What's in Your Bag!

Ok, so these are some of my most favorite products in my make-up bag that I simply cannot live without.  I actually carry tons of other cosmetics in my bag but the above products are my fav's.  So, here we go......

1. Biotrue by Bausch + Lomb - This is most amazing contact lens solution I've ever used!!  I was complaining to my eye doctor that it has been next to impossible to wear my lenses all day and she gave me a sample of this solution and its like the Heavens came down and blessed my eyes!!  Truly life changing stuff here!!  I can now wear my lenses comfortably all day!!

2. tarte LipSurgence Lip Luster - I got these for Christmas last year and didn't think I would like them but these lip chubby sticks leave your lips with a sheer shimmery color and they feel almost like a lip balm.  Some of the colors are bright but are perfect for when you want a pop of color on your lips!! 

3. Everyday Minerals Base - An old co-worker of mine introduced me to Everyday Minerals.  It is an organic line of mineral makeup that is made in Austin.  It's only available online and has full line of mineral products. You must check it out!!  http://www.everydayminerals.com/

4. Burt's Bees Honey Lip Balm - Ok, I don't know anyone that doesn't have a tube of Burt's lip balm in their purse!  I've been a fan of the Burt's Bees line for years.  Their Honey Lip Balm leaves my lips smooth and conditioned.  This is one of my "if I was on a deserted island and could only bring one product" items I cannot live without.

5. Eye Lash Curler - Ladies, you must start using an eye lash curler....it's an instant eye opener and make your lashes look like they are a mile long.  And for a dramatic look, warm it up under your blow dryer for a "curling iron" effect.  BOOM!  Movie star lashes!!

6. Contacts Lens Case - This is just a cute little contact lens case I bought at Target.  So much cuter than those boring standard cases!  :)

7. The Lip Slip by Sara Happ - My bestie, Lesley, told me about this luxe lip balm.  It super hydrating and leaves you with a sexy sheen.  Sara Happ also makes a variety of lip scrubs and a body scrub.  These make a great little Christmas gift for your best girls or co-workers.
 
8. Clean & Clear Oil Blotting Sheets - This is like the best invention EVER!!  For those of you that have been plagued with an oily t-zone (hello!) these are total face savers!!  I always have these stashed in my purse, desk drawer, and in my car.

9. Almay Smart Shade Anti-Aging Eye Concealer & Per-fekt Eye Perfection Gel - Ever since I gave birth to my darling child I have not had a really restful sleep which has resulted in MAJOR dark under eye circles.  I double up with these great products to make me look rested.  I use the Per-fekt gel first then use the Almay Concealer for some extra coverage.

10. Sally Hansen Cuticle Treatment - I must wash my hands like 20 times a day which has resulted in dry peeling cuticles.  I rub this cuticle stick on my nails every night or just whenever I think about it to prevent those pesky painful cuticles that we all sometimes end up ripping off and then starts bleeding!!  You know you do this!!! :)

11. Clinique Blush Stick - This blush stick is great for moms (or anyone) on the go! You don't have to deal with a blush brush as you just dab the stick on your cheeks and blend with your fingers.  I do this in the car every morning.  The end result is very natural healthy looking color on your cheeks. 

12. Perfume - Nordstroms carries these empty perfume sample bottles in their frgrance department and I always stash a few in my purse so I can fill them with my favorite perfume from home.  These are great for traveling so you don't have to travel with your bottle of perfume and worry about it spilling.  Right now mine is filled with L'Eau de Chloe.  LOVE this Chloe fragrance. 

I left out mascara b/c it deserves a page of its own!!  Hope you enjoyed this. 

Hugs,
Katie

We're all in the same boat!!

I had to post this list (below) from an email that my dear cousin, Ellen, sent to me last night.  It was so refreshing to hear other mothers that she sent it to come back and say "oh, I can so relate to all # 10 & #24, etc".  I then felt like less of an outsider in this whole motherhood thing! 
Sometime I see pics that my Facebook moms post and I think "How the f#*k do you look so good?" "Why is your child behaving so well in the photo you posted at a resturant" or "how is your house so clean".  Most of the time I go three days with unwashed hair, I've stopped taking my toddler to resturants b/c he makes such a mess, and my house is NEVER clean. 
Anyways, here is the email......hope you enjoy!!!

Here are some of my favorite mommy confessions.  Can you relate?

1. I'm wearing maternity jeans but I haven't been pregnant in six years.

2. I hate reading bedtime stories. I only do it because I know I have to. Sometimes, I just let them fall asleep watching TV.

3. I kiss my young teenager goodbye in the morning as she leaves for school, rising above the hormone-fueled snarling and histrionics. Then I close the front door and flip her off, with both hands.

4. I forget to brush my 1- and 2-year-olds' teeth. I am not sure why it’s so hard for me to remember, but it’s a good thing that these teeth will fall out.

