BlogHer Book Club: Touch and Go

I was able to review another book with the BlogHer Book Club. This time I read Lisa Gardner's Touch and Go. Normally, this kind of genre (mystery/suspense) is not my cup of tea, however I flew through this book in less than a week and immediately grabbed another one of her books after.

In Touch and Go, Gardner kidnaps an entire (seeming normal) family and you spend the rest of the novel trying to help investigator Tessa Leoni (from her novel Love You More) track them down before it's too late.

There are so many twists and turns in this novel, Gardner definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat. Every time I thought I had everything figured out another twist came my way and I just had to keep reading to learn the truth.

Head over to BlogHer to join in the discussion (we are promising not to post any spoilers!).


This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

BlogHer Book Club: Here I Go Again

I was able to read the latest Jen Lancaster novel, Here I Go Again, as a part of the BlogHer Book Club. This was my first Jen Lancaster novel and I have to say I'm hooked.

Seriously, within the first few pages I could tell you who every person mentioned was in my high school. Every high school had a Lissy Ryder, you know, the super popular cheerleader that dated the star football player and made your life a living hell? Yup, her.

I really enjoyed this novel, it took me back to all of the John Hughes films of the '80's and it managed to put in a dash of Mean Girls. The entire novel begged the question, if you had the chance to go back and change your high school years, would you? And, I agree with Lissy, I would have totally invented Facebook.

Join in the discussions on BlogHer every week!

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

P&G eStore Stocking Stuffers

'Tis the season for giving and for great deals! I'm a huge P&G fan and treat their sale flier like gold when it comes the first weekend on the month, which is why I am so excited to be apart of the P&G eStore.

The P&G eStore has been created with shoppers for shoppers to be a premier online retail site with new and better ways to shop online. The P&G eStore is also full of deals (like I already mentioned. These deals inlcude: 

15% off on a first-time order from a new customer, using promo code: A9Z-MN5-KY3-ISA 

Free Shipping on orders over $25 

Free Samples with every order

My favorite P&G product has to be Downy Unstopables. The Unstopables are a great addition to your normal laundry routine.

The Lush Scent is my favorite by far. I love this product and am not even exaggerating. The smell is perfect and lasts for months. No, really. I've washed stuff and packed it away for the season and it still smells as fresh when I pull it out again. 

Besides the Downy Unstopables there are a ton of great P&G products, coupons and mail in rebates throughout the P&G eStore, including a must have this holiday season, Duracell batteries. 

I love finding deals on batteries, especially when almost every toy requires 40 AA's that will need to be replaced by bedtime. The P&G eStore has every Duracell battery you can think of, including rechargeable's. As a side note, if you have not tried the Duracell rechargeable batteries, you need to. We bought them last year when Aaron got a Disney monorail for Christmas and they were a lifesaver and money saver. 

Be sure to stop by the P&G eStore to stock up on some of your holiday favorites and to take advantage of the 15% promo code! Plus, who doesn't love free shipping?  

Do you have any favorite P&G products?

What cleans better than a mop and bucket?

Something I have learned since having the kiddos is that time is beyond precious. There are never enough hours in the day to accomplish everything you had hoped, and let's face it, cleaning usually is not at the top of this list.

When it comes to cleaning I have to be able to get a large amount done in a small amount of time. I usually go room by room and just tackle it as fast as I can. My least favorite chore though has to be mopping the floors. Unless I plan on doing them after the kids are in bed it's nearly impossible to do a traditional mop and bucket job on the floors without someone falling on it.

I made the decision pretty early on in the kiddos lives to switch from my traditional mop and bucket (that I swore by) to the Swiffer Wet Jet Starter Kit. I haven't gone back. Not only is the Swiffer Wet Jet quick and easy, it solves my biggest problem; super wet floors. By the time I'm done with all the flooring in the house, the section closest to the kids is already dry. I love this!

Ok, I'm sure by this point you are thinking to yourself, why is she telling me about her love of Swiffer? Well, the awesome people at BlogHer and P&G have teamed up to create a great eStore featuring our favorite P&G products.

 

Right now P&G is running a lot of amazing deals through the eStore:

• You can get 10% off purchases from now until August 31, 2012. 
• There is free shipping on purchases of $25 or more.
• Since P&G is one of the Olympic sponsors, there are a ton of great Olympic themed bundles to choose from!

Since I teamed up with BlogHer and P&G on this, I will receive a commission for anything purchased through my eStore (the picture above). I'd love if you checked out the eStore and made some purchases. There are definitely some great deals (don't forget to share these with your family and friends!) on your favorite P&G products (Olay, Swiffer, Tide, Downy, etc) and with gas prices climbing, it's probably cheaper to just buy it online with free shipping, right? 

