage was no easy task.  Throw in an overly excited toddler and a clingy baby, a nag-about-everything mom (love her) I'm sure we looked like the circus passing through the airport.

 

Disneyland, albeit stunning during the holidays was a complete fail for us.  It was extremely crowded and having to navigate 2 strollers through the sea of people was nearly impossible.  The wait for most of the rides I wanted to go on was 90 minutes long.  Whether or not we were able to ride any of those is your guess!  We did however ride a few kiddy rides in California Adventure and the tea cups were a hit with B.  We also saw the Fantasmic show at nearly 11 pm one night and that was amazing at night time!  Totally recommend taking the time to see if it you are still there late at night.   

 

For NYE hubby and I hit the clubs until 2 am. 

Ha!  I wish!  Even better though, we spent a fun night at a good friend's house for dinner and some light gambling.  Bingo was fun and involved prizes : )

The wonderful host had a cool gold backdrop for us to take fun photos in front of and she even made a bunch of props for everyone to use.  We had a great time!  What better way to ring in the new year with your family and closest friends?

 



 

 

Wishing everyone a fabulous fresh start to a great new year!  I'm excited to see what 2015 will bring our way and hoping it will be another year of great blessings. 

 

 

Till next time!





makeup junkie - sephora VIB sale

Every makeup and skincare junkie like myself probably took advantage of Sephora's recent VIB 20% sale.  Apparently the website crashed multiple times the first day of the sale and orders took much longer than the usual 3 days to arrive.  Regardless, I was happy to be able to stock up on items I use daily as well as try a few new things at a discount.
 I found most of the things I wanted were out online but available at the store.  Although getting samples to try and free shipping is pretty awesome, there's nothing better than that instant gratification of bringing home your goodies, knowing you have new makeup and skincare to play with.

Here's my review on the products I bought: 

-The Porefessional by Benefit.
 Love this stuff.  It's a repurchase item for me.  I haven't been able to find another primer that I love as much.  Its got a silky texture that just glides onto your face and preps your skin for the ultimate foundation application.  If I forget to put it on I can instantly tell when I'm applying my foundation.  It just doesn't glide on as well.  There's a slight tint to it but it doesn't show up when you put it on.
-Sephora dual boar paddle brush
The first time I was in the store (I went twice during the sale)  I bought the travel sized one and ended up loving it so much that when I went back, I bought the big mama sized version too.  I love that one even more!  I don't know why I've waited so long to get a decent brush for my hair.  My hair is pretty long and gets tangled pretty easily.  Tangles don't stand a chance with this brush.  Everything just seems to come out so easily.  I decided to keep the itty bitty one too because I travel so much. (not really).  I know these brushes can get pretty pricey but I thought this was pretty reasonable.
-Marc Jacobs Full Cover ReMarcable concealer
I like this concealer a lot.  Its super creamy and easy to blend.  I will say I don't think its full coverage though.  For someone who is used to MAC's studio concealer (the one in the pot) this was pretty sheer.  I love that creamy texture though.  I also feel I do have to reapply on problems areas a bit more throughout the day but that also makes it not as drying.
-Marc Jacobs Bronzing brush
OMG lets be real.  As soon as the sale started I logged on and this was one of the products I wanted to purchase.  It was already sold out.  Of course this made me want it even more.  When I saw it in the store I was pretty shocked they had it in stock.  I decided to bite the bullet and try it, thinking I would probably return it because seriously, what makeup brush is worth the price?  There were 2 left so of course I had to grab one.  My first impression is that this brush is indeed pretty well made.  Very luxurious and soft.  I've used it for over a week and have had zero hairs in my cream bronzer which is pretty amazing.  The Sigma I was using got hairs in my bronzer daily and that was really annoying.  Every morning I tell myself to retry the sigma and every morning its the same routine.  I just keep reaching for the MJ one.  I really have fallen in love with it.  Using it is very easy and it blends like a dream.  My advice to anyone on the fence about getting one of these, don't do it unless you're positive you want it because its not going anywhere.


So pretty!

