Free Christmas Cards

I found a deal today on slickdeals.net for 50 free photo christmas cards. Some of them are pretty cute. Here is the link to the deal along with the code...

FREE CHRISTMAS CARDS

Monday's Top Deals

Here are some great deals I found this morning. I hope some work out for your christmas shopping. :)

Gap.com
Oct. 26-29
20% for you and a friend
Enter code FORYOU or FRIEND at checkout

Justice for Girls
This is Afton's new favorite place
40% off entire site thru Nov. 3
http://www.shopjustice.com/limitedtoo
Enter code 775 at checkout

Disney Cars Inflatabed
http://kids.woot.com/
Only $14.99 plus $5 shipping
Until 11 pm (MST) tonight

Leather Storage Bench
http://www.homedecoratorsoutlet.com/detail.php?parentid=4005220&cartId=15174094&aid=performix
Great for a hallway or mudroom
Reg. $322, Now $64.99 (plus $33.95 for shipping)

A present for your man

I found these jackets today on slickdeals.net at a great price. They are dickies thermal hoodies and are normally over $30 but are on sale for $15.50. And use this code for $3.10 off of that: WDRRS. Also, the shipping is free. Hurry, get them while they last!

Fall in NYC

David and I took the most wonderful trip to New York. We stayed with my awesome sister, Eryn in Brooklyn. We ate a lot. We shopped even more. And then we walked so much that my toes are still bruised. My favorite stop was the Saturday Flea Market in Ft. Greene, Brooklyn.

I picked up some great jewelry that is really unique. David picked up about 5 lbs. of food.

That whole day was amazing. While taking a trip to the west village to see Marc Jacobs, we found another street fair which was magical. The weather was amazing and every street was inspiring to me.

The next day, we had tickets to the Jets/Patriots game. It was so much fun. Our seats were great and the energy of Jets fans is incredible. I will always be true to my Broncos but the Jets are now #2 in my heart.

We finished off that night with some BBQ at Hill Country. Sooo Good!

We spent the next two days at various H&Ms, Bloomingdales, and anywhere along the way.

Eryn made a reservation for us at Mario Batalli's BABBO. Literally, the best italian food I have ever had in my life!

I am lucky to get to visit this city nearly every year and I miss it so much. I miss my sister so much. I know it sounds silly, but I can't wait to go back next September (if I am really lucky). This trip was truly one of my favorites ever.

Current Obesession

David and I went on an amazing trip to NYC last month. We ate, shopped and walked. Of course, I enjoyed the shopping the most. I picked up a lot of great things but left one behind... because of the price tag. It was an amazing coat from Ben Sherman. I have never tried on a more luxurious coat before. It kind of ruined me. Any other coat I tried on just didn't measure up and felt like an actual piece of felt. So, in true Brooke form, I am waiting for it to go on sale.

Anybody need a tropical vacation?

I know I don't... right now anyway. But I found this great deal on Travel Zoo's top 20 this morning. It's a an all-inclusive trip to Domican Republic. It includes flight and a 5 night stay at an amazing upscale all-inclusive resort with a private beach for just $499! Usually flights to DR are at least that much. Of course, if you can't depart at the designated airports, the price is a little more but I think if you need a vacation in the next 2 months, this one is perfect and is worth checking out! Let me know if you book it so I can live vicariously through you! Here is the link:

Awesome Vacation!

tip: these deals go fast, so if you are thinking about it just book it :)

Kindle Deals

If any of you are high roller enough to have a kindle, here is an awesome deal. Amazon (via slickdeals.net) has some best-sellers for the kindle for free. Here is the slickdeals link. And here is the amazon link.

Happy reading!

Deals

I have been a very, very, very bad blogger. Sorry. I promise (as usual) to be better. I promise to post about my summer adventures and my latest trip to NYC and my upcoming trip to Hawaii.

But I have also decided to do to something new. For those of you who know me well, you know that I am constantly in search of great deals. So when I see one, I will post it here. Here is one for today.

Cutest Kid recliners I have ever seen!

Being a Mommy

The greatest thing that has ever happened to me in my life is having someone call me "Mommy". Obviously, the day each of my children were born changed my life but each day after that has my made my life better and better. I don't think I could love 2 people more than I love my Afton and Grayson.

