The Musings of a Working Mom

So yet another month has come and gone...time is flying.  The warm summer months are already here and it appears that spring just passed right on by.  After our family vacation to Disney, I sort of fell in love with the variety of natural looks I could create using just my cream eye shadows and Urban Decay Naked2 palette.  I have pretty much stuck to a few products each day and just played up or down certain features using most of the same products that I took with me on my trip.  Not to mention, when the weather is hot, you don't want to wear a ton of makeup - you want to look fresh and clean using minimal makeup.  Here are my favorite products for the month of May: 1.  Cream Eyeshadows - Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze, Makeup Forever Aqua Cream in #13, Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in R.S.V.P.    These stay-all-day cream shadows have been a lifesaver! You put them on your lid or all over from your lash line to your brow bone and you don't have to worry abo

With the long holiday weekend upon us and great weather in store, I know that the grills will be fired up for some serious Memorial Day entertaining.  But we all know that nothing goes better with grilled veggies and meat than a low fat, healthy, delicious and fresh dessert treat.  A friend made this yummy fruit dip many, many years ago and it was so easy and so tasty that I continue to make this dip and impress my friends over and over again.  What I love about this recipe for  Sweet Summer Fruit Dip is that it is so quick and easy to make and you'll likely have most of the ingredients in your pantry, fridge and freezer.  This dip is great to use with fresh fruit, fruit kebabs, pound cake or angel food cake w/fresh berries...just to name a few ways to use this dip.  My kids love this dessert (they like to just eat it straight out of a bowl with a spoon) - and hey, what child wouldn't love a pudding-like dip that they can dip their fruits into (now you can't get upset wi

I know that I'm soo late to the game with respects to this foundation but that's only because I have so many other foundations that I really didn't feel the need to buy or try this one out....until now.  I had some CVS bucks that I needed to use and they had a Buy One Get One 50% off so I decided to try it out.  And I'm so glad that I did!!  This foundation is so amazing and and this price point - it's fricken amazing!!!  I have to say that this foundation is comparable to my high end foundations.  I have been loving it so much that I have been wearing it every day since I bought it.  The finish leaves my skin looking flawless and impeccable.  I love that this foundation doesn't settle into any lines (my laugh lines in particular) and looks matte all day.  I chose the formula designed for oily to combination skin and I really love that this foundation has different formulations for different skin types.  And their color range seems to be endless with formulati

I'm usually not one for product/collection launches, especially from MAC since they seem to be launching a collection every other day (or at least it seems that way).  That and the fact that MAC hasn't really had a lot of new products that have WOW'd me to the point that I had to rush out to get them or get online to purchase them.  And for whatever reason, I decided to go the MAC website to see what was going on and I saw that they had released a new collection called Fashion Set and this collection is divided into 4 different sets: North America, Asia Pacific, Europe & Africa and Latin America & Middle East.  These collections showcase the "must have" lip shades from MAC fans all over the world.  MAC has taken these lip shades and created coordinated lip glasses and nail lacquers to create a 3 piece mini collection in 7 classic palettes. Check out MAC to see the full collection and line of products.  I used to only wear browns and nude colored lip stic

Sleep training has always been a very sensitive and somewhat controversial topic amongst the parenting communities.  It is a very individualized technique and parents should always do what feels best and most comfortable for us and our child(ren).  Let's be honest, as parents we live very busy lives - working, caring for our children, running errands, running a household, etc.  But the one thing we all want is a good night's sleep.  But how is that possible when you have a child waking every couple of hours or not wanting to sleep at all?   Here is a very interesting article I came across in the Parenting section of Todayshow.com - The Truth About Ferberizing.  This article sheds some light on the truth behind sleep training your infant/child as advised by Dr. Richard Ferber himself.  I have had great success using his methods (modified versions to suit our needs) to sleep train all 3 of my children and I am proud to say that all of my kids are in bed by 8pm and for the