Let's keep the conversation going, how do you save time cleaning in your house? Is it by using products like Swiffer Wet Jet? 

Disclosure: I am participating in a eStore promotion with BlogHer and P&G. I will receive a commission on any products purchased through my eStore. All opinions expressed above are my own, and were in no way influenced.

Life Well Lived Looking Your Best Answer: How to Give, Ask For or Receive Style Advice‏

I'm participating in another Life Well Lived post from BlogHer. The question this week is:

Have you ever asked for or given style advice to a friend or family member? How did it go? What are your best tips for having this delicate style conversation without creating hurt feelings?

Even though my sister is in Chicago, I will still ask her opinion on clothes, makeup, hair, you name it. 9 times out of 10 if I'm looking for a specific outfit I will text her a photo from the dressing room asking her opinion. Why do I ask my sister? Because she'll be honest with me, and you always need someone that will tell you that, yes, that dress makes your butt look big. 

Style advice is such a hard topic to handle, and I'm not really a good person to go to when asking if something looks good. I can't lie well when it comes to that. You can pretty much see it on my face if I don't like it. It's hard to soften the blow sometimes, but in the end, I would rather someone I know and love tell me it doesn't look right then some stranger at a party or a restaurant. 

Join in the discussion over at BlogHer and be sure to check out all of the discussions in the Life Well Lived section. While you're there take a minute and enter the Life Well Lived sweepstakes! 

BlogHer Book Club: My Artist's Way Toolkit

As a part of BlogHer's Book Club I was able to review Julia Cameron's My Artist's Way Toolkit. My Artist's Way Toolkit, is based on Julia Cameron's best-selling books including The Artist's Way. With the My Artist's Way Toolkit you receive daily affirmations, inspiration and artist date ideas from Julia.

I have to say that this is a pretty awesome service. There are so many times that we, as writers, get stuck in a rut and just can't get those creative juices flowing. With The Artist's Way Toolkit there are so many opportunities to broaden what you write about and how you write it. The daily journaling entries are great ways to push you outside of what you normally write about. Plus, there are daily affirmations, which let's face it, we need to hear sometimes.

If you are looking to expand your writing, or get yourself out of a rut, I highly recommend trying out My Artist's Way Toolkit.

Head over to BlogHer to see what everyone else is saying, and join in the discussion!



Disclosure: I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review but all opinions expressed are my own.

Life Well Lived Looking Your Best: Favorite Beauty Resources

I was selected to answer another Life Well Lived Looking Your Best question. The question this week is:  

What are your favorite fashion, style and beauty resources?

I honestly find a lof of my fashion, style, and beauty tips on Pinterest. There are so many great tutorials on there for makeup and hair! I used one of them for our friends wedding and absolutely loved the way it came out. This is the best photo I have of it, this is also after rain and humidity did its dirty work to it:

You can find the tutorial for this hairstyle on my Pinterst board, or directly from the website.

With fashion, Pinterest and Polyvore are really the sites I hit up the most. I love seeing the combinations that people put together and try to find my own version at the stores I shop at. 

Join in the conversation over in the Life Well Lived section of BlogHer. You can also enter to win an iPod Touch in the Life Well Lived Moments Sweepstakes!

Life Well Lived: Looking Your Best

I'm participating in another one of BlogHer's Life Well Lived questions. Here the question of the week: 

What are your favorite ways to dress well for your size and shape? How do you make your wardrobe work through transitions?


I definitely had to relearn how to dress myself after the kiddos. To be perfectly honest, I'm still learning. I may be the same weight that I was from before I had them, but by no means am I the same shape.

I've definitely embraced brighter colors with much darker bottoms. I've also embraced the trouser cut jean, it's been a lifesaver.

As far as making my wardrobe work through transitions, I have a two size range in almost everything I own, this way, at any given time I have something that fits.

Check out what everyone else is saying on the main post on BlogHer.com and while you are there be sure to enter the sweepstakes!

The Book of Jonas

I had the opportunity to read another selection from BlogHer's Book Club, The Book of Jonas by Stephen Dau. 

The book is about a Muslim boy who, after war tears through his village, moves to America. Jonas is born Younis, then changes his name when he starts his new life, remembering very little of what brought him to America in the first place. The novel bounces between three different lives: Jonas, Christopher (an American soldier), and Rose (Christopher's mother).  All three lives are intertwined, even though the details are sketchy in the beginning.

