Move Forward

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I have discovered that I tend to be a negative person.

You would never know it.  

I laugh.  I smile.  I have the best time with friends and family.  But yet, I am still negative.  

Negative about what you ask?

Well, I am discovering.... most everything.

The thing is.  I may not say negative things.  I may never show my negativity.  No, my negativity is defined through my worry.  Worry about me.  Worry about my kids.  Worry about the husband.  

And yes, worrying is being negative.

And it sucks.

And I don't like this characteristic in me.

I worry about bad things happening.

I worry about my children getting hurt by others.

I worry about my successes and failures.

I worry about my children getting sick.

I worry about something happening to my husband when he travels.

This list could really go on and on.

And then something hits me in the face.  

And it is usually another child.

A child who is facing something negative, something scary, and yet shows only positivity.

A child who smiles when they have just gone through chemo.  A child who smiles when they do not know what is happening to them.  A sick child who shows compassion for another sick child.

And then I realize what a fool I am.

We live this life once.  And shitty things are going to happen.  But why worry about them happening before they actually do?  And why is it that children are the ones that teach us adults how to act when it comes to facing something scary and unknown.  Shouldn't we be the ones teaching them?

But so often we are not.

My friend made an amazing comment last week that has stuck with me ever since and hopefully she doesn't mind sharing it here.  

" We try to teach our children to be brave, strong-minded and resilient...but when a child teaches us those things...that's a life lesson".

It couldn't have been better stated.

Becoming an adult seems to bring a world of negativity.  Always expecting the worst, not appreciating what you have, demanding more out of life when what we have been given is a gift.

Children remind us that this is not a negative world.

It is not a place to dwell on what could happen.

It is not a gift that should be wasted.

It is a gift that we should embrace, love and smile each day, because God didn't provide us this gift to spend it worrying.  It was given for us to embrace it fully.

So now I am moving forward.

I have decided there is no room for negativity and worry in my life.  

And I am going to do my best to move beyond this, taking a few lessons from some incredible children that I know.  

And I invite you to join me.

The Last Month

December always seems to exist in such a blur doesn't it?  

Thanksgiving hits and then it is as if the fast forward button is pushed and without a second to breathe, Christmas Eve arrives and we begin to wonder what just happened.

Being my favorite time of year, the only thing I end up regretting at Christmas time is how fast it came and went.  It bothers me that such an amazing time could be over so quickly.  This year I took a different approach and decided to leave the stress behind, simply trying to enjoy the season.  Because isn't that what happens?  We get caught up in all the planning and preparing that we forget to embrace the beauty of it?

This year I laughed, hugged, drank, ate, smiled, and celebrated with family and friends.  I listened to Christmas tunes, I decorated a tree, I watched Baby Girl play with our Nativity, and I read Christmas stories.  I hosted friends, cooked, attended mass, went on walks with the family, attended parties and enjoyed some down time with the hubby and kids.

Some things I didn't do was visit a mall (thank you Amazon Prime and the greater internet...oh yes, and my UPS man), make Christmas cookies, worry about a clean house, get dressed some days, worry about calories, over-commit ourselves, worry about a properly decorated dining room table and many other things that just seem to cause a lot of stress over the holidays.

The outcome was a holiday season that I can say, for the first time in a while I TRULY enjoyed.  It is the first time in a while that I am not sad to see it end because I know I did everything I could to make it memorable.  I loved this year and learned a valuable lesson that I plan to carry on in years to come.  Christmas is not about what needs to be done but the joy and hope of life.  

When you take a moment and look back at the Christmas memories that are created every day, it is not the details that you ever remember.  

It is the smiles, the hugs, the laughs of your family and friends.  

Nothing more.  Nothing less.

When I was Young

When I was young, I took my parents love for granted.  I never realized how special that was.  How many children live without parents.  

When I was young, I could be mean at times.  I never realized how words could bring such pain to someone else.

When I was young, I was scared of homeless people.  I never recognized the compassion in their eyes and the hope in their face that perhaps one day, life will change.

