Only In A Woman’s World!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was asked to join Frito Lay as a member of their “Fabulous 15″ – a group of 15 women involved in their “Only In A Woman’s World” Campaign.  I agreed to join because I loved the webisodes, the 4 female characters they created to be in the campaign, and the fun, healthy, overall feel of it.  In case you weren’t aware, I recently lost about 25 pounds, and I truly believe that healty snacking helped me to acheive that – but I don’t want to eat bland (or miniature) snacks, and these are anything but bland! I’m totally addicted to the new Chocolate Cookie Caramel Pecan SmartFood popcorn clusters.  Can you say nom nom nom?

A new webisode was just released, the 6th in the series, and it, like the rest of them, is hilarious.  Check it out below, then head over to the website and see the others that you’ve missed!  It will certainly make you smile.  Enjoy!

How To Survive A Week At Disney World (And LOVE it!)

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably realized that I recently returned from vacation at “The Happiest Place On Earth”.  Which, for the record, in late March, is also “The Most Crowded Place on Earth”.  But you know, the first one sounds way better.  Don’t get me wrong here, I am by no means a Disney basher, I am a Disney lover.  I’ve been taking trips to Walt Disney World since I was an infant, and I don’t plan to stop anytime soon.  We are actually DVC members, and Annual Passholders – so yeah, you could say I like it there.

My trip in a nutshell?  Had fabulous weather, rode a few roller coasters and some other awesome rides, got stuck on a few rides, re-developed a love of riding the monorail,

loved watching Little AG love on Winnie the Pooh (and Tigger too!), and spend time with my family.

I just wanted to share with you a few quick tips on things that made our lives so much easier!

• Micralite Fastfold Stroller:  I reviewed this stroller last summer after our trip to Europe, with then 17-month old Little AG.  I loved it.  This stroller hung in there through thick and thin in Europe, and it didn’t disappoint us in Disney either.  First of all, the stroller has such a unique design that it is truly eye-catching.  I swear, I was like a walking advertisement for that stroller, because EVERYONE wanted to know where we got it.  So much so that even my parents knew the name and started telling people about it when they asked.  The back of the seat is mesh, so it was nice and breathable in that hot Orlando weather.  Oh, and when we had to park it outside of rides and things it was super easy to spot afterwards because no one else had one like it!  Awesome!
• Protect-A-Bub Sunshade:  Did  I mention hot Orlando sun?  Yes, it was hot in Florida, I even ended up with tan lines from my flip flops!  The Protect-A-Bub sunshade is made to extend the sunshade of your stroller, and it also keeps out almost 100% of the UV rays.  Little AG fell asleep in her stroller under this sunshade many times, and we were comfortable knowing she was fully protected from the sun while we walked around the parks.  It folds up really nicely and fits in it’s own little pouch so it was easy to throw in our bag each day.
• CARES: Kids Fly Safe Harness:  Have you ever lugged a carseat and a 2 year old through an airport?  If so, then you will totally appreciate the CARES aviation harness.  For kids that meet the approved weight limit, it can be used in place of a car seat to keep your kiddos strapped in safely.  it is a 5 point restraint, making it much safer than the seatbelt alone.  We have used ours COUNTLESS times now, and I am a tireless advocate for this product. Something else I’m an advocate of?  Saving my arm muscles and patience,  and possibly a lawsuit from when I accidentally smack someone with the car seat while struggling down the aisle.  It’s the only FAA approved harness for take-off and landing, and if you are frequent fliers like us (Little AG has her own Frequent Flier numbers on all of the airlines) then you will really appreciate this product.
• Neat Solutions Germ-Free Products:  These products kept me sane, and kept Little AG’s little fingers off of yucky tables, and her body off of yucky changing tables.  Neat Solutions are just that — products that make your life a little neater and a lot less germy.  And with all of the germs that are to be had in a place full of kids…let’s just say you have to do your part!  However, I do want to say that Disney does a great job of keeping things clean, even with TONS of people milling around.  One of our favorite features of the parks are the Baby Changing Stations — air conditioned places with tons of giant, cushy changing tables that are sanitized after each use, wipes, diapers, and formula are all for sale for a very nominal fee – they even have nursing rooms.  I was so impressed and so thankful for this service, which can be found in each of the parks!

Been there, done Disney?  Check out my review of the Sandestin Resort on Florida’s Emerald Coast!

Flowers For Mom, Money For Charity {Giveaway CLOSED}

Giveaway Closed!  Congrats to our winner, Alyssa, of Kingdom First Mom!