5. Hidden in the pantry in a box labeled “flour” is top of the line chocolate and a few joints. I rarely resort to it, but it’s a comfort knowing it’s there.

6. I miss the career I gave up more than I miss my son when I go to the grocery store. But I always get to go back to him.

7. Once a woman asked me if I breastfed my baby, so I asked her if she shaved her vagina. Sorry, you don't like personal questions? Me neither.

8. I confiscated my teenager's stash of pot, gave her a lecture, and have been smoking it ever since myself.

9. I joined a gym just for the free daycare. I drop the kids off and read magazines and blogs in the locker room.

10. At the end if the day, my needs are really simple: To be able to shit in peace.

11. I throw candy wrappers behind the couch and then blame the kids when my husband finds them.

12. My kids hardly bathe in the summer. The pool totally counts.

13. I knew my daughter had lice and I sent her to school anyway because I didn't want to cancel my hair appointment.

14. I buy store-made muffins and pass them off as my own for bake sales.

15. Everyone thinks I'm such a great mom for teaching my daughter how to read already. It wasn't me. It was the Leapfrog pen. I had no idea she could read.

16. I have a favorite child and I am hardest on him because I feel so guilty about it.

17. I clock out of motherhood at 8 p.m. I'm so done that I walk out even if they aren't all tucked in bed and go hide in the basement with my laptop and a beer.

18. Mother dropping her kid for a sleepover at my house: “No food dye, no dairy, just soy milk, only organic food, and we don’t eat ANY fast food.” I let them eat all the junk they wanted. They seemed fine.

19. When my daughter asked me what comes after a trillion, I told her "a gazillion." Um, we are homeschoolers. Not supposed to just make shit up.

20. Three kids and my husband has never changed a poopy diaper. He says he hates the smell -- like I like it?! I'm going to shove the next one in his pillow.

21. I often see kids and say, "My baby is WAAAY cuter." Not every baby is cute.

22. I've been socking away $5s and $10s for years and finally have two thousand dollars. No idea what I'll do with it, but having my own money again is empowering.

23. Questions of the day: 1) How did the pepperoni get stuck to the ceiling? 2) Why didn't gravity kick in & make it fall? 3) How did I not notice this? 4) When did we have pizza last?

24. I put my kids to bed in their clothes so I don't need to get them dressed the next day.

25. I confess that most days, I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. Everyone thinks I have it all together -- good wife, good mom, successful career -- but I really don't. I'm ready to stop pretending to be perfect now.

www.PaperEtiquette.com

Always a mess!

My all time favorite some e card.

I have not blogged in a few weeks as I've been very busy with....well.....LIFE!  I wanted to post this e card as it always leaves me laughing b/c this so explains my constant never ending task of cleaning our house.  I usually wait until everyone is asleep to pick up toys, dust, swiffer, etc b/c that way I do not have a certain little precious toddler following me around making a new mess after I clean up the old messes!  As I browse through the beautiful pictures on Pinterst of perfect living rooms and bedrooms I realize I need to come to grips with the fact that my home will never look like that...EVER!  Would I give up my precious little baby boy for a picture perfect home.....NOT IN A MILLION YEARS. 

So, since I have this task for constant cleaning, I decided to make the most of it and use my favorite cleaning products...and sometimes splurge on my products!

These are my FAVORITE products:



Dyson Vacuum

There's is nothing like a Dyson Vacuum.  Like Julia Roberts says to Richard Gere in Pretty Woman "Man, this baby must corner like its on rails"...Yes, this baby does!!  It picks up everything....and I mean EVERYTHING!! 



Swiffer System



I don't know how I ever lived without a Swiffer.  I love the ease of just attaching a Swiffer Wet cloth to the stick and being able to mop without the dreaded bucket of water.  They have a very nice clean fresh scent and also have a scrubber strip for scrubbing the sticky stuff that sometimes ends up on floors and dries hard...jelly, juice, etc. Eww, I know!



Magic Eraser

This thing really is magic!!  Anything you need to scrub off....this "eraser" will do it!!  It works awesome on crayon markings, scuff marks on walls and on shoes, baked on grease, baked on crap in the microwave, nail polish spills, etc.  I don't think there is anything it can't do!! 




BabyGanics

I found this line of organic cleaning products at Babies R Us and have been addicted ever since.  When Fisher (my son) was in his teething phase and putting anything and everything in his mouth, I turned to this line of cleaning products to clean so I'd feel safe when/if Fisher decided to lick the kitchen table or bite down on his highchair tray.  And I still use them even though he is past this phase!  They are so pure that it says if baby accidentally ingests the product that all they need to do is drink water. I still breakout the 409 for really tough stains but these products work amazingly well. 