When I was young, I saved all my money for a new toy, or clothes or something for me.  I never realized the importance of giving to others.

When I was young, I argued with my siblings.  I never realized the affect they would have on my life and how much they truly mean to me.

When I was young, I would argue with my parents.  I never realized that they were just trying their best, learning along the way, and how much it hurt them to get me in trouble.

When I was young, I was insecure.  I never realized that so was everyone else.  

When I was young, I wanted to have a fairy tale wedding.  I never realized that a wedding is different than a marriage and how hard it would be.  I never realized it would also be better than I ever imagined.

When I was young, I couldn't wait to be a mommy.  I never realized that you could love something as much as you love your children.  I never realized the power of this gift.

When I was young, I had no responsibility.  I never realized how responsibility changes you, shapes you and makes you who you are.

When I was young, I broke up with boyfriends.  I never realized how insensitive I was.  I never realized it could have been handled better.

When I was young, I thought I was always right.  I never realized that my stubbornness had a negative impact on relationships.  I never realized that working together, as a team, brings greater joy than ever being right.

When I was young, I thought I had my life all planned out.  I never realized that not knowing is what makes this life so great.

When I was young, I took my Grandparents for granted.  I never realized the importance of them living a full life filled with so many experiences.  I never realized their knowledge would mean so much to me.

When I was young, I took my faith for granted.  I never realized that I would come to depend solely on my faith to travel through life.

When I was young, I was afraid of getting old.  I never realized the gift of living a long life.

When I was young, I feared the day I had grey hairs and wrinkles.  I never realized that grey hairs and wrinkles come with experiences, celebrations and memories.

Is getting older and aging really as negative as it is sometimes perceived?  Personally, I am a much better person today than I ever was when I was young.

Close to the End

This is it.  

The fundraiser I have been working on for all of 2013 is this Saturday and I cannot believe it.  Chairing this has been incredible and it has been amazing to see so many incredible women come together for something we all support.  I have loved every minute of it.  

To ensure that I am keeping my head on straight, getting all the details I need in order and finding some time to breathe, I am going to take the week off of the blog.  After Saturday I will be back but I think it is important for me to simply focus on this and not worry about whether a post is ready or not.  I am looking forward to sharing so much though when I return!

You can follow along on instagram if you want to see how the week and event unfolds.

Have a great week!

Image via

The 80's

Susie Cakes nailed it with the BoomBox Cake

Saturday night was spent with some amazing people celebrating my 35th birthday.  We told everyone it was an 80's party and we wanted to see people dress up but I had NO IDEA people would go all out.  I mean, all out.  We had JR Ewing, Gene Simmons, Milli Vanilli, President Reagan, Maverick and many, many others.  The hubby even sported a button down shirt sans pants with tube socks a la Tom Cruise in Risky Business.  Guests dined on In and Out Cheeseburgers, Twinkies, and Cool Ranch Doritos.  The bar made up some 80's cocktails and the dance floor was out of control. I danced for hours on end and seriously had one of the best times ever.  I am already loving 35.  I wish I could include all the photos but here are just some from the night.  If I shared all that I would want to, this post would be endless.  

I think Robert Palmer would be proud

Trying to get a group shot on the dance floor.  Seriously impossible

The Best

When I first started Juggling in Heels, I did it because I love to write.  Sure sharing my love for my family, friends and fashion is a blast but getting to spend a few moments each day to put my thoughts into words is where I find my calm.  Who knew something more would come from it.

A few months ago, Orange Coast Magazine reached out to find some of my favorites in Orange County.  I casually sent off a list of some of my favorite restaurants and shops to help add to their list, not assuming any of them would be picked.  To my surprise, they actually picked six of my suggestions and asked me to do the 50-60 word write up on each.

Writing the drafts, working with the editor and confirming the facts was such an awesome experience and I could not wait for the issue to go to print.  Once the middle of June hit I knew the issue would be arriving any day so I was like a child, checking the mail everyday while crossing my fingers that it had arrived.  The day it showed up and I saw my name under the heading "Contributing Writers", I could not contain my excitement.  I know that there are a lot of writers out there that write a ton of articles but I was still crazy excited about it.

