When it comes to party planning, in my opinion, one of the most important details is the very first thing that people see: The Invitation! To me, the invitation sets the tone. Everything from color, shape, texture, and wording dictates what kind of an event your going to have and how people should feel about it. Granted, I’m one of those freaks who notices every detail down to the stamp placement (and if it coordinates with the theme of the event), so I realize that my opinion is slightly skewed, but still… This is is one area that I wasn’t willing to go anti-bridezilla on. From the moment Peter asked me ...Read More
This past week marked my last week of a partnership with KLEAN LA… which meant my glorious 24 day run of all things gluten and soy free, was coming to an end. But guess what? I had so much success and am feeling so great, I’m not going to stop! In 24 days, which basically spanned over 5 weeks (as I scheduled my deliveries to Monday-Friday), I lost about 6 pounds and feel fantastic! With 47 days until “the big day,” *(but who’s counting, really) I’m not stopping now! There is obviously a big financial consideration when it comes to choosing to do a diet delivery service. But knowing that I ...Read More
The other day… Just as we were about to walk out the door to school… J: Oh, Mom! Can you give me a dollar? Me: Why? J: Because… I need one. Me: Why do you need one? J: Because I promised *Leo I’d give him a dollar. Me: Um. Why did you promise Leo you’d give him a dollar? J: Because he let me cut in line. So I told him I’d give him a dollar. He puts his hand out. I stared at him blankly.  J: Mom. Hello? Can I have one? Was this conversation really happening? When did he get to be a full-fledged kid ensued in  playground bribery? Are these kind of exchanges between boys common, I wondered? When ...Read More
Rosemary Ground Beef Bolognese With Baby Spinach & Brown Rice Pasta Part of “going gluten-free” is making sure I take these healthy habits I’m learning from eating KLEAN LA and integrating them into my family life and my family food! While I’ve been on the “diet,” I have found myself making meals that that are more balanced and that are less laden in the things that I’m not eating (evne if I’m not eating them). When Kiki of KLEAN LA suggested I try out the family meal, I couldn’t resist. The family meals come with 4 servings of a lean protein, complex carb and vegetable, plus 2 sauces to create a healthy ...Read More
My friends keep asking me if I’m less stressed “this time around….” They wonder if since this is my second wedding, I’m less intense or less interested in all the little details… Um… Nope. I’m still every bit as crazy as I was the last time. Let me be clear though: I’m not the bride that is dictating that the bridesmaids have identical hairdo’s or that felt the urge to spend thousands on a wedding dress. Oh no. My bridesmaids (might I point out my life long best friends and sister in laws) have been given one detail: Wear navy and have alcohol standing by for me. Simple right? Oh, and my ...Read More
#TrashCrashers @GetGlad Party You know what they say: One woman’s trash, is another woman’s treasure! And it when it comes to my friends and their wardrobes, we’re talking treasure troves! This past month, I had the opportunity to partner with Glad® to host a party of my choice for 15 of my friends. To me a perfect party with the girls includes wine, cocktails, gossip, delicious food, more cocktails, (more food), and if possible fashion. So I figured a clothing swap party was the perfect setting to get all of those elements and then some. Glad’s® longstanding, 28 year partnership with Keep America Beautiful (KAB), has made it a mission to engage individuals to ...Read More
Grilled Chicken MarbellaBaby Spinach & Roasted ZucchiniSpaghetti Squash I love the message I got from Kiki Heinzer, CEO and founder of KLEAN LA this week: “Low-carb diets are so 2000! We are all becoming more educated on the benefits of eating a diet of balanced, whole foods.  The use of complex-carbs in the Klean program plays a very important role. Carbs are our body’s main source of energy.  If you completely eliminate carbs from your diet, your body breaks down your precious lean muscle for energy instead.  The less lean muscle you have, the fewer calories you burn at rest and the slower your metabolism gets!  This means you have to work ...Read More
Jonah’s example of an animal hibernating Lately, Jonah has been obsessed with using my computer to play online math games. These “games” are more like digital workbooks, and the kid cannot get enough. (Nerd alert). The games start at Kindergarten and go up to 8th grade. When Jonah found out that there was Geometry and Algebra and a chance to do 3rd, 4th, or even 5th grade math, he begged me to let him do it. I’m happy to support the curiosity over what “big kids” in 1st and 2nd grade are doing– as long as he can do most of it on his own. You can’t learn anything if I’m ...Read More
Greek Chicken Salad with Romaine, LentilsPomegranates, Walnuts, Mint Balsamic Vinaigrette If you come to my house and enter the kitchen, on the counter you’ll see a huge (and I mean huge) container labeled “VIRGIN DIET.”  Usually people do a double take and wonder what exactly I’m doing and (usually the men) make a joke asking if I know that ship sailed for me a long time ago. Ha ha ha. I reassure them that I’m not becoming a nun but in fact trying to follow a diet created by JJ Virgin. The Virgin Diet calls for eliminating 7 things: Soy, corn, gluten, dairy, sugar and artificial sweeteners, eggs and peanuts. Sounds cray ...Read More
01.08.14
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A few days before the New Year, I asked Peter if he had any resolutions. He was silent. “Babe, any? Any resolutions this year?” “Nope,” he yawned. “I’m good. You?” Ha. Of course he had none. He’s a guy and  well, “perfect.” Me? Well, let’s just say for the next 15 minutes  I carefully dissected myself, my flaws, my hopes and dreams for the new year and how all those things would intertwine, unravel, and shape up to become one perfectly perfect person. On January 6th. Because the 1st was in the middle of the week and no one ever had a fresh start on a Wednesday. So here we are. Officially, January 2014… and I ...Read More