Everyday Baby Steps

I just got home from Blissdom Sunday night, and I'm still dragging. It was a wonderful time, and I will blog about it, but first I wanted to give a shout out to a fabulous designer I spoke to recently. Her name is Abby Z, and she designs clothing for every woman. In fact, her tagline is "sexy in every size". Abby designs pieces that will look great on women from size 2 to size 24, and her clothing is amazing.

I had the opportunity to talk to Abby not long ago, and her personality is so vibrant and warm. I know you'll love her, too. I also had a chance to try out some of her clothing, and the jeans she sent me fit to a tee and are so cute. So if you'd like to get a taste of Abby for yourself, tune in TODAY at 6:00 pm EST on HSN to see Abby and her designs. You'll definitely want to check out Abby and get some sexy for yourself!

Molly Brown Jewellery is just for girls, from little girls to preteens. Based out of London, Molly Brown has been called the Tiffany for girls by Vogue magazine. I checdked out the Molly Brown site and loved what I found. Little girls love pretty baubles and want to be like mommy, and tween girls love sparkly things too. Molly Brown has lots of beautiful items designed especially for girls.

There's jewellery for every occasion. Find something special for your little girl's birthday, a special holiday gift, or christening jewellery. The web site even offers a gift guide to help you choose by occassion. It's all lovely and is just the right size for girls. You can get bracelets, earrings, or necklaces from Molly Brown. I particularly like the charm jewellery that can be designed and personalized with different charms. Choose your own combination for a one of a kind piece. Better yet, get your special girl involved in customizing her own special keepsake.

If you know me, you know I love a good bargain. Molly Brown has a Special Offers page with some great prices. There's a nice selection of items on sale, not like some stores that only lower the prices on their least desirable items. You'll find all kinds of cute stuff here - two pages worth! I love that.

I know my daughter would LOVE this jewellery. She's almost nine and always wants to "borrow" my necklaces, which are too big for her and just too grown up. Molly Brown Designer Girls Jewellery has items that would be just right for her and for your special girl as well. You'll definitely want to visit Molly Brown to shop for girls jewellery. Let me know what you think in the comments. I love sharing new finds with you.

* sponsored post

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You can preview the games they offer and choose which game or games you want to play. With over 100 games to choose from, you're sure to find something you like. Do you like card games? Vegas Red has all kinds of card and table games to choose from, such as Blackjack, Craps, and Roulette. I know where I'd go - Video Slots! I love slots. It's totally a game of chance. You never know when you're going to get lucky. The sounds and the anticipation of games like this are the best!

Games of chance can be a fun and entertaining way to spend your leisure time. Vegas Red is offering $888 in free bonuses for a limited time. It's easy to get started. Just download the free software, then open a RealPlayer account. Then you get your deposit bonus and can start playing. Sounds easy to me. I think I'll tell my dad about it; he likes online casino games.

Let me know if you decide to play the games at Casino Red. While these games can be tons of fun and a big rush, they can also be addictive for some. So please play responsibly. Have fun!

* Sponsored Post

Yes, I'll be attending the Blissdom '10 Conference next week in Nashville, TN. I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it! You may remember that I went to my first blogging conference, Type-A Mom, this past fall. I learned so much there and connected with so many amazing, brilliant, talented and inspiring women. I was able to bring home a great deal of information and motivation that has helped me to add a few new writing gigs and to improve my focus. I can't wait to do it all over again at Blissdom! I also can't wait to meet him.

Yes, the very handsome Harry Connick Jr. is going to be performing, with a chance to meet and get photographed with him after. How excited am I? I've loved Harry for years. My favorite song is still "Recipe for Love".  So fun.

I hope he sings this song at Blissdom!

And I absolutely must take time to thank my friends who made my trip possible. It's such a popular conference that tickets were actually sold out. My dear online friend, Kristina Sauerwein, is unable to attend the conference but already bought a ticket. I'm sad not to be able to meet Kristina in person, and I'm so grateful that she chose me to receive her ticket. Thank you, Kristina! Another friend making this possible (and more fun) for me is Angela Moore. Angela has been my best online buddy and biggest supporter since we "met" about two years ago. We only live about two hours from each other, but we've never met in real life. That's about to change, as Angela has very graciously allowed me to ride along with her to the conference and to share her hotel room. What a fun road trip we're going to have!

Thank you so much, my friends, Angela and Kristina! I'm honored to know such talented, positive women. Visit Angela at her blog, Unexpected Art and head on over to BabyCenter to read Kristina's parenting posts.

I also have at least one sponsor for the conference, and as soon as all details are in place, I'll be sharing that information with you. It's a product that's good for your children and good for your peace of mind. I'm excited to tell you all about it. Look for more information in blog posts to come.

Will you be going to Blissdom? Leave a comment to let me know! I want to meet as many people as I can. Can't wait to meet YOU!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

For those of you who bottle fed your babies, did you think you had to buy the expensive name brand kind? Did you feel guilty for even thinking about giving your baby anything but "the best"? That may be because of advertising from a name brand that led you to believe that store brands weren't as good. A recent ruling in U.S. District Court awarded PBM Products a $13.5 million false advertising judgment against Mead Johnson, makers of Enfamil.