I never expected an opportunity like this to come from writing this blog.  NEVER.  But isn't that the best part of life?  You never really know what to expect and if you do not try something, you never know where it might lead.

And now you all have to go grab an issue!  

What were my "Best Of's"?  The pieces on Bardot (boutique), Cinepolis (A dine in movie experience), Anqi Bistro (restaurant), 370 Common (restaurant), Cucina Enoteca (restaurant) and of course, the Neiman Marcus shoe department.

I hope everyone is having a great start to the week!

Just Thinking...

Tomorrow is the last day of school.  I do not know who is more excited, me or the kids.

I have discovered that Baby Girl needs her beauty sleep.  It is actually amazing how much her personality changes when she is tired.  The teenage years are going to be fantastic.

I gave up caffeine.  Who knew I had it in me.  I still like a warm drink in the morning so now I drink decaf which makes me one of those people who drinks coffee without caffeine which I have always found strange and now that is me.

In case you were wondering, I will never give up wine.

Next week the hubby and I are doing a three day juice cleanse.  This one involves food because I could NEVER not eat food for three days.  It is also only three days because I am not that committed to giving up indulgence for too long.  I am also already looking forward to the wine and food I am going to eat the day after so I am potentially a bad person for this all together.

My Middle Man continues to state that he is going to live in Washington D.C. when he is older because he is going to be the President.  I expect you all to vote for him.

The last time I did a post like this was the week before Spring Break which leads me to believe that my brain stops working as vacation draws near, I have nothing to say and so you get this.

My Oldest is now going into 3rd grade.  3RD GRADE!  I am waaayyy too young to have a third grader.  

I just picked up this Sen dress from Bardot.  Such a fab summer staple.

On the list for movies I want to see are The Great Gatsby (I KNOW!  Cannot believe I haven't seen it yet), the Lone Ranger and Man of Steel.  Just call me a Leo/Johnny/Henry fan.  

My triathlon training is back in full swing....FINALLY.  

I watched Real Housewives of Orange County last night and I continue to ask myself, if you are not married, and have no children, how are you a housewife?  Very deep thoughts on a Tuesday night.

There you have it!

HOPE (less) or (ful)

Worry.  Fear.  Anxiety.

Yes, I know that you are all aware that I have anxiety and that I continue to work on coping with it.  That is old news.  This is a different side of anxiety.  Ninety nine percent of the time, I think that my anxiety is something that is irrational and not always necessary, and I work on that.  Then there is the one percent.

One percent of the time, life hits me like a truck and I realize that for all the times I try to not feel anxious, sometimes I am justified to feel as much as I want.  How could I not?  I am a mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter and a friend.  When events like Oklahoma occur, the reality that I could lose someone that means so much to me smacks me in the face.  Of course I feel sadness for those affected, but I am not going to lie.  The feeling also turns selfish, making me think about how terrible it would be if that were me, or my child, or my parent, or my friend.  I wish it didn't, but it is human nature.  You can't fight it.

The truth is, I am scared of these types of situations.  9/11, Newtown, Hurricane Sandy, the Boston Marathon, the Cincinnati abductions, Texas and Oklahoma.  This actually makes me sad that it only took seconds to list all these without thinking about it.  These are only a few that bring an anxiety of loss that I cannot fight and feel completely justified with having.  Will I change my life?  No.  Will I let this affect who I am?  No.  But for once, I am allowing myself to be anxious and not telling myself to "stop it".  Life is scary sometimes.  It just is.

I know that anything can happen.  I know that someone I have today may not be here tomorrow.  I know, thanks to my faith, that this is not the end.  I know all of this.  But it doesn't mean loss doesn't scare me.

I can't be the only one who feels this way right?  Anyone else?  

It is a funny thing this adulthood isn't it?  When I look at my children, they do not see the possibility of loss, hurt, and pain.  They enjoy each day as if it could be their last, without even knowing it.  They love unconditionally and they celebrate the little things.  I wish I had the ability to always see things this way.