I love all the little conversations I have with them. Their new little insights on life. Like Grayson telling me yesterday, "Mommy, everybody has a shadow, right." I love all the cute songs they come home from school or church with. Afton has so many little songs she has learned this year. She'll just be helping me clean or do a chore, and then suddenly break into song. I love that about her happy little spirit.

I love how polite my children have become. I can't help but have a smile on my face every time I hear a please or a thank you or a cute little compliment come out of their mouths. It is so rewarding.

Being a mother is amazing. I have to be honest, there are days when I don't want to be anyone's mother. Just putting one foot out of my bed seems too daunting. But having my kids jump into bed with me and snuggle either side of me every single morning gives me the greatest feeling any person could have. It's Love. I feel privileged to know what it is like to love someone so much, you would truly do anything for them. Life isn't so much about me anymore. It's about them.

Not everyone gets to be a mother. I am blessed and I don't take one day for granted. I hug, squeeze, kiss and love those kids every chance I get. I tell them I love them about 50 times a day. I wish I could keep them this age forever.

Afton and Grayson-
Thanks for giving me the greatest Mother's Day. I love you!

Operation Swimsuit - Conclusion

Well, I am sure you are all dying to hear the conclusion to Operation Swimsuit. I have to say, I think this was the most motivated I have been while on one of my fitness quests. Before leaving for Mexico, I continued to exercise 4 days a week and almost completely ditched my addiction to cheeseburgers. That's right, almost. I did reward myself the day before I left and I did have a few on my trip (but that doesn't count).

I kept and will keep going to my pilates/fusion class. I really look forward to that one every week. It is so challenging and it really has a huge pay-off. I always walk away feeling more toned and possibly taller.

David and I also started going to a Core class once a week. It has really kicked our butts. It is so awesome and I love doing it with David. That could possibly be because I am way better at it than he is and it is very rare that I beat him at anything physical. It is fun to watch him sweat :).

And through all my physical endeavors I have found my new favorite thing. The Bosu. It is amazing. It totally intensifies my workout. I use it for push-ups, cruches, weight lifting and general core strengthening.



I don't look like Cameron Diaz but I totally proud of myself for trying!

Heaven - a.k.a. Cancun, Mexico

It has almost been a week since we got home from our amazing trip to Cancun, Mexico. It was eight days of pure sunshine and eating, eating, eating. I read over 1000 pages while sitting by the pool everyday, it was amazing. Since becoming a mom, I look forward to diving into a good book (or books) anytime I leave the kids behind.



The weather was great. Our all-inclusive resort was amazing. It is called the Ocean Coral and Turquesa and is near Puerto Morelos. The rooms were immaculate, the food was great and the grounds were kept incredibly clean and beautiful. I would totally recommend this hotel.



We went with our great friends, Cindy and Andy. They were so much fun and love to lay around as much as we do. We had such a great time with them.



The best souvenirs I brought home were a nice tan (which is quickly peeling away... thank you to Utah's dry air!) and free highlights in my hair. And no, we did not bring the swine flu home. The american press really blew the whole thing out of proportion. If we didn't have TV in our room in Mexico, we wouldn't have even known about it.

Grayson-ism

This morning Grayson was arguing with me about eating his cereal. He told me I was "hurting his feelings" because I told him no Mickey Mouse until he finished his whole bowl. Then he started to repeat whatever I would say.

Me: Grayson, stop talking back to me.

G: But Mommy, why are you talking forward?

Operation Swimsuit - Day 2

Ok, so I promise I am not going to log you to death with all my fitness endeavors. I just had an amazing workout today and I had to share. I was able to attend a Yoga/Pilates Fusion class tonight at my gym. It was an incredible workout. I think I am already sore. And the best part was at the end when you cover your eyes with a towel and completely relax and then someone walks around the class and mists you with jasmine. I honestly can't wait to go back.

And now on to energy. The hardest part of working out for me is mustering up enough energy to do so. This week I bought the Crystal Light packets that go in your water bottle. There is a special "energy" one that I picked up. Boy, does it ever give you energy. It actually makes me feel a little crazy with energy. It totally works but I have learned to not drink the whole 20 ounces in my water bottle. About 3/4 of it is just right so that I get my butt on the treadmill and other machines and not feel like my heart is going to beat out of my chest afterwards. Just make sure to get a flavor that you know you will like.

