She is getting married!

That's right!  After the engagement, shower, and bachelorette party, my little sister's wedding day is finally here!  I am so excited for the two of them and cannot wait to spend the day (and night) celebrating.

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. C!

I hope you all have a great weekend as well!

* photo courtesy of Dane Sanders Photography

Zucchini Pancakes

Remember when I posted the Tomato Feta Salad that was supporting my plan for detoxing?  Well, the same night I made this salad I also made Zucchini Pancakes.  Like I had said, I was adamant about over-indulging in vegetables and why have only one veggie dish for dinner when you can have two? 

These pancakes were so easy to make and did provide a great dose of nutrients as well.  Were they fried?  Yes, but be honest.  Fried just makes it that much better.  Plus, you are allowed to fry vegetables because, well, they are vegetables!

This is a great dish to make for those who are detoxing or perhaps those who have children to feed since adding the word "pancake" to the name is hypnotizing to children.  They do not even know what they are eating.

He Did It

I have mentioned my anxiety issues a couple of times on the blog (if you missed it, click here and here) but haven't ever mentioned my Middle Man.  While going through my therapy (yep, still going, and I always will, without a doubt), my therapist said that since I have anxiety, there is a high chance one of my children will as well.  The signs that she began to mention described my Middle Man to a T.  Terrible sleep habits, tantrums before school and at the dentist, crying at birthday parties, and basically, constant fears about so many things.  I always say things happen for a reason and I truly believe that my anxiety became unbearable, simply to push me to get help and allow me to open my eyes to what my son was dealing with.  I think otherwise, I would have completely overlooked it and would have just thought he was my "difficult one".


After speaking to a number of doctors, my hubby and I were referred to a therapist who deals specifically with children who have high anxiety.  At our first meeting with him, he actually mentioned that is it rare that he sees 4 year olds as most times, parents do not notice the problem until about 7 or 8 (again, thank goodness I had my own issues and could see it in him).  Because of his age, he felt that the only "therapy" we could really give our Middle Man was to force him to face his fears and help him realize that they were not so scary after all.  This meant allowing him to completely freak out (a.k.a tantrums, crying, screaming, etc.) and never remove him from the situation, so that he realized that once he calmed down, it was not so scary.  Let me say this.  It is REALLY hard being the parent that has a child freaking out and you do nothing, immediately calling upon opinions by other parents that 1. they are so happy that is not how their child acts and 2. how can those parents just sit there like this while he behaves this way?  I know we shouldn't think about what other people think but sometimes it is hard.


Regardless of the judgement, we both committed to doing this and over the past few weeks it has started to make such a difference.  Here are just a few examples.


1. After crying at his first few games of baseball (which mind you, he was SO excited to play), by the end of the season he played all innings and walked away having the time of this life.


2. After 4 years of not getting his teeth cleaned at the dentist, he officially sat through a cleaning this week.  He was extremely hesitant at first but thanks to patience from the office, he did it.  I could not believe it.


3. After coming to our room every single night for as long as I can remember, we began bringing him back to his room each time he came in, talking through what is scaring him and left him to fall back asleep.  The first night we were awake from 12:30am to 4:15am.  Last night, he only came in twice and immediately went back to sleep both times.


These small steps may seem like nothing to some but the confidence that I am seeing in him is incredible.  It is definitely going to be a hard road for both him and us as I know for every step forward there are sometimes steps backward.  That is okay though.  Because every time I see him accomplish something that he was afraid of, the smile on his face is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.

Wish List: Nicholas Kirkwood Slingbacks

How fabulous are these shoes?

They have my two current obsessions, orange and stripes, all rolled up into one.

Plus, they are a great heel height for this mega tall lady.

Perhaps I need to come up with another bet with the hubby to score these...  

Nicholas Kirkwood Patent-Leather and Satin Slingbacks

Nicky's Picks with SPACE.NK.apothecary

When I hosted my first event with SPACE.NK last November, I fell in love with the apothecary.  Each item that I went home with has since become a staple in my skincare regime.  I had heard the same from other individuals who attended that event and was so excited to find a one-stop shop for incredible skincare products.  Being that I firmly believe SPACE.NK carries the some of the best skincare products in the world, imagine my excitement when they asked me to return and host another event this past Thursday.