For those affected by the disaster in Oklahoma, please know that many are thinking about you and your families.  The strength and support the community has shown is something to live up to.  The prayers will not end.

And for those of us who are watching this all unfold, tearing up at the loss and thinking about the many "what if's" in our lives, may we have some peace, learning from the example we see from these communities who cope with loss with immeasurable strength and grace, and feel HOPEFUL instead of HOPELESS.

Friday...

Well, what I thought was going to be a day or two of not feeling "that great" turned into an entire week of feeling "TERRIBLE".  By Wednesday I was at the Doctor's getting medication and today I think it is starting to work.  The hard part is that I know if I were to stay in bed for a day, drink a ton of fluids and get rest, I would probably feel better faster.  Unfortunately, life as a mother doesn't work that way and I have been spending the week trying to balance rest with all the events going on for the kids.  Yes they have watched more TV and played more video games than normal but you gotta do what you gotta do.  It is what I like to call "survival mode".

Regardless of how I am feeling, this weekend brings baseball games, Baby Girl's Birthday Party and Mother's Day....YEA!  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and all you fabulous moms out there have a wonderful Mother's Day.

And will I be back to my regular scheduled programming on Monday?  I SURE HOPE SO!

Happy weekend Everyone.

Sick

As hard as I was crossing my fingers not to get sick, by Friday it was clear that I had caught something.   Instead of taking some time to rest I pushed through and attended three events over the weekend.  This was perhaps not the best idea and what was a slight cold on Friday took a turn for the worst and by Monday morning, it was apparent that I better take it seriously.  Commence massive cold and sinus drug intake.  

What does the above eye liner have to do with any this?  Absolutely nothing.  I just wanted to share because this Trish McEvoy Intense Gel Eye Liner is my new favorite eye liner.  It is SO easy to put on (this is coming from someone who ALWAYS has issues applying eye liner), stays on all day and is really, the perfect black. Black liner is a staple for me so finding this was a treat.

On a completely separate note, did you see this aticle from Today Mom's?  I, along with many other moms, apparently win the prize for having the"most stressful number of kids".  Yea us!  

This is a random post and I am going to blame all the Sudafed on that one but I hope everyone is having a great start to the week and I hope to be back to me regular scheduled programming tomorrow! 

Friday...

This week definitely kept us on your toes with three nights of baseball, a hubby who had some extremely late nights and a couple of events.  I am so excited to spend tonight relaxing on the couch before our weekend begins.  Mellow Friday nights are just heaven aren't they?

If you missed it this week...

This makeup line has become a favorite...

Juggling in Heels had a birthday...

I spent the afternoon with a classic...

This addicting song has become a video...

The Sartorialist read my mind...

Have a fabulously relaxing weekend.

The weekend...

My two weeks of Spring Break are over.

It would have been nice to have two schools with coordinating calendars but it wasn't in the cards this year.

I have spent the last two weeks at the movies, petting zoo, beach, parks, nail salon, baseball games, malls.

If it is in Orange County, there is a good chance I have been there.

Monday will send all three kids back to school, deliver some quiet around the house and I can try and get myself organized again.

I am not going to lie.

Even though it has been fun having them home, I am looking forward to this.

If you have missed any posts this week, they were
a little shop I opened up...
some delicious french toast...
a day on the water...
black and blue...
what I have been wearing...

I hope you have a great weekend.

Just Thinking...

I love this picture.  I took it on our trip to Paris in 2011 and it is one of my favorites.  I can't wait to go back...

My younger brother just turned 30 which has opened my eyes to the reality that I am no longer 30 but almost 35 and on my way to 40.  I am in no way opposed to getting older, it just feels slightly weird.  I don't feel like I can already be on my way to 40.  In fact, I feel as if sometimes I am still in my 20's...

Baby Girl changes her clothes 3 times a day.  Remember when it was exciting to think that they could dress themselves?  Now she insists that what she wore to one brother's baseball game is not acceptable for the other brother's game...