What I love...

...about my house is the beautiful view. When the weather is nice here, our view is out of this world. I snapped this picture from our kitchen the other night at sunset. It is amazing.

Operation Swimsuit - Day 1

Well today is day one for me. The day I have decided to get my butt back in the gym. Swimsuit season will soon be upon us and I have procrastinated way too long. I think I have hibernated all winter long and when I looked in the mirror last week, I realized a had a nice layer cushion all around me (and mostly in the wrong places).

Cameron Diaz is my ultimate fitness idol. In my dreams, I would have a body just like her. I know I am like 4 inches shorter and my limbs are not nearly as long, but I will do my darndest to look just like her no matter how impossible it may seem. I started today by going to the gym and pushing hard on cardio and mat pilates.

Cardio is the hardest part for me and I have to have great music blasting in ears to really get me going. Lately, I am really into girl power. Here is a sampling of my playlist:

1) The Fear by Lily Allen
2) Cry for you by September
3) That's not my name by The Ting Tings
4) Reach Out by Hillary Duff
5) Right Round by Flo Rida
6) Shut Up and Let me go by The Ting Tings
7) Keeps gettin' Better by Christina Aguilara
8) 22 by Lily Allen
9) Let it Rock by Kevin Rudolf
10) Womanizer by Britney Spears

Also, I have an amazing trip to motivate me. David and I are headed to Cancun, Mexico in 37 days with some friends! I can't wait. We are going for a whole week. Knowing that I will be in a swimsuit everyday really makes me want to tone it up.

Speaking of swimsuits, Heather Fish from Pearl Swimwear is coming to Utah in April and will be doing a little boutique at my house on April 16th. Her swimsuits are the best and I really love her newer line of cover-ups. Let me know if anyone is interested in coming and I will send out an email reminder. It should be so much fun since she discounts everything when she sells out of my house.

Good Luck to all you Operation Swimsuit-ers out there! We can do it!

I'm Published! (sort of)

Last September my old roomie, Catherine, from New York commissioned me to do an art piece for apartment redo.  I created a mosaic-type piece of the Brooklyn Bridge to go over her bed to create a faux headboard.  It turned out great and as usual, it was really hard for me send it away once I finished it.  

Well, today an online article documenting her apartment redo went up on Myhomeideas.com.  And a picture of the piece I did for her is on there as well with all my info.  I am so excited for both of us, even though I only played a very small part in it.  Way to go Catherine, your place looks great!

Check us out!

My latest work of art...

Salt Lake Temple, 2008

This one took me over a month to complete mostly due to the weather.  I am very happy with the way it turned out though.  It was a Christmas gift for parents but a month late.  Sorry, Mom and Dad!  Anyway, I had a hard time parting with this one - probably because of all the hard work that went into it.

VapoRub

I was rushing around the house this morning, cleaning up before the cleaners came. I picked up a jar of Vicks VapoRub and it immediately reminded me of Grayson's first weeks of life.

Farrah, this post is dedicated to you.

Going from one to two kids is rough at first. I think looking back now, I blocked out all the hard times I had that first year. But picking up that VapoRub today reminded me of of Christmas Eve/Christmas 2005. Grayson was a brand new baby, not even two weeks old yet. Christmas Eve was my first day all by myself without any help from David or Family. David had to work that day of course. Lennar never let him have holidays off. I had gotten us all clean and dressed and felt a great sense of accomplishment. All 3 of us were sitting on the bed together. I was nursing Grayson. Afton was climbing around as usual. All of the sudden, Afton (14 mos.) jumps off the bed and hits her eye on the side rail.

She had a huge cut on her eyelid and was bleeding everywhere. I tried to secure Grayson somewhere and assess the damage. I couldn't tell if it was so bad that she would need stitches or not and there was no one there for a second opinion. So I called David, who was annoyed that I would call him about something so serious and there was nothing he could do. And there I was. Two crying babies in my arms and a ball full of "after pregnancy" hormones leaking out of my eyes. I packed them up and held Afton on my lap as I drove to urgent care (I know that is not the safe thing to do, but when blinded with emotion...).