-Tarte blush palette An incredible value.  These blushes are huge!  Tarte's top selling Amazonian clay blushes are very wearable and stay on well.  I've tried a ton of other brands and none really last quite as long.  You get 5 generous rectangular pans of blushes in a pretty case.  I didn't realize it until a few days ago that the decals on the case are actually 2 very pretty pins you can wear in your hair.  I also got Fearless, a coral pink hue.  I own Blissful and its one of my favorite blushes of all time.
-Urban Decay revolution lipstick in Liar
I can't even remember the last lipstick I've purchased honestly.  I worked for MAC and UD years ago and just had a ton that are still untouched.  Then came the kids and wearing lipstick just seemed silly.  I was just playing around with these lipsticks when I came across this color and instantly felt like I needed it.  Of course they were out.  I immediately texted my good friend who is a MAJOR makeup junkie to see if she could snag one for me at her local Sephora.  They did have it!  Go check out this color if you're ever by a display.  It's such a pretty color that seems so universal and would go with any skintone.
-Urban Decay Ultra nourishing lipgloss

From top to bottom: Liar lipstick, Naked gloss, Nooner gloss

As with the lipsticks, its been ages since I've purchased any lipgloss for myself.  They're sticky, they dry out my lips and my hair gets stuck in it.  A while back I tried these on at Ulta and was pretty impressed so I thought what the heck,  for 20% off I'll give them a try.  I got the colors Nooner and Naked and love them both.  They are pretty similar in tone but different enough.  These glosses aren't drying at all!
-Anastasia Perfect brow pencil
I actually wanted the Brow whiz but was given this by a sales associate on accident.  By the time I realized the mistake I had already run out of my brow whiz and had no choice.  I actually like this one quite a bit.  I have a really oily t-zone and this pencil being a bit more on the dryer side didn't slip off as easily.  I do feel I have more control with the brow whiz though and I can't really tell why.  Maybe its the actual size of the pencil itself?
That's pretty much it for my goodies, I got a few other things that I wasn't too impressed with that need to go back.  Curious as to what everyone got and mostly, what are your repurchases?

Until next time!


-

Baby / Mama must haves

As a mommy of 2, I feel like I have a bit under my belt in terms of what I've found useful, what worked well for me and my kids as well as what didn't.  I am in no way calling myself an expert when it comes to kids in general, but when it comes to my own, well, yea I am.  : )

Bree has recently just turned 1 so I feel pretty confident about the things I will share in this post, most of them, if not all,  I used for both kids.  Its hard for moms nowadays to pick and choose the necessities for themselves and their babies.  Baby stuff is expensive!  There is so much to choose from and so many different opinions and ideas.  There is a product out there for every purpose imaginable, some completely genius and some make you wonder, "who buys this stuff?"

-Summer Infant cozy bath sponge
This simple thing was the first product that came to mind when I thought about writing this.  It is the most unattractive, no frills baby product I own.  Its basically a big piece of yellow foam used for bathing baby in the bathroom sink.  It has sort of a baby shape cut into it to hug your baby's body to prevent slippage.  I think there was also a little safety dot in the middle that turned a certain color if the water was too hot.  I only used it for the first few months because then baby got too big to be bathed in the sink.  At a mere $6 it was functional, easy to use and helped save me a lot of anxiety that came with giving a newborn a bath.  It also dried really fast.  I tried the bigger systems but felt they were too much and too big and overwhelming for a newborn.  Use this for the first 2 months and toss it out, easy. 

-WubbaNub
Whoever thought of this is a genius.  Its a little stuffed animal (think beanie baby size) attached to a Soothie pacifier.  Soothies are hospitals choice for pacifiers so that's a plus.  Simple as the idea may sound, its very useful because you can lay the stuffed animal on baby's chest and it stays put without dropping.  It also teaches them coordination skills because baby learns to find it and put it in their own mouth to self soothe.  And lets not even talk about night time.  Have you ever tried searching for the tiny binkie in the dark while half asleep?  Yup, not so easy.  The animals are super cute too.  They have giraffes, elephants, lambs, and puppies just to name a few.  I got both my kids WubbaNubs on Amazon and I think some hospital gift shops may carry them as well.  At no more than $15 bucks I think this was a life saver.

