Weekend Wrap Up

Clearly I had a fantastic weekend, considering it's Tuesday and I am just now feeling like I am in a place where I can write about it.  In addition to some really relaxing family time and celebrating the birthday of an adorable two year old, I also got to spend a night out in the city with this hottie.

Do you see the empty bottles on the table?? ;)

We spent the night with some wonderful friends, eating delicious food, and playing bocce at Il Vagabondo - the place where Emeril Lagasse claims he had the best Veal Parm in the United States.

 

This adorable place is rooted in history and literally has a 100 year old, clay bocce court in the restaurant.  It was hilarious to see my girls trying to beat our husbands in our heels, with quite a few glasses of wine in us...  Yes, they won, but really, we let them. ;)

Two of the kindest people I know, our friends E & J, are moving this week from NY to MA, and though they won't be all that much farther, I have a feeling our excursions to NYC are going to be transferred to Boston.  This is fine with the hubs, and as  matter of fact, we ended our night at the Riviera Cafe, the only place I have ever been in Manhattan that sports Red Sox posters and paraphernalia.  Not to mention the wings we took back in the limo were pretty fantastic!

I had high hopes of sharing a little "what I wore" pic, but for some reason my kids won't let me have  5 minutes today. ;)  To all of you who have little ones that are back in school today - happy first day of free time school!  Perhaps when my LO starts next week you might hear from me a little more often!

Origami Owl Review & Fab Deals

Every once in a while you come across a product or a company that is not only attractive and unique, but is also inspiring.  Origami Owl is that company!

 

Origami Owl (O2) is the amazing company that was started by 14 year old  Isabella Weems. Like most teenagers, Isabella was beginning think about her first car. Unlike most teenagers, she wanted to find a way to save enough money to get one.  So, she found a way to do it and in 2010, Living Lockets were introduced and a phenomenon began.

I only heard about O2 a month or so ago, but in that time I have fallen in love.  Living Lockets, the flagship item for O2, are a fabulous way to design and redesign a personalized locket with interchangeable charms and plates.  I think that the fact that the charms can be easily inserted and removed is one of my favorite things about this collection. 

Take for example this adorable design for a bride to be.  5 years down the line the bride might be a mom.  

For very little money (charms are about $5 each) and effort, the locket can be transformed into this one.

 

Going on a tropical vacation or spending some time at the beach?  Add a few of these!

 

 

  

I wish I could write about all of the gorgeous charms, but instead I'll send you to the fabulous Studio W to check them all out.  And while your there, take a peak at their other beautiful jewels. I am quite partial to the Wish Lockets and think they would be an amazing gift for a young girl heading into middle school, high school, college, or just in need of a little *magic*!

So, do I have you hooked?  Then check out these fabulous deals just for my readers!! (But don't worry - I'm happy to let you share!)

 

 

Please make your purchases from Heather Zimmerman's site, as she was kind enough to facilitate this review.  Please be sure to enter party code "5684" (you should see Nancy Caron) as the hostess. 

• If you spend $10 or more, please shoot an email to locketladies@yahoo.com with your order number and your choice of a FREE charm!  

• If you spend $75 or more, please shoot an email to locketladies@yahoo.com with your choice of a FREE charm AND a FREE dangle! (Or if you prefer, two free charms!)

This is such an amazing deal and with only 108 days til Hanukkah and 125 days til Christmas, it's time to start thinking of who would like this beautiful and unique gift!  Plus, you will be helping me out!  I am seriously considering becoming a designer (I am currently on the waiting list!) and any purchases made using my party code will help me to earn my designer's kit.  I am not usually into "selling" but I just adore how special and personal these necklaces are, and I know that there are not many designers in my area, so I'm spreading the love!  A BIG thank you to Heather, for coordinating this review with me and offering these spectacular savings to my fans and friends! :)

 

PS:  Check out the packaging that you will receive your living locket in...could it be a better presentation for a gift (for you or someone else!)! ;) 

Zooper Hook-On Chair

New parents and expecting parents can be so overwhelmed with choices when it comes to baby gear!  One of the best purchases I ever made was a hook on chair.  This chair, which is made my Zooper, is perfect for home or travel!  I love this particular color (wheat) because it is gender neutral, goes with everything, and pretty much conceals the ridiculous amount of goo that ends up on your kids and their belongings. :)

The Zooper chair is very reasonably priced at around $49, and when you purchase it on Amazon, it ships for free! The four point harness adds extra safety for the little ones who like to climb (like my Bean), and it holds up to 30 lbs!  Bean is almost 2 and she still has 6 more pounds before she needs out! Plus, this fits on almost every table thanks to the easily adjustable clamps!

If you are looking for a chair to keep at Grandma's or in your trunk for restaurant adventures, (I can't handle the thought of the germs on the ones that restaurants keep on hand - gag!), this is your chair.  It also comes in some really bright, fun colors for you single gender families or more daring mamas.  I'm boring - I know!  But Zooper isn't - check them out!!

