Beauty & Fashion Archives - Page 7 of 14

Where cute meets comfort – introducing the Rocky 4EurSole sandals

Disclosure: I am part of the PTPA Brand Ambassador Program with Rocky 4EurSole and I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

A wise person once told me that life was too short to wear uncomfortable footwear. Never has that been more true than when you are caring for and chasing after kiddos. Ever try and take care of toddlers in stilettos? No thank you. I’ll take a pair of sneakers or sandals any day. But, that doesn’t mean you have to wear ugly orthopedic shoes. In fact, you can even wear cute, fashionable footwear in comfort with Rocky 4EurSole. With so many cute options to choose from, they make practical footwear actually lust-worthy.

When I was thinking about my needs over the next few months, I decided pretty quickly that I wanted to spend as much time outdoors as possible. Spring and summer in the Pacific Northwest is truly the best with waterparks, lakes, rivers, ocean, and pools in just about every town, so starting in spring break we spend most of our time in and around water. Clearly, I needed a good, comfortable sandal that would look and feel great for all of our adventures with kids, and I knew Rocky 4Eur Sole was the perfect place to turn.

Seattle: Macy’s Alderwood prom fashion show and shopping party – Saturday, April 2nd

“This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of Macy’s; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.“ It was almost a year ago that I was talking with my teenage niece and I realized I was old. Not just a little old, but straight-up OLD. So, what made me feel so old? … Read more

Spring shopping at Northgate Mall in Seattle

So, Easter in Seattle was cold and rainy, like usual. But, we didn’t mind because our rain plan was actually our only plan: The Northgate Mall EGGcellent Easter Party for Kidgits members. But, that won’t be a surprise to anyone that knows us, since Northgate Mall is pretty much our holiday go-to plan if we aren’t seeing family.

This past weekend the mall was all done up for Easter for their EGGcellent Easter Party, and as usual, it did not disappoint. There was face painting, treats to snack on, robotics to marvel over, crafts to construct, and even live bunnies to hold. We checked in at the Kidgits Club desk and showed our membership cards to get little goodie bags for the kiddos, and then we headed over to take our annual pictures with the Easter Bunny before we visited the booths. Here’s one of my favorite shots from our Bunny Photo Experience:

Mornings are not my favorite. They start with my “alarm” going off, which is still currently sleeping in the crib beside my bed, and they usually end with us all running across the field because, as usual, we are running late for school. With three kids to get moving, get dressed, and get fed and … Read more

One Big Happy Holiday: celebrating the magic of the season with Gymboree

I have always loved Christmas. The lights, the sounds, the events… everything. But, now with three little kiddos soaking up all the possibilities of the season, the holidays are positively magical. Of course there are the big events that everyone loves, like the pictures with Santa and taking a spin on the holiday carousel, but I think I love the small moments even more. Nothing can top our dance parties as we trim the tree and decorate, matching Gymmies by the fire, or sitting under the tree telling holiday stories. As much as I know the kids love the big stuff, it’s going to be all those little things that they remember most as our family traditions. Gymboree knows that life is full of happy moments, and they launched the One Big Happy campaign that encourages every family to celebrate the special moments, no matter the size.

Holiday looks from Christopher & Banks

A few years ago, I was shopping with my sisters and we happened upon a Christopher & Banks store. I'd never been in a C&B before, but my sister in law was telling me how she just got some accessories there and we ended up heading inside. Once inside, I was shocked at the selection of clothing I loved.

While there were admittedly parts of the store were cute but more of my mom's style, other areas were full of shirts, pants, dresses and sweaters that appealed not only to me, but also my sister and sister in law who were shopping with me. Since we were shopping for a specific occasion, we sought help from one of the store associates and she helped us find exactly what we were looking for. We each ended up falling in love with quite a few pieces and we left with bags of clothing and accessories.

To anyone who is familiar with Christopher & Banks, this isn’t going to be a surprise. With missy sizes 4 to 16, as well as petite and plus women’s sizing, Christopher & Banks gives you all the sizes under one roof from 4P – 24W. Their selection of great mix & match clothing as well as statement pieces gives you tons of options for work, play, and events.

Back to school fashion with Lee Jeans

When you think back to school must-haves, you’re probably picturing this, right? I’m going to argue that getting ready for back to school is not just about kids. Us moms have to wake up every morning, make breakfasts, pack lunches, get everyone out the door in time, and deliver our little darlings to school safely. We could stand to go back to school shopping for the necessities that will get us through the school year as well.

Our back to school must-haves look a bit more like this:

Back to school with Gymboree – Let’s Color Together

You know how all kids go through various stages and it’s easier to connect with them at certain times? About two years ago my sweet girl was going through a stage that left me frazzled by the end of the day. What I realized was that we needed something for just the two of us, and it was going to be even more crucial as she started school full-time. There were three main criteria I needed to address: 1) The activity had to have no rules that I needed to enforce since I was the enforcer the rest of the day. 2) It had to be something that wasn’t extra work for me so I didn’t have to plan, execute, and then deal with clean up. And 3) It had to be something we both enjoyed that allowed us to reconnect so that we could weather this stage we were both going through.

One day it hit me that the answer to reconnecting with my daughter was through art. We both love just about every type of art and we both find it relaxing, so it was the perfect solution for getting us both to enjoy each other’s company and rediscover how much fun we have together. Since that day we’ve worked side by side to draw, paint with water colors, sew, and even build together on our doll house we’re renovating… and it has been amazing for all of us.

Effortless curls with the T3 Twirl 360 styling iron

Every time someone is styling my hair at an event or for a special occasion, they all want to do the same thing – bold, beautiful curls in ringlets. I always love when they do, because this is one style I have never been able to master on my own.

I can do okay in the front, curling little sections at a time until it’s full of ringlets. But, the problem comes when I try to curl the backside of my hair. I’m famous for clamping the hair and then forgetting which way to curl and I end up crimping my hair on accident. As anyone who has ever done this before knows, those crimps will never, ever come out until you shower… so basically the hairstyle is ruined before you even finish.
But, now I’ve got a way to curl my hair naturally with just a flick of the wrist. Yes, really. The T3 Twirl 360 is a groundbreaking curling iron that senses the movement of your hand and rotates the barrel in the desired direction. That means no accidental crimping, no wrist fatigue, and no asking your husband to help you curl your hair {True story: He curls my hair more often than I curl my own hair}.

Stylish Quilted Koala “Mommy & Me” totes keep you organized on-the-go

If I could name one thing that keeps me sane as a mom of three kids, my answer would undoubtedly be “organization”. Gone are the days of happy-go-lucky Leanne where I would simply grab my purse and leave the house. Now going anywhere requires a few lists: the must-haves, the would-be-nice-to-haves, and the if-I-have-time items. I’m constantly organizing things into small piles each night, prepping what I can ahead of time so that our mornings and days run a little smoother, and for the most part I would say that I’m pretty well organized and we haven’t had any major catastrophes in terms of planning.

And, while I never committed to a full diaper bag with my two older children, I’ve reached the point where the “mom purse” is getting out of control. As if leather purses weren’t already heavy on their own, I’ve been known to find full-fledged rocks in my purse but there by my little darlings. Rocks, people. I carry around rocks in my purse.

Obviously, a mom purse is not the right solution to keep us organized on-the-go. What I have been searching for is a bag from Quilted Koala, the makers of the perfect lightweight 100% cotton tote bags totes to organize everything I haul around each day.