PBM is the maker of store brand formulas sold at Walmart, Sam's Club, Target, Kroger, and Walgreen's, among other stores. These brands can cost 50% less than Enfamil. This lower price could potentially save families $600 each year on the cost of baby formula. The recent court ruling upholds PBM's assertion that their brands are just as nutritionally sound as Enfamil. That's infuriating when you think about it.

Mead Johnson's false advertising for their product, Enfamil, has potentially cost families all that money each year. Thankfully, I was advised by my pediatrician that the store brand was just as good for my babies. We certainly couldn't afford to waste money. Not many parents can. It's good to see justice come about in this case. Not only are consumers as a whole hurt by false advertising, families and honest companies are as well.

I recently made the simplest change to my makeup routine, and I'm absolutely loving it! At my e.l.f. makeup at home party with my girlfriends, I got to try some fabulous products, colors I wouldn't ordinarily choose. I discovered a new passion - colored eyeliner. I'm a brown eyeliner girl. While I use different shades of brown depnding on the look I'm going for, I rarely strayed from my favorite neutral. Occasionally, I'd use a green liner because I wear a lot of green in my wardrobe, but mostly I stuck with my blah browns. Not anymore.

What a difference a little color makes. I've had so much fun experimenting with different eyeliner colors. One of my favorites is actually e.l.f.'s midnight. It's a dark, navy blue. I pair it with my neutral tan and taupe shadows, and it really pops. The contrast of the liner really accentuates my eyes and makes such a difference in my look, without being over the top. I love it! I'm also having fun with plum eye liner. I think it looks really nice with my red hair. For a neutral shade that's different than my tried and true browns, I like e.l.f.'s ash. It's a pretty light gray color. So different.

Why not give it a try yourself? What an inexpensive, easy way to shake up your makeup routine. Just a change in eyeliner color can brighten your whole face. We could all use a little pick-me-up to chase away the winter blues. Hey, you might even want to try a blue eyeliner! Check out this article for some awesome, in-depth tips on using colored eyeliner.

What do you think? Are you experimental with your eyeliner color or do you stick to your basic brown or black? Do tell.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

You all know I love Branson, right? My parents live in Missouri, about an hour and a half away from Branson. I wrote about our experience there this past spring and how we enjoyed ourselves. Yes, we would have had even more fun if two out of three kids hadn't been sick, but I still love Branson. One of these days, we'll take a trip there, and Norah will get to enjoy Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede.

I just read about some amazing deals going on at the Hiltons of Branson right now for the holidays. I sure wish Bill had the vacation time left; Branson looks like such an amazing time at Christmas! At the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing , you can get the It's a Wonderful Life package, starting at $329 per night. This package gives you a shopping, holiday, and relaxation experience all wrapped up in one with discounts to restaurants and shops as well as a treatment at Aspire Medical Spa.

The package I'd most like to take advantage of is the Santa's Coming To Town package at the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel. For $189 per night, your family can enjoy story time with Mrs. Claus and have presents, cookies, and milk delivered to your room by Santa himself! How cool is that? That would definitely make up for all the times we went to Branson when Norah was sick.

This time, I'd be sure to see other events besides Dixie Stampede. I'd really like to see the Acrobats of China featuring the New Shanghai Circus, Always Patsy Cline, and Spirit of the Dance. Actually, there are tons of shows I'd like to see at Branson. I grew up on country and would enjoy Mickey Gilley, The Gatlin Brothers, and the Oak Ridge Boys. Wish I could pack my bags right now!

If you're thinking of taking a Christmas holiday, you should seriously consider Branson. There's so much to do, and you'd have family memories to last a lifetime.

Last weekend, I went to a friend's house for a grown-up sleepover. It was our yearly girlfriends' Christmas party, and we decided to make it a sleepover, just hanging out. This group of friends has been together since we worked together at a residential treatment facility for male juvenile offenders. We used to get together every week to scrapbook, and we became closer with time. Years have passed, and we all work and live in different places now. So it's hard for us to get together. Despite the distance, we remain close. And we still get together every year for the holidays. This year's party was made even better, thanks to e.l.f., Eyes, Lips, Face Makeup, who allowed us to participate in their new program, MUAH, Makeup At Home. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so check out my Whrrl story to see how much fun we had and how much we love e.l.f. makeup.

Thank you, e.l.f.! You've got some new fans, for sure. I appreciate being included in your MUAH program. We loved the makeup!

It's holiday party season! Gotta love that, but sometimes we moms barely having time (or energy) to make it to the party after working a long, hard day. Don't stress out about getting ready for the party. There are some simple ways you can take your makeup from everyday to dramatic.

1. Everyday makeup doesn't necessarily mean just neutral colors. Use a light dusting of an accent color for day, then deepen it for your night time look.
2. Just darken your existing eye liner by using more of the same daytime shade, adding a darker color, or using dark eye shadow to add a smoky look.
3. Add an extra coat of mascara for dramatic eyes. Consider adding a coat of a darker shade or fun color. Colored mascara is in again. (Think jewel-tone, not '80's)
4. Wear a totally different color for your lips. Lipstick usually wears off by the end of the day, anyway. Go for darker, vibrant lipstick colors or add a sparkly gloss for impact.
5. Add glow to you face with a touch of bronzer along cheek bones and decollete.
6. You can also use a highlighting product on your upper cheek bones beneath the eyes and along smile lines to freshen and brighten your look.
7. Add more of your daytime cheek color or a complimentary darker shade as a final touch.