The Musings of a Working Mom

I don't know about your kids but my kids aren't the biggest fans of salmon.  They love fish sticks and most white fish but salmon has "too strong" of a fishy taste for them.  But I really want them to try salmon and reap the benefits of the Omega 3's that they have - so I realized that if I make a salmon patty and give them ketchup to dip them in, they'd eat it up!  Of course, kids love anything they can dip in ketchup!!  This is an easy and quick recipe for Salmon Cakes that kids will love to gobble up! Salmon Cakes Serves 4 Ingredients: 2 - 14 oz cans red or pink salmon, drained, any skin and large bones removed 1 1/4 cup dry panko bread crumbs 1/4 cup olive oil mayo 1 large egg, beaten 1 T Worcestershire sauce 1/4 cup capers, drained and chopped 1 1/2 tsp dried tarragon kosher salt and black pepper Directions: 1.  In a bowl, combine the salmon, 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs, mayo, beaten egg, Worcestershire sauce, chopped capers, tarragon an...

I have been so frustrated with my hair for so long now.  I have long, curly, thick hair that has the tendency to be dry and frizzy.  I end up using SOOOO many products just to tame the frizz and hold my curls together.  And that's just when I want to wear my hair curly.  When I want to wear my hair straight, my hair is exposed to lots of heat from the hair dryer as well as the flat iron.  I try to use products to help strengthen and protect my hair from the heat but I still have dry, frizzy hair.  So what can I do to help my hair look healthy again??? Well....I'm sure that you have all seen the infomercials on the WEN Hair Care System by Chaz Dean and you are asking yourself "What is WEN"?  WEN is a cleansing conditioner for your hair that both cleanses and conditions your hair in one single step- this product is really an all-in-one product.  The cleansing conditioner acts as your shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, detangler and...

TARTE SMOOTH OPERATOR AMAZONIAN CLAY WATERPROOF CONCEALER (Sephora, 0.07 oz., $22.00) Now I know that I'm a makeup addict - I just can't seem to be satisfied with any product even if I think that I've found my HG product!! Well, here we go again with yet another concealer... I purchased this concealer in the color Medium (which by the way is one of the more popular shades as every time I went to Sephora and looked at this product, Medium was always sold out).  The formulation of this product is very creamy and easy to blend with your fingers or with a blending brush.  The coverage is medium to full coverage and I didn't notice a lot of creasing over the course of the day.  I absolutely love the workability of this concealer - easy to apply, easy to blend, and long wearing.  Sephora carries this concealer in 4 shades - Fair, Medium, Tan and Deep.  According to the write up on the Sephora site, "this waterproof, full-cov...

Even though I have adventurous eaters, I do have toddlers after all and we do have our moments of "picky eating"...but I get them to try something new by reminding them of the story of "Sam I Am".  I have read and re-read the story Sam I Am by Dr. Seuss for many years now...and the moral of the story is that you should give something a try before writing it off - you never know how good it tastes until you try something.  So when my kids say that they don't want to eat something, I just say "Come on Sam I Am - you should try it, you may like it!"  Saying this reminds them of the story and they take one bite and if they don't like it, no problem - they don't have to eat it.  At least I got them to try it.  And if they like it, even better.  On a side note, if they didn't like whatever they tried - don't give up on that item just yet.  Keep on trying - toddlers are finicky eaters and one day they make like something, and the next day the...

This month's Birchbox is here...and the theme this month is inspired by nature - with "delicious ingredients and healthy formulations".  I think this month's box has arrived at just the right time as I am in the process of purging out the bad and unhealthy and bringing in the clean, eco-friendly, healthy, natural, just-plain-good-for-you products to use not only on my body but to feed my body as well.  The samples included in this month's Birchbox  This month's samples include: 1.  Atelier Cologne: Orange Sanguine Cologne Absolue (full size $55 - $150) - It doesn't get cheerier than this juicy scent, a pure blend of blood orange, jasmine, and sandalwood. 2.  Befine: Skincare Sampler (full size $24 each) - Revive dull skin with this gentle cleanser and moisturizer duo.  Both use rice extracts to restore skin's natural barrier. 3.  Olle Biologique: 004 Huile Moderne (full size $56) - This lightweight blend of five organic essential oils - i...

If your husband is anything like mine, then he would annoyingly and constantly ask why we need a dozen pairs of black shoes when they all look the same?  But do they?  Of course not, we all know that they have different heel sizes, platform sizes, patent, matte, suede, straps, no straps, peep toe, closed toe, open toe...well, you get the point (but why doesn't he?)!  Anywho...we have all of these shoes which means that we are spending a lot of money on these shoes.  And I will be the first to admit that sometimes, a classic, timeless shoe is worth a lot of money and I'll spend my money on an investment shoe like that.  However, shoes that are super trendy and won't last more than a season or two, well I just don't like to spend too much money on these non-investment pieces.  Basically my rule is this: for trendy shoes - I will pay no more than $40!  And I have found a couple of these monthly subscription shoe sites as well as other sites...

DESSIN DU REGARD WATERPROOF - Long-Lasting Waterproof Eye Pencil ( Sephora, $28.00 ) I am always on the hunt for a great waterproof eyeliner to wear in my waterline especially because I have very watery eyes and most eyeliners never stay put (even if they are waterproof).  Now ordinarily, I would never pay $28 for an eyeliner but since I had read sooo many great reviews on this one and how long lasting it was on the waterline, I had to try it out for myself!  Not to mention that I did wait to get this during a Sephora Friends and Family sale so I didn't quite pay full price for it.  I ended up ordering this in 02 Patent Leather (deep brown) and not black because black was sold out at Sephora both online and in the store.  But the brown is very dark and looks like a blackened brown which I really do like. Well...the results are in and bleh - it's nothing to write home about!  I'm sorry but maybe I just have extremely watery eyes ...