Fashion Forward

Here is an excellent question from Cassie:

"I have been working out a lot and losing some weight and now I have to buy new clothes! Yay! But I want to know-Where is eveyone's favorite place to shop? I always see everyone wearing these cute clothes. Where do I find them?! And where have you found some great deals?! Thanks!"

Good job on the weight loss Cassie! I wish I had a good reason like that to go shopping.
My problem is I feel so out of touch with fashion as a stay-at-home mom. I think I either need to order a fashion magazine or go hang out on the college campus to see what everyone is wearing these days. I just don't know what is cute anymore. (How old do I sound?)

Please comment and let us know how you stay stylin'!

Eyebrow Inquiry

I just got this question from Dinah. Please comment if you can help!

"I have decided to "reshape" my eyebrows and I'm afraid that after plucking and waxing them for so many years they aren't growing back full enough for me to reshape.  I have been letting them grow in for at least a month now (my eyebrows look horrible and everyone probably wants to say "um, you need to pluck") and I don't know how much longer I can last.  Any advice?"

Is the Store a Chore?

This is for Rachel who asked that I do a post about online grocery shopping. Sorry it has taken me so long! I thought since so many people are getting sick, it might be a good time to talk about it.

Online grocery shopping in a nutshell:
You go to your local grocers online store. Put items in your online grocery cart. Schedule a drop off time. Pay a fee. Wait at home during the delivery window for your groceries to be delivered. And there you go.

Here are some good reasons you might want to try it:

• You are sick and shouldn't go out.
• Everyone else in the world is sick and you don't want to go out and get sick too.
• You are pregnant and being in the grocery store makes you want to throw up. (That's from experience.)
  
• You are just plain too busy.
• You are an impulse shopper.
• You have a hard time making healthy choices when faced with all the goodies.
• You think you will go crazy if you have to take your brood of crabby, crazy children to the grocery store one more time.
  
• You can save your grocery lists so the online shopping can go really fast after the first few times.
  

Here are some reasons you might prefer to pack up and shop yourselves.

• They pick your produce and I guarantee they won't be as choosy as you.
• You have to pay an extra fee. (Although I feel like I make up for this because I cut out the impulse purchases.) Watch for deals and coupon codes. A lot of times, the fee is waved for first-timers.
• Its hard to tell exactly what you are getting online. Most items just have a tiny thumbnail for a visual so it can be tricky. Sometimes I get little tiny bottles of things, thinking they were much bigger when I ordered them. 
• You have to wait at home during your "window" until they come. This isn't always a problem if you know you are going to be home anyway.
  
• You usually have to wait until the next day to receive your groceries, so if you want something quicker, you better just go.
• The type of stores that generally offer this type of service seem to be a bit more expensive. 
• Your area might not have online shopping yet. It depends on the grocery stores near you. Sorry Abbie-The Piggly Wiggly doesn't deliver :) If there is no grocery delivery you can check into grocery pickup. The idea is the same but instead of them coming to you, you go to them and they will bring the groceries out to your car. 

Here are some places that deliver groceries or have grocery pickup. Don't quote me on this though. It might just depend exactly where you live so you'll want to check it out. (I know my lists are short but I tried all the grocery stores I can think of in all the places I've ever lived. If you know of any, let me know and I will add them to my list.)
Grocery Delivery:
Safeway
New Seasons
Grocery Pickup
Albertsons
Harris Teeter
There are also services out there, not affiliated with the grocery store, that will shop for you and deliver the groceries to your home. I think these are even pricier but might be worth it if you need food and you just can't go out. Google "grocery delivery" and the name of your town and see if you can find one. 
Please share if you have something to add!

Luscious Lashes

I need some new mascara and I'm wondering if anyone has a favorite. There are so many choices and its hard to know which one is good. I hate spending money on any kind of makeup just to find out I don't like it. At Sephora they sell a bag full of mascara samples so you can try them all and pick your favorite. It's called LashStash. How witty is that? I think its a great idea but I figure I can save myself $39 and just ask you. The most important mascara features for me; doesn't clump, doesn't make dark circles, and isn't too expensive. Thanks!

Undo Send

Let me just start this post with a quick story about myself. One day I was emailing my landlady's contact information to a friend and this is what I wrote:
"Here is Karen's email. I just realized I don't even know her last name. I'll also send her phone number along but if you call her be prepared to chat for a while!"
Just as I pushed SEND, I realized that Karen's email address was still in the "TO" box. It was too late! It was sent to Karen! AHHH!!! (I used the "TO" box to look up Karen's address and then meant to delete it, but FORGOT!)
So that day I learned two things.
1) Its not a good idea to send less-than-positive remarks in written form over the internet.
2) Enable "Undo Send" on my gmail account. It gives you a couple of extra seconds to undo your email after you hit send.
It's super easy to enable. If you are signed in to your email account look at the options in the top right corner. There should be a little icon of a beaker. Click on it and it will take you to Google Labs. There are tons of features you can enable here. Just scroll until you find "Undo Send" and click to enable. Voila-Now you can take back the rude things you accidentally send in your emails!
Does anyone know if Yahoo or Hotmail has a feature like this?
Does anyone else have a Lab from gmail that they love?