Wordless Wednesday - Blessings

I am so blessed to have had the past few days with my amazing children and wonderful friends at the shore.  I will always treasure these memories and my time with my sweet, sweet babies.  <3  (Almost wordless Wednesday... ;))

What I Learned as a BlogHer Newbie

This was my first year attending BlogHer and it was a blast!  I had so much fun, and I learned so much.  Plus, I got to connect with a ton of bloggers who I had been fans of for years now, but never had the chance to meet in person.  I will say, that as a newbie, it was a bit overwhelming at first, but I have compiled a few of my best tips as a reminder for next year and to help anyone else who is BlogHer virgin.

*  Don't expect to sleep.  I went into this thinking that I had three nights with no kids and I was going to be so rested when I got home.  Wrong.  I went to bed later than usual and got up just as early as usual.  It took me about 3 days at home to feel back to normal, but it was well worth it!

*  4,000 women (and about 10 men) plus a lot of free stuff can get a little crazy!  Anticipate standing in lots of lines (and getting an elbow here and there ;)).

*  Bring an empty suitcase! (see above)  Holy swag!  Let's put it this way - I brought home at least a dozen bags filled with stuff, and I wasn't even in on all of the private parties!

Which brings me to my next point...

*  It's all about who you know!  I was able to snag some pretty fabulous invites, but let me tell you, I have a few more on my wish list for next year!  (Um - Jake, we had lunch together just a few weeks ago in Hollywood Studios - why wasn't I invited to your breakfast?!? You've got some explaining to do...)

*  Dress for long hours of being on your feet.  Yes - you want to look cute.  I get it, but trust me, when you are carrying around 25 lbs of swag and walking through gigantic hotels and between buildings in the city.  (This year NYC, next year Chicago!)

I am so excited for next year's adventure and the new friends that I will get to reconnect with!  I'm still digging through the business cards I collected and I hope that some of my new friends will pop by here soon!  As always, thanks to the wonderful people who read my itty bitty blog and I hope you have a great week!!

A Deep Breath and Baby Steps

It's no secret that after having children my levels of anxiety and stress have reached an all time high.  Add in a little OCD, and a fierce mama bear instinct, and sometimes my head feels like it is going to explode!  One of the things that has really gotten me through these early years as a mama are my amazing friends - both old and new.

One of those friends, who has seen me go through so many adventures as a mother, and who literally walked me up and down the street as I labored with Bean, has finally decided to share her amazing talent as a writer with the world on her blog, A Deep Breath and Baby Steps.

Lisa's blog is filled with hilarious anecdotes of her four year old twins, and shares some great insight on how to step back, take a deep breath, and move forward - something us mommies often need to be reminded of!  Check it out, and then follow her so you can keep up with the love, laughter, and sometimes drama, that two little girls can bring to a home.

PS:  Take a look back at the titles of her posts - they seriously have me laughing out loud - especially "Camp Mommy-Get-A-Grip"... Can someone tell me where to sign up??

My Lunch with Katie Couric

BlogHer was such an amazing experience, and I really can't pick a favorite part of my weekend, but one of the most inspiring moments was my lunch with Katie Couric.

That's right, I ate lunch about 15 feet from Katie Couric.  Sure, there were 4,000 other women in the room, but this was the view from my seat.

First of all, I almost fell out of my chair when she walked on stage and commented that she "love(s) the smell of estrogen in the morning" and when she then mentioned that her idea of roughing it was "staying at a Holiday Inn", I knew that we were soul mates. ;)

Honestly though, Katie Couric could not have been more real, more inspiring, or more open with the thousands of women who sat before her.  She spoke about the loss of her husband and sister to cancer, about her daughters and her role as a mom, and she spoke about her love for social media and her confusion as to why her industry is so against it.  Even though I am a stay-at-home, I loved her response when she was asked how "she handles it all".  (Work, being a parent, etc.)  She stated from the beginning that this question was offensive because "no one ever asks Brian Williams" how he handles it all, and then went on to tell us that we need to stop the "mommy wars" and let women make their own decisions and priorities without judgement. I couldn't agree more.

Katie - if you are out there somewhere reading my teeny tiny blog, THANK YOU!  You are an inspiration to women everywhere and I cannot tell you how excited I am to watch you tackle issues big and small, light and heavy, on The Katie Show.  Who knows, maybe one day I'll be in the designated blogger spots in the audience. :)

Real Moms Play Cars - BlogHer '12

I am exhausted.  This weekend was a blast, but my goodness, I am tired!!  This week is going to be so much fun trying to catch up on sleep. :/  I figured that I could probably explain the weekend better using pictures, so here's a few to get you started... 

Taken at the Hot Wheels suite, where the motto was "Real Moms Play Cars".  LOVE it.  Do you think we had fun??