Our first event was focused on "Mom's on the Go" so this time they changed it up a bit and highlighted "Nicky's Picks of the Season".  If you have not had the pleasure of meeting Nicky Kinnaird in person and hear her speak on skincare, you are really missing out.  She walked us through her "must haves" for summer and then each individual was able to meet with her and members of her team to discuss their own skincare needs.  It was another successful event and once again, SPACE.NK delivered on a fun evening of skincare, laughs and the perfect excuse for a Girl's Night Out.

Thank you SPACE.NK.apothecary, Bloomingdale's and everyone who attended the event for making it such a success!

The Stage!

Nicky and I

The Gift Bags!

And what did I come home with?  Take a look!

Eve Lom Cleanser
NIA24 Sun Damage Protection Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30
BAKEL P-Lipic (Rebuilding Formula) Serum
Clarisonic Sensitive Brush Replacement

The Wendy Bellissimo Launch Party

After visiting the Brunello Cucinelli Showroom and sipping champagne in Beverly Hills, what better way to end the day than attending the Wendy Bellissimo Launch Party for Gilt Baby and Kids!  Hosted by Angie Harmon, the event was held at The Palihouse in West Hollywood and I am so glad we made the trip up from Orange County to attend.  The new collection includes clothing, bedding, shoes and bags and I would be hard pressed to decide which items were my favorite.  The clothing launched on Gilt this past Wednesday (did you catch it?) but the other items will continue to launch over the coming months.  If you are not currently currently a member of Gilt, you can click here to become a member.  If you are prego, or have little ones, you are not going to want to miss this.  Thank you so much to Gilt and Wendy Bellissimo for having us!

The host, Angie Harmon with Wendy Bellissimo
Wendy and I
My friend K and I posing for the camera

Sharon Osbourne previewing the shoes
The venue (LOVED it)
The delicious cocktail menu

* all photos courtesy of Getty Images and Juggling in Heels

The Brunello Cucinelli Showroom

It is no secret that I am a HUGE fan of Brunello Cucinelli and the people that work there (evidence by this event and this event).  I have been trying for what feels like FOREVER to get up to LA and visit their Beverly Hills showroom but it never seemed to work out.  With the Wendy Bellissimo Launch Party on the calendar, and my best friend in town, I finally had a reason to go up and visit.  I am so glad I did.  The showroom was just as beautiful as the stores and it was so much fun to get a sneak peak at Fall and what was in store for the line.  What sounds better than "Cashmere Fur"?.  I will tell what does.  NOTHING. 

Find Jessica Alba wearing these in the recent People: Style Watch!

After previewing the showroom we headed down to Villa Blanca for lunch with Jessica from their PR team, whom I adore.  We made a final stop in the boutique to check out what is now my favorite item from the Fall collection.  I am DYING over the below skirt.  It is AH-MAZING.

  Thank you so much to Brunello Cucinelli for having us.  It was such an incredible way to kick off our day in LA!

A Day in LA

Yesterday I spent the majority of the day up in LA with my Best Friend K.  Oh how I love Girl Time.  We had fun visiting the Brunello Cucinelli showroom, having lunch with one of my favorite PR girls (thank you again J!), shopping on Rodeo, drinking champagne at the Montage Beverly Hills and attending the Wendy Bellissimo Collection Launch party for Gilt Kids.  Best of all, it was the first time in a long time that we got to hang out and chat without pure chaos kids running around us.  It just reminds me how much I hate that she does not live in Orange County anymore.  But that is an entire different story that I continue to make her feel guilty about.  But back to yesterday.  I took a ton of photos from the day and will definitely share, but for now, here are just a few of the photos I took on my phone.  More to come later this week!

A quick shot of us before we headed to the event

Best Friends.  Champagne.  What is better?

Everything was absolutely adorable.  I loved it all.

One of our favorite items at the event.  How fab is this diaper bag?

 This first launch of the collection on Gilt is TODAY so do not miss it!  If you are not a member of Gilt yet, you can sign up by clicking here.  If you have little ones, you are going to want to check this out.

Independence

Fourth of July is right around the corner and I don't know about you but I LOVE this holiday.  Our community makes it an all day event with a 5K and pancake breakfast in the morning, carnival in the afternoon and then an evening of bands and fireworks.  I completely get into it and have such a great time celebrating with the family.  And do I wear red, white and blue?  As a matter of fact, I do.  Here are just a few things around the web that are getting me in the holiday spirit!