Countdown to Halloween

 Ok-I tried again and this time I found several blogs and websites with great Halloween costume and decoration ideas. Let me know if you have any more and I will add to the list.

Inchmark

Martha Stewart

The Holiday Queen

Family Fun

Parents.com

Creepy Cupcakes

365 Halloween

Puking Pastilles

If you have boys...

I was reading blogs the other night and found something that looked very fun. I made a whole link list about hair for girls and nothing for people who only have boys. Well, here you are! My friend Larissa has a very fun blog that I like to read. http://zitzmanfam.blogspot.com/ She posts yummy recipes and she throws fabulous birthday parties and has a lot of fun ideas. I particularly liked this post and she said I could share :)
Sewing Project for Boys Are Rare
Anyone else sew for their boys? We'd love to know what you've done.

All I Want For Christmas

Really is it time to think of Christmas shopping already??? But its always so hard to think of something useful, tasteful, original, AND inexpensive for all those people on my list. Well, Julie sent me this fabulous idea for Christmas that can eliminate the headache of Christmas shopping AND make the holiday more meaningful:
"For Christmas this year buy less things and make a charitable donation instead." Here is a link to her blog post that lists some worthy causes. Thanks Julie!

http://jandjklandfamily.blogspot.com/2009/10/all-i-want-for-christmas.html

Please comment if you have additional causes OR if you have ideas for making the holidays more about service and less about gift giving.

Perfect Pumpkins

It is that time to head out with the family and find that perfect Halloween pumpkin. Of course, you could grab some at the grocery store or you could make some great memories at the pumpkin patch.  Click Here for a list of pumpkin patches in your area.
Here are some tips that I've learned over the last few years to avoid huge crowds (if its a very popular pumpkin patch):
Go early in the month before the pumpkins get picked over.
If at all possible, go on a weekday.
If you go on the weekend, try to get there right when it opens.
If you have a favorite pumpkin patch-please share!

Baby Belly

I was looking at my lower abdomen the other day and realized it still looks as if attacked by animals because the stretch marks are so bad. Its been two and a half years since I was pregnant but its still not looking good. I'm wondering if anybody knows of anything that I can do for my stretch marks at this point. And what are your tricks for not getting them in the first place?
While thinking about this I remembered some tips my sister gave me on how to lose the little lower abdomen bulge that so many mothers have. Here it is for you:


How to shape up after delivery
by Madline Johnson

Before you give up on losing the belly fat that's still lingering months after the birth of your baby--wait. You may need abdominal moves that better target the real cause of your pooching tummy, says Julie Tupler, R.N., a childbirth educator and certified fitness trainer. Her book, Lose Your Mummy Tummy, details her belly-flattening program.
During pregnancy, your expanding uterus pushes apart the vertical abdominal muscles and weakens the thin band of tissue that connects them. After delivery, the separation may not completely close, allowing the internal organs to bulge. Over time, this can lead to poor posture and lower-back pain. Traditional ab exercises may not help if they don't target the deeper, horizontal layer of muscle, which is what helps pull the vertical muscles together, says Tupler.
To reunite the separated halves, Tupler recommends that new moms who have their doctor's okay start these daily exercises within 24 hours of giving birth. You'll see less pooch in as little as six weeks.
Elevators
Sit in a chair with one hand above your navel and one below so you can feel your abs moving in and out. Imagine that your belly is an elevator and inhale deeply through your nose, expanding your middle fully; this is the "first floor." Now exhale through your mouth, pulling your navel toward your spine; this is the "fifth floor." Do five little squeezes, picturing your navel going out the back of your spine; this is the "sixth floor." Do 10 times.
Contractions
Sit in a chair, one hand above your navel and one below. Inhale and expand your belly, bring it back about halfway (thirdy floor), then exhale and pull your navel in toward your spine (fifth floor). Squeeze your belly and hold for a moment, counting aloud one. Release back to the third floor. Do 100 quick repetitions.
Standing Pelvic Tilts
Stand with legs hip-width and knees slightly bent. Rest your hands on your upper thighs. Inhale, then as you exhale, draw your abs in toward your spine and simultaneously tilt your pelvis forward by contracting your butt and pointing your tailbone down. Hold for a count of five. Do ten times.