Around Valentine’s Day we have partnered up with KaBloom to bring you a fantastic giveaway and we have done it again for Mother’s Day!  Before we do, I want to let you know that from now through Mother’s Day, for every online purchase ordered via Kabloom.com, $5 will be donated to Children’s Hospital Boston.  Most of us love to give our mom’sa bouquet of flowers to show her how much we care on Mother’s Day, right?  Well, when you order through Kabloom you’re also giving back by helping to support one of the largest pediatric medical centers in the United States.  Children’s Hospital Boston provides highly specialized care to their young patients while assuring the continuation of ground-breaking research to help change children’s lives.

Have you ever ordered flowers from online before?  Most florists will ship them overnight without water, so when they arrive they look sad and well, pretty darn thirsty.  (Which is how I imagine I’d be in a box with no water for hours on end!)  KaBloom does something different – using their Moses Miracle technology your flowers arrive with their own sealed water supply, so they look as radiant and fresh as the moment they were picked!  If you’re going to spend money on flowers, you expect them to look fantastic, right?  KaBloom makes sure they do!

I’m a white or pink roses kinda gal, but in the spring nothing makes me swoon more than a bouquet of Tulips.  Looking around the KaBloom website just makes me want to fill my house with fresh flowers — there is something invigorating by always having them around, don’t you think?  KaBloom has graciously offered one lucky Chic Shopper Chick reader the opportunity to win a bouquet of flowers from their site, delivered in time for Mother’s Day!  Check out the rules below!

Win It!! To be entered to win a bouquet of flowers of your choice from KaBloom, visit their website and come back here and leave a comment sharing which arrangement you would choose.  After your initial comment, every other (pertinent) comment left on this site on other posts from now through May 5th will count as an extra entry each.  You don’t need to come back to this post and tell me you commented on another post, I can stalk track you via your email/IP address.   As usual, extra entries are also available for blogging this contest with a link back here, stumbling Chic Shopper Chick (leave your stumble name), subscribing to my site, listening to the Feel Good Fashion radio show on Friday nights at 9pm EST/8pm CST, or following me on Twitter.  That’s a ton of ways to win, so good luck!

US  entries only, winner will be chosen via random.org at the end of the contest. Winners are posted here, please leave a valid email address or blog address if you’d like to be contacted should you win. Winner has 72 hours to claim their prize. This contest ends at 5:00 pm CST on May 5th, 2009.

Chic Read: Suzy Welch’s 10-10-10

Hi, my name is Erika Lehmann and I can’t make a decision to save my life. No, seriously. I am so indecisive that I drive my family crazy. I find it difficult to make decisions on every little thing, from what color shirt to buy to where I should grab a bite to eat. When I heard about Suzy Welch’s new book, 10-10-10: A Life-Transforming Idea my interest was truly piqued.  The book operates under a simple premise, that every decision can be made by evaluating a choice with “How will this choice affect my life in 10 minutes?  10 months?  10 years?”

The book really helped me to take a look at the way I make decisions.  It helped me to evaluate my current decision making process, which is usually to agonize over what choice will make me feel better, and what choice will leave me with the least amount of guilt in the long run.  By evaluating them this way, I am able to see that even if something makes me feel good now, it may not do that later on, and vise versa. However, it teaches you how to do that based on your personal values, not ones that anyone else sets for you.  Like I said, it’s a simple premise, but one that works.

The book is filled with personal stories from Welch as well as from others that she has encountered over the years as to how they have all put 10-10-10 into effect in their own lives, and how it has changed them for the better.  This holds true for work, love, parenthood and other life situations you will enevitably encounter.  The book itself is an easy read and very engaging, with tons of short snippets and tales of how 10-10-10 has worked for people in situations you may have never even contemplated.  By the time I reached the middle of the book, I found myself contemplating even the smallest daily decisions in manner of 10-10-10.  So, calling all indecesive decision makers!  This book is for you.  I truly believe this book has helped me to alleviate some of the guilt and pain surrounding some of life’s harder decsions, because it is easier to see a path that I want and follow it when I have prepared myself for all possible outcomes and consequences.  If you love this kind of thing, be sure to grab your copy of 10-10-10: A Life-Transforming Idea on Amazon!

Mother’s Day Pampering! {Giveaway CLOSED}

Hello CSC readers! Sarah from Bio Girl here again with another great pregnancy/baby product review. I gotta tell you all, I am a big fan of anything to do with pampering.