 

 



Fancy Dish Gloves



Out with those tacky yellow dish gloves and on with these cute dainty dish gloves.  I always feel very "Donna Reed" when I wear these while cleaning. I think that cleaning with something pretty on makes the job a lot more fun!!  You can pick up these gloves in several different styles at Home Goods, World Market, Target, etc. 

 

 



My dream living room....ahhhhhh!



 

Champagne taste on a beer budget

What can I say, I've always had champagne taste on a beer budget.  I've always been drawn to designer labels and love looking closely at the details of high quality fabrics/leather and the craft of great stitching .  But the catcher is that haven't been always able to afford them. While I do occasionally splurge on designer shoes/handbags and find myself whipping out the ole Amex card at Neiman Marcus, I pretty much limit myself to shopping the sale racks or discount stores (hello, Target!) or driving to the nearest factory store outlets (J. Crew/Banana Republic/Ann Taylor/BCBG).  I also rely heavily on knock offs to get the designer look I love.

Here are a few websites that I love to shop at to get a designer look but at a "mommy budget" price:

http://www.six-star-replica.com/
At Six-Star-Replica, you can get very good quality Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Burrberry, and even Hermes handbags and accessories for a fraction of the cost.  I recently got an LV wallet that has fooled everyone.  The items do come from overseas and I've never had an issue with my package being stuck in customs.

www.facebook.com/accessoryauctions
Many online auctions are opening up on Facebook. From accessories, to baby items, to custom made furniture...Facebook auctions are the new hippest way to shop.  Accessory Auctions carry many of the designer inspired accessories you love and prices are often lower than $30.  Lots of Tory Burch, MK, J Crew and David Yurman inspired pieces to choose from.  And the competition of the auction really gets your adrenaline pumping. :)

http://www.thelimited.com/
Every working girl likes The Limited.  They carry great looking suits that don't feel stuffy or boxy.  Many of their summer suit collection comes with jackets with short sleeves that are great for blistering hot days and still look so professional.  If you sign up for their email notifications, you often get coupons for 50% off regular prices items and you are notified of sales before they start!  I don't think I've ever paid full price for anything at The Limited.

http://www.target.com/
I wanted to mention Target.com b/c I get many compliments on dresses I wear and you can only find them on Target's website. Target has a large selection of women's dresses that are online only.  They also have tons of boots online (of course, this is for Fall) that are not sold in stores.  And if you spend over $50 at Target on select items you get free shipping.  Target is also teaming up with Neiman Marcus this holiday season.  Judith Leiber, Marchesa, Lela Rose, Alice + Olivia, DFV, Marc Jacobs, and many others are designing collections exclusively for Target.  Get Ready!!  I feel this will attract another Missoni type shopping frenzy.  Hopefully, Target will be prepared!!


http://www.ruelala.com/
You can get some really good deals at Rue La La if you subscribe to their online shopping.  And its not just clothes...I once got a Cuisinart stir fry pan that retailed for $120 for $30.  What a steal!!

Home Goods
LOVE this place...I'm addicted!!  If you've ever been to Home Goods then you know what I'm talking about.  You find stuff in this store you never even knew you wanted.  They have a great baby/kids section to decorate and organize your child's room.  I found some beautiful Ralph Lauren down throw pillow for our living room for $20 each!  They look great on my couch and I don't have to worry about my child or our dog ruining them up b/c they have a removable cover that I can throw in the machine. And since I didn't spend a ton of money on them its not a big deal if I need to chunk them.

http://www.plumdistrict.com/
This website reminds me a a Groupon or Living Social type website.  The difference is that Plum District was created by moms for moms!  It has really great coupons.  You have to subscribe and "buy the deal" that you are interested....you then receive an emailed voucher to redeem what you've purchased.  They have vouchers for 50% anything from spray tans, waxing, home improvements, maid services, even baby sitters.  Great for moms!!

There are many many more websites but these are the ones I frequent the most!!  Happy Shopping!

Hugs,
Katie






Splurge - Tory Burch Patent Sandals



LV Wallet from Six Star Replica - only $89!!



Gucci tote from Six Star Replica - $200 (I've had this one for about 5 years)



Tory Burch inspired necklace from Accessory Auctions on Facebook.  Love this!!



Nutella Banana Muffins and a blog stalker

Yes, I'm a blog stalker.  I follow many blogs but there is one in particular that I'm border line sick obsessed with and have spent hours looking at over and over.  I found this blogger from a picture that was posted on Pinterest.  The blog page is www.thelondoner.me/
All I know is that this bloggers name is Rose, she lives in the UK, and I want to be her!!  She's gorgeous, stylish, and a Kate Middleton look-alike.  And to top it all off, she's a foodie....which I love!!  You guys have got to check out her blog! 
So, she posted a recipe last week for Nutella Banana Muffins.  I LOVE baking Banana Muffins so this was right up my alley.  I switched up her recipe just a little and OMG, these things are heavenly!!  Something I was not aware of was how horrendously bad Nutella is for you.  The commercials always make it sound so healthy.....this stuff has PALM OIL in it and is full of fat and calories....so not healthy. But, it's damn good!! 