With Mother's Day coming up this Sunday, why not hint hint to the hubby to get the kids in the kitchen and make you this special, indulgent, and not so healthy but tasty breakfast treat - Croissant Bread Pudding.  Ok, I already said that it wasn't healthy but why not stray off the diet for one morning and eat something that (hopefully) the kids helped make.  Actually, this recipe is very easy and perfect for kids to help out with -they can crack the eggs, add the various measured ingredients and mix them all together, and they can help arrange the already cut croissants into the baking dish while daddy pours the liquid mixture on top.  The whole family will love eating this yummy breakfast treat and mommy will sit back and enjoy the laughter, happiness and smiles the surround her.  Now this is my idea of a Mother's Day breakfast! Croissant Bread Pudding Copyright 1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All Rights Reserved Ingredients 3 extra-large whole eggs 8 ex

I get so excited when I get that e-mail notification from Birchbox telling me that my Birchbox has shipped and then I wait quite impatiently for it to arrive in the mail but when I get that box, man do I get excited to rip it open and see what's waiting inside for me.  This month's theme is based around the season finale of CW series "Gossip Girl".  The Birchbox Team wanted to create a box filled with items used to get you to look like a million bucks for the "highlight of the social season: a black tie ball"! This month's box includes: 1.  Dior: Diorshow Extase (full size $28.50) - This dramatic mascara adds tons of volume and length. Plus, its unique ceramide complex helps fortify your lashes. 2.  Dior: Miss Dior Eau de Parfum (full size $62 - $102) - Chic and feminine, this longtime favorite is a gorgeous bouquet of floral notes deepened by a touch of patchouli. 3.  Miracle Skin Transformer Body SPF 20 in Glow (full size $34) - Don&#

As a Dietitian, a lot of friends are curious about kale and have asked me about the health benefits of kale as well as any yummy recipes using kale.  Kale is high in iron, vitamins A, K & C, great source of antioxidants, low in calories, gluten free and high in fiber. Here's a great recipe using kale that is not only good for you, but tasty as well!  This is a delish, crunchy snack that kids and non-veggie eating peeps will love!  Try to eat just one!! Ingredients 1 bunch (about 1 lb) Kale, rinsed, dried and stems removed EVOO Misto Spray or any Spray type Oil Kosher Salt or Sea Salt 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded Directions 1.  Preheat oven to 275 F.  Tear (rinsed and dried) kale leaves into bite size pieces and place onto parchment lined baking sheets.  Spray EVOO Misto spray or any olive oil spray evenly onto the kale leaves.  Sprinkle with salt (kosher or sea).   2.  Place in oven for about 10-12 minutes - watch to make sure they don't burn

Packing for trips are never fun - you want to pack everything but you can't.  I usually end up packing for way more days than I'm travelling because you just don't know when you might need to wear this or that, or need to wear a different type of shoe for day and night.  And the same goes for my makeup - you never know when you might want to wear a natural eye, or a smokey eye, or bold colors or...well, you get it.  So you end up packing more palettes than you need and more makeup products than you'll use.  Well, my family and I just came back from our 5 day vacation at Walt Disney World. We had a blast and the looks on the kids faces when they saw their favorite Disney characters were priceless.  Anywho...I knew while packing my makeup and hair supplies for our trip that we would be out and about for very long hours and that the weather would be 90 degrees plus.  So knowing this, I tried to pack minimally but pick products that are long wearing and would withstand th

Whew - did this month fly by! But of course I've been saying that about every month.  I think when you have children, time flies by in the blink of an eye.  Anywho...I love April - not only is it my birthday month but it's the start of the Spring season heading into the warm Summer months.  I purchased a few new products over the past few months and have been using them like crazy.  I have product reviews on some and some are coming in the near future...but here are my favorites for this month: 1.  Clinique Quickliner for Eyes Intense in Intense Plum - I love wearing this liner on my bottom lash line to add a POP of color when I feel like wearing a neutral eye - which seemed like almost every day this month.  I have been using this and topping it off with the plum shade in the the Tarte quad mentioned below to lock the liner in place. Gorgeous color, easy to use, creamy and soft to apply, and very pigmented - love this new liner from Clinique. 2.  Tarte Eyeshadow Qua