I absolutely love body washes and lotions (to the point that it may or may not actually be an addiction…). Anything that will help my skin to look and feel better is a weakness of mine. Because of this weakness, I was obviously THRILLED when Erika asked me to review the Belli Skincare Pregnancy Line. What can be better than reviewing products made to make a pregnancy gal feel pretty??

Belli’s pregnancy line has everything a pregnant woman would want to pamper herself and take care of her skin. All of the products have undergone amazing amounts of toxicology testing to be 100% positive that they are safe for both you and your sweet baby on the way. They do not put a product on the market that is not dermatology approved, but more than that, they go above and beyond the dermatology standard to put only the safest products for you and your baby on the market. The pregnancy line includes products such as body wash, body lotion and foot relief cream (oh the love…this stuff is wonderful!!), but they also have things such as elasticity belly oil and acne clearing facial wash. Any pregnant girl will tell you that stretch marks and acne are two hot button topics during pregnancy. Having items that are safe to use and designed specifically for a pregnant woman’s body chemistry is a dream come true!

In addition to the pregnancy line, Belli also offers a wonderful line of Motherhood and baby products. All motherhood items are safe for breast feeding mothers. They are truly made to make you look and feel your very best! The baby line, like the pregnancy and motherhood lines, is thoroughly tested before being released to the public. Belli has made it their mission to provide products that not only make you look and feel amazing, but to set the industry standard on safety and toxicology. You can feel safe using these products on yourself and your children, which is really the most important thing.

The Belli products will make a wonderful Mother’s Day gift for all the mom’s or soon to be mom’s in your life! The baby line will make a much loved shower gift. Belli offers gift packages in each line to make gift buying fast and easy. Pick some up for someone you love, or just pick some up for yourself! You are going to love it!

Win It!!!  We have one Motherhood Essentials Kit to give away to a very lucky CSC Reader! The Motherhood Essentials Kit includes the Pure Comfort Nursing Cream, Eye Brightening Cream, Body Firming Serum, and Moisturinzing Hand Sanitizer. To enter, visit Belli Skincare and then come back here and let me know what product is your favorite! After your initial comment, every other (pertinent) comment left on this site on other posts from now through May 1st will count as an extra entry each.  You don’t need to come back to this post and tell me you commented on another post, I can stalk track you via your email/IP address.   As usual, extra entries are also available for blogging this contest with a link back here, stumbling Chic Shopper Chick (leave your stumble name), subscribing to my site, listening to the Feel Good Fashion radio show on Friday nights at 9pm EST/8pm CST, following me on Twitter.  That’s a ton of ways to win, so good luck!

US and Canadian entries only, winner will be chosen via random.org at the end of the contest. Winners are posted here, please leave a valid email address or blog address if you’d like to be contacted should you win. Winner has 72 hours to claim their prize. This contest ends at 11:59 pm CST on May 1st, 2009.

Happy Earth Day! {Giveaway CLOSED}

Thanks to WalMart and Brita, I’m hosting a last-minute Twitter giveaway for a Brita Water Pitcher!  To enter, submit your best Green Tip for Earth Day on Twitter, using the hashtag #11MOMSGREEN.  Don’t forget to enter my Earth Month Giveaway!

Giveaway Details

Submit your best Green tip for Earth Day on Twitter using the hashtag #11MOMSGREEN.*

Example: “@ErikaLehmann My Green Tip is ___________#11MOMSGREEN

After tweeting please leave a link to your tweet in this post.

*Please note that all tips maybe be used on Walmart.com.

Supa Dupa Bloopas

I grew up in Catholic school my entire life, and I remember that I constantly got in trouble in church for uncontrollable giggling.  It didn’t take much to set me off, something like dropping the wooden kneeler too loudly on the marble floor would be enough to make me giggle for 10 minutes straight.  The nuns were never very pleased at me, and to this day I can remember Sister Josephine glaring at me from 3 rows up.  I couldn’t help it then, and I can’t help it now … giggling is in my nature.  Below is proof.

Happy Wednesday.  Here’s a Blooper Reel from my latest Mom Makeover video that I hope makes you smile.  It’s short, but sufficiently silly for you to roll your eyes at.  Enjoy!

Mom Makeover Update {aka New PRIZE alerts!}

I’m sure you remember last week’s exciting announcement about our partnership with Mom Generations and NewBaby TV to sponsor a Mom Makeover contest!  One lucky mom will win a complete makeover package, and we have exciting new prizes and sponsors to announce this week!  Check out the video below for the latest and greatest updates!