To be perfectly honest, I had a hard time diving into this book, but once I hit the middle of the book I couldn't put it down. I think I was frustrated that Jonas could not remember his former life and that while you were reading it you could not determine if the events were real or in his imagination (something similar to Sapphire's The Kid). 

The book itself is moving and, for a debut novel, pretty amazing. The struggle that Jonas goes through while trying to remember his life and the events that connect him with Christopher and Rose is hard to handle at times. You feel awful for Jonas, and yet it is entirely believable. I think the part in the book that stood out to me the most is when you discover the story behind the cover, with the lioness and the gazelle. To see that story translate from nature to a war zone is beyond words.

 I would not be shocked if this was based on a true story (it's not) because it is so easy to see something of this nature happening. I don't want to give away too many details on the book, but I highly HIGHLY recommend this book.

Head over to BlogHer's Book Club page to learn more about The Book of Jonas and to join in the discussion.

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

Life Well Lived...Getting Happy

I was selected to answer another Life Well Lived Getting Happy question. The question is:

How do you put yourself first? How does taking time for yourself help make you happier?

I think as a Mom the whole concept of putting myself first was a hard one to grasp. I think so often we are made to feel guilty or selfish if we put ourselves first. The fact of the matter is we often need to, it's really the only way to stay sane.

My dear friend Elizabeth Lyons said it best when she said, "What do you do when your car is on E? You go to the gas station and fill up, right? So what do you do when you are running on E? You need to fill up on whatever it is that makes you happy."

I think that statement says it all. If we are putting everyone else first and not taking any time for ourselves unhappiness/resentment is sure to follow. The thing is, what you do does not have to be some big extravagant thing. I'm not saying make a daily spa appointment or anything like that. What I'm saying is, do something that makes you happy and do it alone. It can be something as simple as taking a bubble bath at the end of the night, or going for a pedicure. Sometimes, for me, it's going to the grocery store sans kids. Seriously, it's like a vacation.

I'm going to leave you with one last quote, and it's one my very Southern husband says all the time, "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy".

Be sure to check out all the other Life Well Lived Getting Happy discussions over at BlogHer and while you're there enter the Live Well Lived Sweepstakes!

Life Well Lived...Looking Your Best

I'm teaming up with the great ladies of BlogHer today in their Life Well Lived segment. This week is about looking your best and here is the questioned that was posed to me:

What are your beauty resolutions this year? How do you plan to shake up and streamline your routine? What are the good habits you are committing to developing?

For the most part my daily look is pretty simple. I've been trying to mix up how I style my hair, this way it's not the typical "mom hair". However, something I've noticed is that my "daily" look never seems to change into my "going out with my hubby" look. I making a conscious effort this year to try and look more...romantic....when we go out. So I guess you could say that my resolution is to shake up my normal routine and experiment with new looks. I have every intention of getting tips, tricks and ideas from my niece who just graduated from beauty school (her makeup is always flawless).

As far as good habits I'm committing to, I'm really trying to stay ahead of the aging process. Ever since I moved to Florida I have made sure that all of my lotions and makeup contain at least an SPF of 15 since the sun is always out. I also try and pamper my skin once a week with a mask, I've definitely noticed a difference in this. I'm also trying to stay on top of cleaning my makeup brushes. Honestly, I am pretty bad about this. Everyday I wipe them down to get the color off of them, but I'm bad about actually washing them. I've taken to setting reminders in my phone so I can stay on top of it. I've also started setting reminders for when it's time to throw out makeup, this way I'm not using expired products. Check out this article on About.com to find out when to throw out your products.

Want to join in on the discussion? Head over to BlogHer and check out the main post and leave comments there. While you're there, please visit the Life Well Lived Sweepstakes starting on January 26^th and enter for a chance to win a Kindle Fire and a $50 Amazon Gift Card.

Bounce Dryer Bar Review

I was lucky enough to sample the new Bounce Dryer Bar. I'm not a fan of dryer sheets, but I love the smell of fabric softener (don't act like you don't like the smell). The Bounce Dryer Bar is so easy to install and puts out an amazing scent. Plus, it lasts anywhere from 2-6 months. Isn't that great?

Here's how you install your Bounce Dryer Bar:

Installing the Bounce Dryer Bar is simple and can be completed in just a few easy steps. Just be sure to wipe down the dryer drum before you install the bar.

Step 1:

Select a location on the drum BETWEEN the dryer fins. DO NOT pick the back wall, the door nor the fins (the pieces that stick up from the dryer drum).

Step 2:

Wipe the area clean and dry and be sure it is free of any residue.

Step 3:

Peel back the paper backing from the adhesive on the back of the white holder of the dryer bar.