Don't forget!  This Thursday is the Space.NK event at Bloomingdale's!  There are just a couple spots left so click here for all the RSVP details before it is too late!  

All American Weekend

There are certain moments when you look back and say, this is what life is all about.  That was this past weekend.  Whether it was a dinner party with some incredible friends, playing at the pool, baseball games, or celebrating Father's Day with my family, I loved everything about this past weekend.  

Since we were having people over two days in a row, I was not about to overwhelm myself with two different menus.  Different main courses while using the same side dish and desserts made for one sane hostess and a lot of laughter.

At the Saturday night dinner party we enjoyed....

Wasabi stuffed shrimp, courtesy of my friend J

One of the best meat, cheese and bread plates ever, courtesy of my friend B

Orzo Salad, which I made both nights

My new favorite dessert: Java Chip ice cream covered with Lulu B's Chocolate Martini, sprinkled with crushed sugar cones

As a main course I made Grilled Chicken with Basil Dressing but I am not posting a picture because seeing a chicken breast in a photo just looks gross does not look right to me.  But I will say, it was awesome.  Even if you can't see it.

For Father's Day we duplicated the Orzo Salad, added a green salad and watermelon in there and created a pretty awesome Burger bar.  Here was my creation.

There you have it.  A weekend full of too much good food and now I am returning to my detoxing that I mentioned last week.  Sooner or later I am going to stick to it....I think.

On a more serious note, I want to give my love to two incredible Fathers in my life.  Both my own dad and my hubby.  Their love for their family is beyond words and Father's Day is just a small token celebration for how grateful I am for both of them.  I could repeat what I said last year about each of them but instead, just click here to read the post.  It is just as true now as it was then.  

Vegas Training

The innocent children....or are they???.
BTW: That is root beer all over my Oldest's shirt

A while back I wrote this post on the Chuck E. Cheese mystery wine, which, just so you know, they still serve.  I have not been back to this forsaken place until yesterday when a friend and I decided to take the kids after their last day of school.  A large small sacrifice to make for our excited little ones.  

As we were getting settled into our table and the kids began running around like maniacs, it all suddenly became clear.  This is where it starts.  What is "it" you ask?  Vegas training.  Don't believe me?  Let me lay it out for you nice and simple.

Vegas - Every adult arrives with excitement, enthusiasm and hope.

Chuck E. Cheese - Every child arrives with excitement, enthusiasm and hope.

Vegas - Adults walk around with buckets of coins ready for any machine waiting.

Chuck E. Cheese - Children walk around with buckets of tokens ready for any machine waiting.

Large bucket of tokens or coins???  Hard to tell right?

Vegas - Cocktail waitresses walk around and people smile at them.

Chuck E. Cheese - A large mouse walks around and people smile at him.

Vegas - The amount you planned on spending is never enough.  You ALWAYS pull out more money.

Chuck E. Cheese - The amount the parents planned on spending is never enough.  They ALWAYS pull out more money.

Vegas - There are games everywhere that have a ton of lights and make a lot of noise.

Chuck E. Cheese - There are games everywhere that have a ton of lights and make a lot of noise.

Don't tell me this does not look like a slot machine

Vegas - Adults run around seemingly drugged on alcohol, gambling, and no food.

Chuck E. Cheese - Children run around seemingly drugged on soda, game playing and crappy pizza.

Vegas - After numerous hours adults start to walk around with their mouths hanging open, unable to comprehend where they are.

Chuck E. Cheese - After numerous hours children start to walk around with their mouths hanging open, unable to comprehend where they are.

Vegas - Adults spend hundreds of dollars trying to win their money back.

Chuck E. Cheese - Children spend hundreds of dollars trying to get enough tickets for a gum ball machine that would have cost $5.

Vegas - Adults walk out of a casino blurry eyed, dirty, tired, less money than they went in, hop in a car and have someone else drive them to their hotel, thinking about what a great night they had and when they can go back.

Chuck E. Cheese - Children walk out of the place blurry eyed, dirty, tired, their parents have less money, hop in a car and have their parent drive them home, thinking about what a great time they had and when they can go back.

There you have it!  It is apparent that my now second grader is currently training for his first trip to Sin City and I was completely oblivious, until now.  I am on to you Chuck.