For some reason I slept horribly this weekend.  That is always a bummer...

Middle Man has changed is name to Oz.  I am not sure what to think...

I may have been a little too adventurous on a run yesterday.  I am not sure that running massive hills was a good idea...

I never answer our house phone...EVER.  If it is someone I know then they call my cell.  Only sale people call it.  I am not even sure why we still have it...

My Oldest received an award from his Principal yesterday for a random act of kindness.  It is nice to hear every now and then that even though I think I am screwing my children up, I am actually doing something right...

Next week begins Spring Break and I CANNOT WAIT.  Originally we were planning on staying put but now I am getting it itch to head out of town.  A few days in the desert might be just what I need...

I recently watched Oz the Great and Powerful, Pitch Perfect, and Zero Dark Thirty.  They were all fab and nothing alike.  A bit of randomness never hurt anyone.  Just like this post...

Sunday is Easter and ends the 40 days I gave up shopping.  It is silly to me how hard it was in the beginning but how easy it is now.  Silly me...

Even though I have given up shopping, I haven't stopped looking.  I love this, this and these...

You are welcome for all this deep insight.

A Reminder

This past weekend we went back to Santa Ynez for a dear friend's 35th birthday.  The entire weekend was a surprise and it brought together some of my favorite people that I do not have the luxury of seeing all the time.  In fact, it is embarrassing how long it has been.  Everyone brought their children and it not only allowed us to catch up but provided an opportunity for our children to become friends as well.  And who doesn't love when the husbands are friends?! It was an amazing reminder.

A reminder that these college friends are so important to me.  A reminder that they know more about me than a lot of people.  A reminder that even though our worlds get chaotic and crazy, it is important to make plans every now and then and allow ourselves to catch up with each other.

I have been blessed to have some pretty amazing friends from high school and college.  The unfortunate part is that not all of them live in Orange County and it takes a lot of planning to get to see each other.  We are all busy with our children, jobs, and simply, life.  Weddings made it pretty easy but now that most of us have tied the knot, it takes some additional effort.  

As I get older I am really starting to appreciate that my high school and college friends knew me prior to being "wife" and "mommy".  They know my life now but they also know where I came from.  They have see me at the very top and have also seen me hit the ground.  And they have been there to laugh and cry with me through everything.  It makes my heart happy when I get to see these people and also reminds me that perhaps the things I get stressed about are not worth the time and in the end, family and friends are all that really matters. 

Thank you M for planning such an amazing weekend for E.  Thank you also for including us and giving us all this opportunity to spend some time together.  It was amazing weekend and we cannot wait to come back.

And in other news, the hubby and I have fallen in love with the Santa Ynez Valley and are trying to figure out how we could possibly relocate.  To say we are obsessed is an understatement.  Who knows, perhaps this blog could one day be renamed "Juggling in Wine Country".

Getting to Win Win

Back in November I mentioned I was off to LA for a fun project.  Well, the final product is complete and I am so excited to share.  PopSugar Studios, Circle of Moms and TruMoo chocolate milk invited me to work along side Katie Hurley of Practical Parenting and Lori Jackson of Best Family Traditions to film a short documentary on issues we face as parents.  Katie was our parenting expert while I discussed picky eating and Lori discussed technology use.

The entire experience was so much fun and definitely a bucket list item.  We spent the day at the PopSugar Studios in Culver City filming and then the director and camera crew made a visit to our homes in order to get some live shots with the children.  It was so much fun to include them in the project and they loved that they got to drink an unlimited amount of chocolate milk while trying to get the perfect shot.  The final product just launched on Circle of Moms on January 31st and I am now able to share it with you!

Two things I learned from this? 
One, I liked being in front of the camera way too much. 
Two, I definitely need a makeup artist, hairstylist and lighting professional with me at all times. 

Thank you PopSugar, Circle of Moms and TruMoo for including me in this fun project!