I get there, trying to shield Grayson from all the sick people and comfort Afton and hold back my own tears. I felt so incompetent. It turned out the gash was only big enough for two stitches but because of the location, they couldn't even stitch it at all. She would be left scarred forever. So off we went to join my family for all the Christmas Eve festivities as I tried to recover from the trauma of realizing I had two children now and one of them was crazy.

The next day was Christmas of course and it happened to fall on a Sunday. Our plan was to meet at my parent's house and for David and Afton to go to church with them while I stayed at the house with Grayson. I got Afton all dressed up in her beautiful raw silk Christmas dress. I then proceded to get us packed up to go. All of the sudden I started to smell menthol strongly. I turned around and Afton had covered herself head to toe in VapoRub. HEAD TO TOE!!! I wanted to die. I just started to wipe her down with babywipes as fast I could, trying to lessen the damage. Her dress was totally ruined. We were late, so I just did the best I could and threw her into the car. We showed up on my parent's doorstep with a newborn and toddler who looked like she had been in fight and smelled like she had taken a bath in menthol.

Looking back, how did we survive? How is it that I only remember loving them and not the moments when I told myself (and David) I couldn't do it? Luckily, I have reminders like a jar of medicine to help me remember those moments in the beginning and just how far we have come.

The Joys of Motherhood

Well, today was a day to put in the journal. It started out just like any other. I rushed the kids through breakfast because we had an insulation guy coming at 9 a.m.. So after I cleaned the kitchen, I left Afton to her crafts at the table and I ran up to get dressed and brush my teeth. I came down the stairs 5 minutes later to find Afton freaking out because she had hair all over her. At first I just assumed Grayson had pulled her hair out because I had heard some arguing. But when I got closer, I realized she had cut her hair!!! Of course I freaked out, trying hard not to let the tears come rolling down my cheeks. I grabbed her and assessed the damage. She had made herself bangs! And what can I do to fix the handy work of a 4 year old? Nothing. Just pin it back till it grows and hope no one notices the hole in her hair on the side of her head.

It's like one of those moments that you know will happen some time during your little girl's life but you are praying that you will get to skip it. Seeing that hair all over the floor is terrifying for a mother. I vividly remember cutting my mom's doll's hair when I was about 3. I am pretty sure I got into big trouble for that one. What is the temptation to cut hair all about?

So after the incident, and my appointment with insulation guy was over, and my sister left (paige was here for the weekend), I put myself in timeout in my room. It was only 11 a.m. and I was already spent for the day. We have this stupid inversion here in Utah, and it is super annoying because I guess that is what happens here when it is sunny for too long in the winter. So we either get an inversion where it's gray and smoggy or we get pounded with snow storms. Both are hard for me to get through without getting depressed. It's hard to be joyful when you can't see the blue sky.

Anyway, I've locked myself in my room and am filled with doom and gloom wondering if it is worth it to shower today. Then I hear my sweet kids laughing and having a good time. I was so glad they were entertaining each other. Then I got curious to see what they were up to. This is what I found:



They had made a "roller coaster" with their little chairs for all their animals and dolls. Such a mess, but it really put a smile on my face. They are so creative and sometimes you can't help but be proud of them for having such an amazing imagination. No matter what the weather is like outside, you can count on an eventful time at the Milne house.

Winter Woes

It's cold.  It's snowy.  It's windy.  It's cold.  Why does every winter seem like the worst one ever?  I know last winter was very snowy and bitter in Colorado but I can almost swear it's worse this year in Utah.  It could be that we live on a mountain where the wind never seems to quit.  It could be the alleged global warming.  Yeah, right.  All I know is that it is only the beginning of January and I only have visions of Summer.

Obviously, I am not a Winter person.  I don't enjoy any of the "wonderful" Winter activities.  I do have a few things that are getting me thru this season though.  The first one is (or was) our trip to sunny California.  It was so warm and delightful.  One day it was nearly 80 degrees.  Pure Heaven.   The memories of that trip have helped me get thru the last 3 snow storms we had this week.  

The second is one the best things that has happened to me this Winter.  Uggs.  I have always held off buying them because I thought they were just a trend.  But I have to tell you, they are the most wonderful thing to have during the winter.  I wear them at least 4 days a week.  They are so warm and cozy inside... kind of like giving your feet a hug.  And you don't even wear socks with them.  I really love the sparkly paisleys on the pair I got.