Here is my Look at Mommy version of Nutella Banana Muffins:

Preheat oven to 350

1 cup room temperature butter (use real butter - not margarine sticks)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp Nutella


First Step:
With a hand mixer, blend the butter and sugar

Then add eggs and bananas

Then add flour, baking soda, and vanilla (I add the flour in 1/2 cup increments to make blending easier)

This is what your batter should look like

Here is my little helper!  He was fascinated by the taste of this lemon!

Line a muffin pan with liners and being to scoop the batter into the cups (I like using my ice cream scoop)

After all cups are filled, insert a glob of Nutella on the top of banana batter (I used one of Fisher's baby spoons)

Using a tooth pick, swirl the Nutella on top of the batter

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes - Enjoy!!!

The Windy City!

A few weeks ago I took my very first vacation away from baby boy.  It was hard to leave him but I knew that a short trip would be good for my soul.  And mama needed a break!!  So, off to Chicago I went!


Why Chicago, you ask?  My BFF, Lesley, just moved up there last November and I was dying to see her face.  She had a few weeks carved out when her house was going to be child and husband free so I jumped on this rare occasion.  (Her hubby and children were going to exotic Africa - so cool!!). The thought of sleeping in, drinking coffee in the morning with my BFF, watching our favorite 90210 episodes without interruption, and just simply doing nothing are a mothers dream come true. And this is exactly what we did!!!  :)


Ok, so we weren't total bums during my stay.  We ventured into the city on a Friday afternoon and became tourist.  The weather was perfect.....warm summer breeze with a slight overcast shielding us from the sun. (Just want to add that the day before it was so hot we were dripping sweat all over our backyard dinner).
We decided that our first stop would be Navy Pier by lake.  I had no idea Lake Michigan was so pretty. Being a native Texan when I think of a lake my first thought is "eww, gross" but this lake was like an ocean.  Blue and choppy.....and seemed to have no end.   With the sound of seagulls along the pier I felt like I was in a beach town.  We shopped for souvenirs, got a caricature drawn (which looked NOTHING like us), I inhaled Garretts popcorn (OMG, yummy!), took a boat tour, drank a Horny Goat drink at Billy Goat Tavern, and tried to hop on a carousel without paying (we chickened out...so not like us!).  We then headed over to Millennium Park to see The Bean.  Not really sure about the history behind it but this thing is pretty cool!!  We took our picture in the reflection (which is a tourist must!) and laid underneath.  We drove past the Magnificent Mile with very much reminded me of the streets of London. Next stop was Buckingham Fountain.  There is the cutest little cafe right by the fountain where we indulged in some sweet desserts.  We also saw the Crown Fountain which is in the middle of the city and it spouts out water from a digital face.  I LOVED this fountain.  Everyone was running around in the water (which was ice cold) having a great time. 
We skipped the Sears Tower and the John Hancock Building b/c both Les and I are not to keen on high places.  Did you know the Hancock Building sways as much as 6 feet from left to right.....no, thank you - PASS!! 

It was time to leave the city and head back to Lesley's house.  Driving through city I realize how much I love it in Chicago and felt very sad to leave.  Such a beautiful place!! 

Can't wait for my next visit and to see my sweet bestie!! 

Hugs,
Katie




Me and my bestie - Lesley!  Love her to pieces!!

 


Me by Lake Michigan!





Me and Lesley  - BFF's!





The Bean!



Reflection in The Bean




 

The Plaza - Great place for date night




Buckingham Fountain



About to take a boat tour.



Bean reflection



Crown Fountain





My first blog

So, I've decided to start my own blog spot.  Obviously!  I read/follow at least 20 different blogs and I always think to myself "I could do this" and today is the day I start. 

First of all, I want to explain the thought behind the title of my blog page.  Look at Mommy.  I feel like I must say this phrase 100 times a week as I'm constantly taking photo's of my precious son and when I'm pointing my camera at him I say " look at mommy".  Also, I think I'm a pretty cool mom!!  I can do it all!  So, yeah, LOOK AT MOMMY!! And I want the world to look at all the mommy's out there.  Look at us raising children, taking care of the house, going to work (some of us), making sure bills are paid, looking fabulous (or at least trying) and doing this on very little sleep.  Mom's rock and we deserve attention!!

Don't worry, the entire blog is not going to be just about motherhood.  I also want to blog about fashion, books, movies, food, places, friends, family and more!! 

Here's my first picture.  This is my little family.  Fisher (my son) was about a week old when this photo was taken and Cassidy (he's my main squeeze and my child's father) was sporting his rockin beard!

I promise more fun post will follow!

Hugs,
Katie