Silence

How do you feel about silence?  I find the idea of "silence" interesting.  On one hand, there are days when I crave silence.  When all three kids are running crazy, our calendars are overbooked and it seems I cannot get anything done, all I want is some peace and quiet.  Then, when the children are in bed, the house is cleaned up and the hubby is out of town, I absolutely hate the quiet.  In fact, through self examination, silence actually brings on my anxiety and scares me from time to time, especially at night.  How can something I crave so much at times bring on such a terrible feeling once I have it?

Through further self examination, I laugh at how often I actually try to avoid silence.  I instinctively turn on the radio in the car, make a phone call or turn on the television at night.  For example, I purposely turned on the television to write this post, even though I am not watching the television at all.  My hubby is at a dinner and the kids are asleep so who wants to sit at a computer hearing the house settle alone?  Apparently not me.  And I am not going to even tell you how uncomfortable I get when I wake up in the middle of the night, the hubby is out of town and the entire house is silent.  I am not going to lie.  I HATE IT.

I think I have just become too comfortable with noise.  I can remember a time when I enjoyed having all the roommates in college out so that I could rest in my room.  I also remember when the hubby was getting his MBA and I would savor my alone time with a bath, brownie and glass of wine.  Since having children though, my moments of silence became few and far between and suddenly moments that seemed so peaceful and relaxing became stressful and worrisome.

Since I have now come to the understanding that silence and I do not work well together right now, I have decided to work on it.  I want to return to enjoying that quiet time I used to love so much.  And the truth is, when overcoming the uncomfortableness of silence, it can be incredibly calming.  It allows you to actually put your thoughts in order, and if you are religious in anyway, it provides you an opportunity to focus your thoughts and prayers towards something good.  It provides solace and self reflection that allows you to cope with life and its challenges in ways that chaos doesn't.  It is truly important for us to find the silence in our life and embrace it.  I know this.  I just need to keep telling myself this.

I am guessing I am not the only one who feels this way but perhaps I am wrong.  

Are you okay with silence?

If you are at all interested in hearing more about my anxiety (because it is fascinating, I know) click here, here, or here. 

New Friends

A little over a week ago I was invited to attend a Trend Tribe dinner by Nicole, the Editor of Trend Tribe.  She told me that about 8 bloggers from Southern California were getting together at Five Crowns in Corona del Mar and asked if I would like to join them.  I am not going to lie.  I was more than a little intimidated.  For someone who considers herself an extrovert, the idea of having dinner with 7 people who did not know me BUT all knew each other sounded a bit overwhelming.

I went back and forth on whether I was going to attend and then realized I was being a baby about this whole thing and committed.  What was the problem with meeting new people who shared a passion for blogging like I did?  Absolutely nothing.  So last Friday I left the hubby at home with the kids and headed out for my first girl's night that did not involve someone that I knew...plus, I got to dress up.

Talk about being an idiot.  The second I got there I knew I was going to like these girls.  They were fun, friendly and extremely easy to talk to.  Add our first round of drinks and it began to feel like I had known them all for a while.  

For those who are not familiar with Five Crowns, it has always been known to us Orange County locals as "your Dad's restaurant".  It was a place you went for formal celebrations with your family (Thanksgiving, 50th Birthday parties, there are a number of options here) and very rarely did you return with a date or group of friends.  Apparently since my last visit Five Crowns has decided to shake it up a bit and the look and feel was completely different from what I remembered.  It had a much hipper vibe and the menu seemed to follow.  We were there to try out the new Chef's Supper and I had no idea what to expect. Little did I know it would surpass all expectations.

As the girls and I began chatting about EVERYTHING, cocktails and food began to arrive and continued to arrive for THREE HOURS.  It was out of control.  I believe there were 7 courses (all paired of course with a cocktail, wine, beer or champagne) but I hit a food coma around course #4 and everything that I inhaled from there on after was  blur.  This is just a small preview of what we enjoyed (or perhaps my empty plate because I ate it too fast and did not get a photo of the before).

I have never taken so many photos of food in my life.  It was beyond.  I did attempt to get one photo of the group but this is how bad it was.  I should have thought about this BEFORE 10pm.... 