The third thing is an amazing gadget that we got for one of our 12 days of christmas that David's mom did for us.  It is a hot chocolate maker.  It is also a frother.  I think we have already used it about 10 times.  The kids and I love making a cup of hot chocolate after dinner for our little treat.  It's from Williams-Sonoma by Bialetti.  It you love making the good stuff (like the kind made actual chocolate flakes), I highly suggest you pick one up.

The fourth thing is a new bag I got for Christmas.  I love having a new beautiful bag to cart around town with me.  It's a Kate Spade and I really think her newer lines of bags and shoes are so adorable.  I take that back.  Desirable.

The last thing was a present from my parents. A collection of samplings from Estee Lauder. Every day I get to pick new eye shadow combinations. And having a new skin regimen has been really great too. Winter can be really harsh on your skin and having a great skin cream makes all the difference.

Well, as I close this post, I just peeked out my window. Can you guess what I found? You're are right, SNOW.

Lash Obsessed

Have you ever been presented with that hypothetical situation - If you were stranded on a desert island and you could only bring one cosmetic product what would it be?  My answer is Mascara.  To me, it is the ultimate beauty necessity.  I could have a ton of make-up on and no one would even notice till I had my mascara on.  During the summer, it's all I wear (besides sunscreen) on my face.  My lashes are so blonde, it makes a big difference.

I love trying new mascaras.  I have a new favorite every couple of months.  It always seems like I am happy with it at first but in about a month, I am over it.  My last Mascara was DiorShow.

It was voted the best mascara for 2008.  I really didn't think it was anything special, besides the fancy packaging.  Within 2 months, it got so clumpy that it was really doing my lashes a disservice.

I am now using Estee Lauder's MagnaScopic.  It came as a sample in a gift I got from my parents.  It is a pretty good mascara - really lengthens the lashes.  My only qualm is that lashes look really thin with it and if I don't wear a liner, it looks like I don't have anything on my lashes.

So, again, I am in search of a new mascara.  There are two I am very intrigued by.  Have you tried them?  Givenchy Phenomen Eyes and Lancome's Oscillation mascara.

I think the idea of a new round brush is really cool.  I wonder if it works.

A vibrating brush?! Who would have imagined? I am very interested to know if this works or is strictly a gimmic.

Do any of you have a favorite mascara you would suggest?  Have you tried any of these?  Do you have a make-up product you couldn't live without?

Beauty Supply

I don't know if any of you have heard about my hairbrush woes.  I bought a new chi brush about a year ago thinking I'll splurge and get a special brush and maybe it will last a while and make my hair shiny and voluminous.  Well, I now have 10 of the 100+ bristles left on it making it very hard to even remove a few of the ridiculous tangles in my hair.  My hair doesn't do well in the water.

So today, I finally bit the bullet and made my way to Ulta for a new hairbrush with Grayson in tow.  I picked  a new one and some shampoo and was ready to go.  I got up to the register and of course was bombarded by their promotional offer.  This time it was an "opportunity" to come back for a consultation next Saturday with Dermalogica.  Normally, I always refuse no matter what the offer is.  This time, I told them "No thank you, I'm not sure I'll be around and I'll call to make an appointment if things change."

Of course, they wouldn't take "no" for an answer.  The girl kept asking me in different ways and then I could feel her eyes staring at my skin and the giant pimple I had just formed on my chin.  She gave that look like "I really think it would be in your best interest to have our skin specialist take a look at you and get rid of that disgusting thing on your face".  After feeling like that, how could I say no?  I have had breakout after breakout lately.  

I left the store disgusted with myself.  How could I fall for that stupid marketing ploy?  All I wanted was to buy a hairbrush.  

Back to blogging

A new year.  A new attempt.  Blogging can be so daunting for me.  But this year, I will make a better effort.  First of all, I have been trying to fix my template.  However, it seems that I am html retarded and can't get my right side column to appear on the right.  Does anyone know how to fix this?  I tried to upload new templates and though, I was successful getting those up, I was unsuccessful and fixing my original problem.  It makes me feel old and incompetent.