Girlymama

Last night I hosted a fabulous exclusive event at my local LOFT with nine of my favorite local moms to do some serious BlogHer shopping! We’re hitting LOFT’s new fall line, getting some great style input and getting treated to some fabulous goodies to get ready for BlogHer!

We cracked up as the frugal bloggers (Mindi and Kelly) headed straight back to the sale racks! They practice what they preach!

I immediately snatched up this Tube Dress with Ruffles. (Are you so shocked? Girlymama picked something with ruffles. Surprise!) Wouldn’t that be the perfect compliment to some Kendra Scott earrings?
(and maybe a matching cuff bracelet?) I have these earrings and I’m telling you I am totally planning outfits around them. They are HEAVEN! I’m also coveting these Danielle Earrings in Turquoise. They caught my eye in a recent issue of People’s Style Watch and I’m dying for a pair! They look like the perfect way to add a little splash of color to my dull, black-heavy winter wardrobe. And at only $60, its a really affordable way to add a celeb favorite to my soccer mom wardrobe 😉

I’m also picked up this gorgeous Looped Ruffle Front Cami from LOFT. It looks so fabulous on and has a hint of sparkle that is perfect for parties! Not only does it match my Kendra Scott earrings (Told you! I’ll be the girl at BlogHer with the earrings!), but it would be perfect for dressing up with trouser jeans and heels or dressing down with skinny jeans and sandals.

And I LOVE the Cascade Ruffle-Country Floral Top from LOFT!  This will be perfect for Friday… with jeans and wedges. And my fabulous Hannah Clutch from Ellington Handbags will be perfect!

This bag will be perfect for holding the essentials for an entire weekend of serious girl time! Big enough for a small wallet, business card holder and a few makeup essentials – and its small enough to throw into my laptop bag during the day! Loving it!

I also picked up my newest love, Jeggings! I think that 4 or 5 of us bought the Rinse Denim Leggings. I have a feeling these are going to become a wardrobe staple for me – they are super comfy and perfect for wearing with tunics or a dress without adding extra bulk. I think every person that tried them on bought a pair!
                                    

photo from Colleen                                                                            photo from Whitney
Colleen, Me, Jo-Lynne, Whitney and Kelly                Whitney, Julie and Kelly all
                                                                                                        rocking the “Julie” pant

                                   

Sarah and Kelly decide what to try                                Shannon will be looking super cute!

One last necessity for BlogHer? Some terrific beauty products to  get us looking our best! We’re so excited to try out Barista Beauty’s yummy shampoo and conditioner. And, boy, were the girls excited to see a rechargeable flat iron in their gift bags! Hot and humid weather, look out! We’re armed and ready! And I’m planning on using my ShopatHome gift card at Sephora!

disclosure: this event was sponsored by LOFT in Paoli and girlymama.com.  Kendra Scott Jewelry, Ellington Handbags, Barista Bath and Beauty, Kymaro, and ShopatHome.com generously provided products for our gift bags.

me: "Are those BOOGERS on the wall?"

Colin: (proudly) "ME boogie!"

**Giveaway is now closed! Congratulations to comment #77 – Jennifer M!**

Encouraging kids to read during summer break can be a challenge – even when your kids love to read like mine. The lack of structured days and vacations and playing outside late into the night throw everything off in our house.  But we have a couple tricks that keep them reading:

Library trips: We go to the library once a week and the kids each get to pick out three books. No more, because that gets confusing and they just get lost. (sidebar: Where’s the strangest place you’ve found a missing library book?) We keep all library books in the living room and the kids love to curl up in our reading chair and read in the mornings and evenings.

Fit it in when you can: Let them bring a book in the car or to their sister’s gymnastic class or something. I bring our V.Reader in my purse when we go places so they can read while we’re waiting in a doctor’s office or before swim lessons. I do the same thing: I’ll read while drying my hair or eating my lunch… I love to read and I fit it in whenever I can and I love that my kids are doing the same.

Use reading as a reward: When my girls have been really good, I  let them stay up late reading. Instead of going to bed at 8:30, they’re allowed to keep their light on until 9:00 while they read books.

The VTech V.Reader has been such a great tool for us this summer to keep the kids reading and – more importantly – to help them LOVE reading. 

How do you encourage your child to read? VTech and TheMotherhood want to know! And they are giving one lucky Girlymama reader a V.Reader and game cartridge! Here’s how to enter:

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment sharing how you encourage your kids to read during the summer
Extra Entry #1: Leave a SEPARATE comment telling me you subscribed to Girlymama’s feed by email or in a reader.
Extra Entry #2:  Leave another comment telling me in what way you promoted this contest (i.e., posting about it on your blog or Facebook, or  Tweeting about it.