When dinner was over the conversation did not end so we headed to their micropub, Side Door, which has a CHEESE BAR.  I repeat.  A CHEESE BAR.  Unfortunately I was too full to eat more but it is now on my list for a future date night.

When it was time to leave, I thought back to how anxious I was to go and how happy I was that I did. It truly was a fabulous night.  It was also a good lesson for me.  Just because I am comfortable with those that I know around me, it never hurts to step outside and meet new people.  It could not have been a more fun evening.  Thank you Trend Tribe, Letters for Lucas, Wendy Nielsen, Cupcakes and Cutlery, San Diego Momma and Hip Mama B for having me and thank you Five Crowns for hosting us!

* Juggling in Heels did receive a complimentary dining experience from Five Crowns but the opinion is 100% my own.  The Chef's Supper is offered on Friday night with only 1 table available.  Your party must have a minimum of 8 people and maximum of 10.  Reservations are required.  To learn more about this experience click here.  

TGIF

Words cannot express how excited I am that today is Friday.

The hubby gets home today after being on the East Coast all week and between teacher conferences, minimum days, birthday parties, working and trying to get things in order for Christmas, I am toast.

I have been fantasizing about some down time this weekend all week and have even gone as far as to make it visual.

Doesn't this all just look yummy??

How much down time I actually get is yet to be seen (I am guessing based on the way our weekend looks, not much) but there is absolutely no way this weekend is going to end without me taking a bath, drinking champagne and overeating desserts.

On a side note, that blanket on the top right is the BEST BLANKET EVER.  It is faux fur and from Restoration Hardware and I am obsessed with it.  I walk around the house like a 2 year old with their lovie.  If you are looking for the coziest blanket to curl up on the couch, this is it.  

Have a great weekend!

Dear Pretend Stylist...

Dear Pretend Stylist,

Here is the situation.  Tonight I have a Black Tie event and I am drastically ill-prepared.  Let's start at the top.  I had originally scheduled a cut and color hoping for a fabulous blow out that would last me until the evening.  Unfortunately my children's school did not realize the importance of this and scheduled a minimum day.  The good news?  My grey hairs will be covered up.  The bad news?  I am now going to be running out with wet hair and no cut to avoid being "THAT MOM" who was late for pickup.  

As far as a fake tan goes, I promise a spray tan was scheduled but then I decided to take my daughter to Disneyland instead.  I could not help but notice the spray tan Rapunzel had and was slightly jealous.  My chalky skin is going to have to do.    

As for my nails, you are correct in assuming that it is gold nail polish, it has been on for over a week and is chipped EVERYWHERE.  My toes...well, that dark nail polish is really turning against me right now.  A manicure and pedicure just weren't in the cards this week.

Finally, the dress.  I am just going to come out and say it.  I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR.  That is all.

Please tell me how I can turn this around and actually show up looking half way presentable, and perhaps like this (I picked this because our hair color matches so it sort of gives you a head start).

via

Thank you in advance for performing a miracle.
Sincerely,
Sarah

Dammit, what am I going to do about tonight???!!!

I hope you all have a fab weekend (and perhaps are able to get your nails done)!

LA Bound

This morning I am off to LA to participate in an exciting project that I cannot wait to tell you about....I just can't yet.  The wardrobe options are ready, the bag of shoes is filled and I will be heading out the door in just a minute.  Before I go though I wanted to remind everyone that tomorrow is the LAST DAY to enter the Four Peas Giveaway.  There are few entries so your odds are very good!  Don't forget to "like" them on Facebook and leave your comment on the post in order to enter.  You have until midnight tomorrow night!  

I will be getting home pretty late tonight and tomorrow I need to get ready for 3 sporting events and a sleepover involving 8 boys (what did I do?????) on Saturday so I am signing off for the weekend.  Have a fabulous three days and I will be back next week because there is no school, no sports and a holiday.  I LOVE next week already and it is not even here yet!

Happy weekend!