And yes, mom, I am wearing clothes.  Lesson learned however, no more filming videos in a tank top.  So, what are you waiting for??!! Go make us a video and get in the running to win that Mom Makeover!

PS — In the mood to giggle?  Check out my outtakes from this video, aka my blooper reel!

This Week’s Sales At Ideeli

Here are this weeks amazing designer sales that are happening at Ideeli.  Ideeli is shopping by invitation only, but I have plenty of invites left!  Don’t forget that you can currently enter to win one of 3 first row upgrades ($96 value) here on Chic Shopper Chick through the end of April, and be the first to have access to the best products and exclusive sales on Ideeli.

NICOLE MILLER
Tuesday 4/21
Up to 70% off
Prices Start at $120
Just because Greek mythology is set in the ancient past, doesn’t mean that sirens aren’t still out to play. Nicole Miller transforms present-day femmes into timeless temptresses every day. An American born to a fashionable French mother, Miller trained at both the Rhode Island School of Design and Paris’ Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. RISD ignited Miller’s wild streak, unleashing a rebellious side to her designs, while the French institution provided the young designer with a mastery of classic construction techniques.

JILL STUART

Starts Wed 4/22
Up to 70% Off
Prices start at $144
“Dress” – it’s a small word for a garment of such monumental importance. No other article of clothing has the ability to balance function with femininity better and no other designer has mastered the art of this balance better than Jill Stuart.

CHRISTIAN LACROIX -accessory sale: handbags, jewelry, belts, and more!
Starts Thursday 4/23
Up to 64% Off
Prices start at $194
A woman’s sense of style is evident in her accessories, so they ought to be remarkable. Belts, whether florid or classic, should cinch your waist or beautifully accent your hips. Satin and leather bags should be impeccably crafted with luxurious accents including zippers, colorful handles, and embroidery. And jewelry must be dramatic and evoke high glamour. The best-accessorized women in the world choose Lacroix. Now it’s your turn.

An In-Dress-Ment (Ha, Ha)

You know, instead of an inVESTment?  It’s a dress, so it’s a inDRESSment!  Ha.  Haha.  Ha. Wheeewww.  Oooookay.  Yeah.  Anyway.  Moving right along.

This truly is an investment, because this sweet little dress is kinda pricey.  But, for the price of this dress you also get this one, and that one, and that one, and that one….  This convertible dress from Butter By Nadia can be worn in an inumerable amount of ways, meaning you’ll get more bang for your buck.  And in today’s economy, even the most die-hard fashionistas are fast becoming recessionistas. The cool thing is that you can wear this to multiple events with the same people because you can make a different look out of it every time!

You can wear this dress at least 24 different ways, but I bet those of you that are creative can find even more ways to rock it!  Check out all of the different looks below.  The dress is actually only sold in one size, and fits women from a size 2-16.  Oh, and attention all pregnant women!  This could be the only dress you need to make it through an entire pregnancy!  It will grow, and then shrink, with you – plus you can wear it so many different ways that you’ll never have to worry about seeing the same people!

There is no denying that this is a cool concept, but what do you think?  Is this something you would like/wear?  Let me know in the comments!

Saturday Street Style – NYC Fashionistas

I couldn’t help myself from snapping a picture of these 2 fashionistas who had forgone eating lunch in order to spend their time shopping.  I loved their office-chic looks — they were very fashionable but still work-appropriate.  I felt the hemline for the chick in blue was a bit long, and actually made her look shorter than she was, but overall I was impressed.  What do you think?  I know the iPhone pic is not the best, but you can get the gist, right?  Share you opinions in the comments!

Fendi Sale! (Yes, You Read That Right!)

Ideeli launched their Fendi sale this morning, and within minutes some items were already snatched up and sold out!  I’m dying to purchase the Fendi Spy Bag – it’s on sale for $895, down from $1350.  I know, I know, thats still pricey, but a girl can dream, right?  If you are a Fendi Freak like I am, head over to Ideeli and check out the sale.  The prices are up to 48% off!

Win a Nankeen Cosmetic Tote! {Giveaway CLOSED}

Don’t forget that you can listen to myself and fellow fashionista Audrey McClelland tonight on Blog Talk Radio as we host our show, Feel Good Fashion!   Tonight we will have on Sarah from Nankeen as a guest on our show, and we will be giving away a cosmetic tote live on the air! 

Don’t forget to join us tonight on Feel Good Fashion at 9pm EST, 8pm CST for 30 minutes of fun and fashion (and a chance to win that bag!)

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