-NoseFrida
When I had Brayden and he had clogged up snot my parents used to berate me for letting him suffer when all I had to do was 'suck' his snot out.  (Gross!)  Nothing is worse than hearing and seeing your child have a hard time breathing because of snot up their nose.
BPA free, this product has been a staple for me and both my kids.  I use it all the time.  So simple to use, you put the tube end just barely touching your child's nose (not directly inside) and suck on the opposite end and viola!  all the nasty slimy gunk comes right out.  Its so gross and gratifying the first few times you use it.  Way more sanitary then the bulbs you can buy because you can't easily clean those.  The NoseFrida comes apart very easily in a few pieces so you can clean it after every usage.  It comes with extra foam pieces too which is nice. The foam stops the gunk from being able to go into your mouth while sucking.  For the dried up gunk, spray some baby saline before sucking.  It literally melts everything within seconds, turning it into slime.

-Bravado
My favorite nursing bra. EVER.  I've had my fair share of different brands from different stores and these are by far my favorite beating out even their more expensive counterparts.  What I love most about these is that there is coverage without adding bulk.  The support is fantastic and the bra itself is so comfortable and doesn't move around.  They don't stretch out either.  Not the cheapest nursing bra, but definitely worth the money.  I tried ones from Target and Macys that were half the price but you really get what you pay for.  Included with your bra you get a little conversion kit where you can transform your nursing bra into a regular bra when you're done nursing baby.  My favorite style is the Bliss and Body Silk.

-Frame Stroller
Weighing only a bit over 10 lbs this stroller was a life saver for me who had to have c sections with both kiddos.  I always felt so bad watching moms struggle with their big stroller systems.  Elaborate as they are, they are big, bulky and extremely heavy.  With a c section you are restricted from carrying too much weight for weeks so this was very functional.  The stroller itself had 2 cup holders and a middle storage area perfect for keys and a cell phone.  The basket was also very generous in size and the stroller was so easy to open and fold up.  I had the Chicco Keyfit Caddy.  I used it until Bree was about 6 months old, when she got too heavy to take the entire car seat out.  At that age she was also ready to sit in her brother's hand me down BOB revolution.  (LOVE)

-Baby carrier
I've had the Bjorn Organic, Ergo organic and Baby Hawk.  The Ergo is by far my favorite and is extremely helpful esp when you have older children in tow and need both of your hands free. 

So there you have it, a handful of my personal must haves for infants.  The mini boss has just woken up, stirred a bit and soothed herself with her giraffe Wubbanub, patiently waiting for mommy to come smother her with kisses.

Baby girl turned 1!

SIGH!  I know I keep saying this over and over but seriously, "where did the time go?!"  It only seemed like yesterday I was waddling around the pumpkin patch with Brayden, sad, because I knew I was unable to get on the hay ride with him since I was 9 months pregnant.  Here we are, that time of year again, but this time we'll have a new family member to bring along : )  That family member is now 1 years. old.
For months I went back and forth as to how I wanted to celebrate Bree's first birthday;  a fun, kids-related party for all her kiddo friends or give into my parents who wanted to host a traditional Chinese dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant.  The latter won.  When B turned 1 they hosted a dinner for him so they were adamant on being fair and wanted to do one for her too.  I agreed only because I felt that she probably wouldn't remember much anyway. 
On the menu?  Fried rice, seafood fish maw soup (sounds gross but so so good!) lobster on a bed of noodles, abalone with mushrooms and greens, a steamed chicken plate, deep fried fish, honey walnut shrimp, some sort of deer in a pot thing (lol) and honestly, I think 2 other dishes I can't quite remember at this point. 

Theme wise, I didn't have much space to decorate and such but I did try to stick with a Bee motif.  I ordered some cookies as party favors from Blue Ribbon Bakery which turned out so beautifully.  They were so pretty it was almost hard giving them out for people to eat!  I gave the owner, Dana a few pictures I found online and asked her to stick to a yellow and gray theme.  Here are some pics of the final result...

Seriously, check out the detail!

 

I also ordered some bee cake pops from K Fun Treats that also turned out so adorable!  They were chocolate inside-yum!

How happy does big bro look with his cake pop? : )

 

And last but not least, my very talented friend made a bee cake for Bree, complete with cupcakes on the side.