Contest ends Friday, July 23rd. Entries such as “Enter me” or “I want to win” will NOT be counted. Winners will be selected by Random.org,
announced back here on this post, and notified via email with
further instructions. If I don’t hear from the winner in 48 hours, I
will be choosing a new winner. 

Disclosure: I was provided with a V.Reader for review purposes by VTech and TheMotherhood and was compensated for my time in writing this post and running this giveaway. As always all opinions are mine.

I'm sure you've never mailed your oil bill to the garbage company and mailed your garbage bill to the oil company.

I'm sure you've never forgotten your kids swimming lessons or ballet lessons.

I'm sure you've never gone to the store to get milk and walked out $30 dollars later… with no milk.

I'm sure you never get stuck out with an extremely stinky baby and no diapers or wipes.

I'm doubly sure you've never had that happen at home, and you end up searching through old purses and your car trying to find an extra diaper.

And I'm sure you never got to the store at 2:00 in the afternoon and, as your kids were getting out of the car, realized that one of them was still wearing their pajamas.

Heaven has a beach. I'm sure of it.

KISSES!!

**This giveaway is now closed! Congratulations to the 5 winners, Katrina, Beth, Donna, Christina and Allyson! Hope Eggo helps your mornings be a little more sane!**

I am not a morning person. But my kids are. OH BOY are they. They hit the ground running at full speed (and volume) at ridiculously early hours of the morning. (For several months, my son was waking up at five am. FIVE. AM!) So after becoming a mom, I quickly learned I needed to learn how to cope with this morning thing that has the nerve to come around every single day.

I do everything I can the night before. Make lunches, pack up backpacks, lay out outfits, set up the coffeemaker to greet me when I come downstairs, and prepare as much as breakfast as I can.

I make an effort to be up before the kids. Its so tempting to sneak in more sleep, but mornings go much smoother when I have a head start. I get up, have a cup of coffee and read for a bit before the kids decend. 

I plan. And have a back-up plan. Mondays we have pancakes, Tuesdays we have cereal, Wednesdays we have muffins and yogurt, etc. And my back-up plan is frozen waffles. Its one of the fwe things that everyone likes. When the morning is totally crazy and chaotic and we're running late, I can throw frozen waffles in the toaster and (if need be) they can be eaten in the car.

Now, to add another weapon to my crazy morning arsenal, the Eggo Real Fruit Pizza. I popped them in the microwave this morning and 2 minutes later, breakfast was served. All three of my kids loved them and declared them "VERY YUMMY." I have to confess, I was skeptical, but they were actually really good! Not too sweet, great flavor and more filling than a waffle.

Would you like to a sane(r) morning? Eggo and The Motherhood want you to share your tips for getting through the morning and you an win one of (5), ohyes that’s right FIVE – Eggo® Real Fruit Pizzas Sampler Sets. Here’s how to enter:

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment sharing how you make your mornings sane(r)!
Extra Entry #1: Leave a SEPARATE comment telling me you subscribed to Girlymama's feed by email or in a reader.
Extra Entry #2:  Leave another comment telling me in what way you promoted this contest (i.e., posting about it on your blog or Facebook, or  Tweeting about it.

Contest ends Friday, July 20th. Entries such as "Enter me" or "I want to win" will NOT be counted. Winners will be selected by Random.org,
announced back here on this post, and notified via email with
further instructions. If I don't hear from the winner in 48 hours, I
will be choosing a new winner. 

Disclosure: I was provided with items for review purposes by Eggo and TheMotherhood and was compensated for my time in writing this post and running this giveaway. As always all opinions are mine.

Twitter is buzzing these days with people discussing what to wear to the BlogHer conference, what to wear for summer weddings, what to wear on vacation… you know the drill. Everyone is sharing sales and coupon codes… but if you don't want to buy all new clothes – or can't afford to since who doesn't want new clothes, right? – you can update and dress up the clothes you already have with accessories! For unique, gorgeous high-quality pieces, Murano Glass Jewelry fits the bill!

How about taking a simple sheath dress like this darling Foil Finish Sheath from LOFT and add something special, like this stunning Twist Necklace from Murano.

How fabulous would a simple little black dress be with a killer statement necklace from the Murano Glass Pendant Collection? I can just see myself rocking this Arianna Round Pendant with my v-neck  LBD!! I love it – classic yet modern. Dressy, but casual.
 

Even a super casual t-shirt dress can be kicked up a notch with awesome earrings. These Murano Glass Earrings are  all so gorgeous. There's a great variety of really versatile pieces. Look at the Catena Earring!!

What are your favorite ways to accessorize?

disclosure: this fashion friday post was sponsored by murano glass gifts.