Step 4:

Stick the bar to your dryer and press firmly for 15 seconds. Be sure it's exactly where you want it before you attach it - changing locations will result in the holder falling off of your dryer. You can not reuse the adhesive.

Step 5:

Wait 15 minutes before using.

Easy, right? But what about when it needs to be replaced? The bar will reveal the word "Replace" when it's time to switch out your bar. How great is that?!

Thanks to the people from BlogHer and Bounce for supplying me with a bar to sample!

BlogHer Book Club Review: Lunch Wars

The moment I started reading Amy Kalafa's Lunch Wars I immediately had flash backs to what I ate in the cafeteria in school. I remember the grease soaked pizza pockets, the hot dogs, and the hamburgers. Nothing about any of those meals sounds remotely appetizing to me and I would hate to see them served in my kiddos school.

Lunch Wars dives into some of the nations schools and how parents have worked to change the cafeterias and food programs in their areas. I am not totally familiar with the programs at the schools in my kids areas and was planning on packing them lunches anyway, that way I would have control over what they ate. That little dream of mine was practically shattered when I was reading the book and saw that Kalafa's own daughter was bamboozling her and eating Pop-Tarts and french fries, all stuff that was off limits for her. I began to think my little plan would not work.

Now here's the thing, my kids have Oreo's, french fries and things of that nature. This book kind of made me feel like I am destroying my children to the point of no return. I understand that these types of things are by no means healthy and contribute to the fact that our kids probably will not outlive us because of the health problems they will have, but what's wrong with McDonald's every once in a while? Sometimes the book comes off a little extreme and I find myself up at night worrying if my kids will end up with Type 2 Diabetes because I let them have a Nutter Butter. In reality what it comes down to is you need to find a balance for you and your kids. For my family it comes down to understanding what our genetics are, what diseases we are more likely to have and to adjust our diet to prevent those. It's also about getting out and being active.

That being said, I do think that the school cafeteria situation needs to change. I appreciate that this book is basically a how-to for reforming the food program in your school, it will definitely be a reference if I feel that the food in the school cafeteria in my area needs to be changed. All in all I think this book is a great resource that every parent should read it to better educate themselves about what is going on in the schools and how they can make a change.

Be sure to check out the discussions going on at BlogHer about this book!

This was a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

BlogHer Book Club Review: The Kid

I had an opportunity to read and review Sapphire's "The Kid" for BlogHer's Book Club. Hands down this is the most disturbing book I have ever read in my life.

Check out my review on BlogHer's site and be sure to read the other reviews of "The Kid"

Thanks again to everyone at BlogHer and Penguin Books for the opportunity!

Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup (aka Beer Cheese Soup)

I've been making this soup for a while now and it's one of those recipes that seems to get better and better each time I make it. I first had this soup at Le Cellier in EPCOT and have loved it since. I was so excited when I found it in the Delicious Disney Cookbook, and have since tweaked it to make it my own. This time I changed the stock and the beer that I used. Previously I was using Swanson Stock and Moosehead Beer. I swapped both of those out for Knorr's new concentrated homestyle chicken stock and Labatt Blue. I think changing these two items totally enhanced the flavors and made it hands down the best batch I've ever made. Between prepping your ingredients and cook time this recipe takes about an hour, and is so worth the wait!

Here are the ingredients that you need:

• 1/2 pound of bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces *Do not cheat on the bacon, it needs to be good bacon to get the right flavoring. Also, freeze it first so it's easier to slice.

• 1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  

• 3 celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch pieces *Tip: Peel your celery, it adds so much flavor!

• 4 tablespoons butter

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 3 cups chicken stock *You need good stock for this recipe and hands down the Knorr concentrated chicken stock has been the best I've used, more on that later.
  
  

• 4 cups milk

• 1 pound grated white cheddar cheese

• 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• Coarse salt, freshly ground pepper to taste

• 1/2 cup warm beer *You can use any beer, but I recommend Labatt Blue

• Chopped scallions or chives, for garnish

Preparations

In a 4- or 5-quart Dutch oven, cook the bacon, stirring, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Do not drain the fat.


While your bacon is cooking bring 3 1/2 cups of water to a boil and then add your Knorr concentrated chicken stock. Stir until dissolved and remove from heat.


Add the butter and let melt into the bacon, then add your red onion, and celery and sauté until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. In regards to the the size of your chop, I like mine a little more "rustic" if you will, but I've also taken my chopper to the onion and celery and had it really small which works well too.


Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes over medium heat.

Whisk in the chicken stock and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.


Add the milk and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Do not boil after you add the milk.


Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese...

Then stir in Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper until the cheese is melted and the soup is smooth.
Taste the soup and then re-season if necessary. I usually add a dash more of Tabasco and a pinch more of salt, but you should season to your taste.

Stir in warm beer. If the soup is too thick, thin with some warm milk.


Serve the soup hot, garnished with chopped scallions or chives (optional).

I usually let this simmer for an additional 30 minutes to really let it soak in the flavor, but I've also had it right after it was ready. This is definitely one of those soups that is even better the next day.

I know a hot soup in the summer is not something you instantly think of, but on a stormy night, it's so good. Thank you again to BlogHer for introducing me to Knorr Chicken Stock, I'm fairly certain I will not be going back to any other stock after using this.

BlogHer Book Club Review: Getting to Happy

I have another review up over at BlogHer this week and this time I got to review Terry McMillan's Getting to Happy. This is the sequel to Waiting to Exhale, a book I haven't read but am dying to read now.

Head over to BlogHer to read my review as well as all of the other reviews. Thanks again to the amazing women at BlogHer for putting together this book club!

BlogHer Book Club Review: A Discovery of Witches

I had another great opportunity to do a review for the BlogHer Book Club! This time I read A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. To say it was good is a huge understatement. I'm probably going to reread this at least once a month until the second in the series comes out sometime in 2012.

Be sure to check out all of the reviews on A Discovery of Witches, by you know you can always check out mine here.

Thanks again to BlogHer Book Club for sending over another amazing title!

Lake Louisa Nature Fest

Saturday morning we headed up to Lake Louisa state park to check out Nature Fest. In all the years that we have lived here we've never been and I don't know why. The place is gigantic and full of a ton of things for us to do.

We were hoping to do one of the hikes, specifically the butterfly walk, but the kids were too young so instead we just checked out all of the tents and activities they had on the beach. The kids got to do a scavenger hunt, learn about bird houses, visit a Native American (whether he actually was one or not I'm not sure), and check out some animals.



I think the highlight of Aaron's day was when he got to pet a snake. Don't ask me what kind of snake it was, all I know is it was big and not something I would ever like to be that close to ever again. Aaron loved it though and I'm just hoping that love doesn't mean he will bring me one if he finds it in the backyard.


The whole morning was a blast and I cannot wait to go back and check out some of the nature trails. I'll pause so you can stop laughing, I know the site of me hiking on a trail with wild animals is hilarious.

Done? Ok good....anyway thanks to all the volunteers that were there that morning, it was awesome!

Don't forget to head over to BlogHer and check out my review for the BlogHer Book Club!

Girl in Translation

I'm lucky enough to be a part of the BlogHer Book Club and last month we got a chance to read Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok. Head over to BlogHer to read not only my review, but everyone elses' as well!

I'll be reviewing more books in the coming months, so be sure to keep checking back! I cannot wait to share what I'm reading!!!

Thank you again BlogHer for the awesome opportunity!

Walt Disney Studios: Secretariat

Scott and I were lucky enough that we were able to go to an advanced screening of Disney's new film, Secretariat, last night.


Here's the description from Disney:

Based on the remarkable true story, “Secretariat” chronicles the spectacular journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner. Housewife and mother Penny Chenery ( Diane Lane ) agrees to take over her ailing father’s Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge. Against all odds, Chenery—with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich)—manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and what may be the greatest racehorse of all time.



The big joke between Scott and I before we even stepped foot in the theater was "Well we know how it ends", but the film kept us on the edge of our seats. It literally took all we had not to jump up and start yelling during the race scenes. I even turned to Scott during one of the race scenes and said "I have no idea why I'm nervous" but I literally had that nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. You want to root for Penny and Secretariat the whole film.



For me the casting was perfect. I love John Malkovich, he's quirky, funny, creepy (per my sister Cathy) and just flat out awesome. He was perfect in for the role of Lucien Laurin. Diane Lane was also cast perfectly as Penny Chenery-Tweedy. I like that when you are watching a film you forget who the actor is and you see them as the person they are playing. I think this film did an amazing job with that.


When we left the theater Scott and I immediately said this is a must own when it comes to DVD and that we would probably go see it again in the theaters after it's release date (10/8/10). It was that amazing. We both also said we hadn't seen that kind of a movie in a long time, you know the one where you forget that you've been sitting there for 2.5 hours. I think this is a film the whole family would enjoy and it's definitely a must see!

Thank you again to Blogher for the chance to see the film and to Disney for the use of the graphic/clips!

Head over to Multiples and More to see the amazing giveaway we are doing to prepare for the release of Secretariat!