How incredibly perfect is this cake?!

Can you spot the extra lovin' on the side? ; )

 

Custom Bee chalkboard poster from Etsy.

 

And finally, a picture of the birthday girl's outfit and accessories for the day...

Birthday girl with her auntie.

 

Until next time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

October is here!

Does anyone else feel that the month of October just kind of crept up on them?  That's definitely how I feel now that the weather is changing and the color of the leaves are starting to turn. 
Fall for me means a few things fashion-wise; layering, flats, boots and scarves.  Naturally, I've gotten  few flats for the season and I'm pretty happy with both purchases. 

My first pair of flats for the season are my burgundy Tieks.  If any of you own a pair of Tieks you may understand the obsession.  I went back and forth for a couple of months due to the price of them and honestly, I wasn't crazy about the red they had in stock.  Then I received an email showcasing the new fall colors and burgundy was one of them.  I knew I had to have them and ordered right away. 
They don't come in half sizes, so I ordered a 6.  These fit amazingly right out of the box.  The color is a gorgeous deep red that I know will go with almost everything I own. 
Tieks signature on the shoe itself is a single teal stripe down the back of the shoe and 2 matching pads on the bottom of the feet.  I wore them all day the other day with no complaints whatsoever and had a number of compliments.  I own a few pairs of Tory Burch flats that killed my feet after about an hour of running errands.  You really can feel the difference in these. 
The shoes are just half the excitement though.  Tieks goes out of their way to include a hand written thank you note for your purchase.  With your order you also receive a little blue bag to carry your heels in, an adorable black pouch for keeping your foldable Tieks in so they don't ruin your bag and a pretty little flower to top it off.

Here are a some pictures I've taken:

 

 

How perfect is the shade of red?? Love them. 

Not only are they adorable, they are so comfortable! 

 

My other pair is by Jessica Simpson whom I'm not a huge fan of but I saw these on amazon and for the price, I really couldn't resist.  Who doesn't need ANOTHER pair of black flats anyway?  : )

These are special, they have a criss cross black elastic around the ankle that adds just a touch of femininity and uniqueness.  They were surprisingly quite comfortable too but definitely not a pair of shoes I'd wear around if I knew I'd be out and about for a long period of time.  They also ran pretty true to size.  I initially ordered a size 6.5 and had to exchange them for a 6.  I'm quite happy with the purchase. 

So here it is, we're going into the second week of October and I just received an email that my Stitchfix has shipped.  Looking forward to more Fall goodies!

 

they're sick. AGAIN??

My toddler is a germ phobe.  As a baby he used to love to play with paper towels, wipes, Kleenex and anything that was used for 'cleaning.'  I swear there would even be times where he would purposely make a mess only to clean it up.  He still loves cleaning (he's since graduated to hand sanitizer and washing his hands a million times through out the day.) So of course I'm left scratching my head at all the times he's been sick this year.  It seems like he's been sick for a week out of every month.  The fun thing is he spreads it to his sister of course. 
I know that starting school has a lot to do with it, but the access started a few months before he even started.  Is it the multiple kid syndrome?  When it was just him and me it was much easier to keep him clean, and monitor all his activities, washing his hands and keeping him germ free immediately after every outing.  With a baby in tow, things are not so easy. 
I feel like I'm going through children's advil like its gallons of milk.  Keeping the sibs away from one another is another laughable task.  Try as I might, they still somehow find ways to swap germs.  I've been using a lot of the Zarbee all natural products but they don't seem to work as well as their heavily medicated counterparts. 
 A few months back I came across some of these honey suckers from Little Remedies that are supposed to help soothe coughs.  Back then he wanted nothing to do with them but now he loves them.  I always rub Vicks on their backs and chest and on the bottom of their feet as well.  I read it online somewhere and it sounds weird but I swear it works!  We also use the Vicks pads that go in the humidifier at night and that seems to help too. 
Watching the baby cough uncontrollably is the hard part.  The toddler can at least tell you how he feels and what hurts, the baby just looks miserable. 
We're stocking up on vitamins in hopes the extra immunity boost will help.  Does anybody have any remedies they use or tips and tricks for staying healthy with an active toddler who gets his hands into everything?