Packing and a Hot Makeover

1. You all. I feel as though I will never stop unpacking. Whenever I tell myself that YES INDEED THAT DAY WILL COME, the angsty lyric “never ever ever ever, don’t you even think it” plays in a loop throughout my brain. (At the end of “Joe Lies.” In Say Anything! Duh.) Here is a snapshot of the one room I FEEL as though I’ve spent days on.

This is probably the most organized room in the house as of 2:46pm PST.

(Long ass sigh.)

2. Since I will undoubtedly be huffing cardboard for the remainder of the week, please enjoy a new video series entitled Gone Style’s Five Minute Makeover. (Then you can explain to me how I got so lucky as to work with Rebecca Woolf and Josie Maran because, well, DUDE.)

Ella’s Kitchen Giveaway Winner

I almost forgot! The winner of the Ella’s Kitchen giveaway is….

#142, JAB! Your Ella’s Kitchen smoothies will be on the way shortly!

Ella’s Kitchen Giveaway!

If I had to pick one food item that has made my life with a picky and active toddler infinitely better, it would be the smoothies from Ella’s Kitchen. My friend Lauren, who works for Ella’s Kitchen, introduced me to these little wonders a couple of months ago and Wito has been hooked ever since. (THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THESE INTO MY LIFE, LAUREN.)

I’m not sure if I have properly conveyed to you how much my child detests vegetables, but let me bring you up to speed. Wito will not touch any vegetable known to man. (Not even potatoes! Or sweet corn! Or carrots! Even if I soak them in Ranch dressing! Kill me now.)

However, he’s a fruitaholic, so I was pretty sure he would love these 100% organic and totally portable fruit smoothies. I was not wrong in my assumption. In fact, I have to hide these in my closet to keep him from sucking down 2 or 3 at a time. (Just imagine…my Frye boots and J. Crew flats sharing space with a box of organic fruit smoothies. Good thing they don’t need to be refrigerated until opened, right?)

The true test, however, was to see how he reacted to the smoothies with vegetables. A couple of weeks ago, I introduced the green smoothie pouch. He was super excited to try a new color, so he twisted off the top and took a big swig from the built-in straw. And guess what?

He hated it.

Oh, COME ON. Did you really think I was going to tell you that my vegetable hater actually ENJOYED a puree of broccoli, peas and pears? Right.

But! He loves his orange and purple smoothie pouches, which contain carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes and pumpkins. MY CHILD WILLINGLY EATS PARSNIPS. Take a look for yourself.

Ella’s Kitchen, I salute you.

If you are looking for a simple way to get more organic fruits and vegetables into your little one’s diet, you must try Ella’s Kitchen. Their Stage 1 baby food range (4+ months and up, but I serve these as smoothies to Wito) is a completely different concept in baby food, bringing together minimally processed, carefully chosen organic natural fruits and vegetables and extremely convenient and easy packaging. Both the baby food and smoothies are simply 100% organic fruit and vegetables, with nothing to dilute their goodness – not even water. All of the flavors come in squeezy packs that are super easy for toddlers to enjoy with making a mess. (Love that part.)

Ella’s Kitchen products are sold at Babies R Us and Toys R Us, and you can read more about the company and products at their website.

Now for the best part. Ella’s Kitchen is giving away a sample box of these little wonders to one lucky reader. The sample box contains one full-sized pouch of each flavor shown above, for a total of 8 stage 1 foods/smoothies. Just leave a comment on this post before Friday, December 11th at 6pm PST and I’ll randomly choose one winner. Good luck!

First Trimester Faves

Hello! Quite a lengthy break I took there, but trust me, you wouldn’t have wanted to hear the ample amounts of complaining coming out of my pie hole. I’m in the 11th week of of a much queasier pregnancy, although this comes as no surprise to those who follow my Twitter updates. (The benefits of Twitter – I can announce to 3,000 followers that I’m pregnant in 160 characters or less! That’s not weird at all, I swear.)

(We’re so excited for another whoorlito/a! Hoooooray!)

Although I am beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel, my energy levels have been next to nothing for the past two months. Here are some favorites that helped me feel halfway decent and attractive throughout the barfdom.

1. Too Faced Natural Eye Neutral Eye Shadow Collection – This is the greatest eye shadow palette ever. EVER. If you don’t believe me, read the 517 5-star reviews on Sephora. I love the middle row (I think it’s the “classic” one), and it has helped to make me look presentable, even in the midst of feeling like complete dog shit.

2. Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo With Oat Extract – Non-Aerosol Pump – There were actually a couple of weeks when DRYING MY BANGS made me winded. This dry shampoo is the best! It doesn’t leave a residue or smell funky – just makes my bangs look freshly washed.

3. Salads – Trust me, nothing would make me happier than to say that cravings for doughnuts/snickers/pizza were on my agenda. (It’s the baby! I can’t help it!) Alas, NO. Those things sound AWFUL. Give me some cold baby carrots and celery. In fact, watch me take down a head of iceberg lettuce right here and now.

4. Slouchy cardigan wraps – I’m currently in the not-quite-showing-but-horrifically-bloated stage and slouchy cardigans have been my saving grace. Both of these were bought at Ideeli, which has had a massive hold over my wallet for the past few months. (Can’t Stop Buying Things at Ideeli Help.) Click here for an invite if you are interested in making your wallet cry as well.

5. Hansen’s Natural Cane Soda – The carbonation makes my tummy feel better, and these sodas contain no high fructose corn syrup.

6. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Rockstar – Oh, you guys. Pair this with the above-mentioned eye palette and you’ll be looking good. The Rockstar shade is a deep eggplant purple. Looks great with brown eyes. (By the way, if you are interested in any of these Sephora items, they are having free shipping today for Cyber Monday. Enter code SHIP4FREE at checkout.)

7. Neutrogena Healthy Defense SPF 30 Daily Moisturizer – I live by the beach. I don’t want to deal with melasma. End of story.

8. Estee Lauder Ideal Light Brush-On Illuminator – Totally covers my dark circles resulting from random middle-of-the-night wakings.

9. EOS Lip Balm in Summer Fruit – This balm smells GOOD. And how could you not love the round design?

10. Trident White Gum – My least favorite pregnancy symptom so far? No matter how many times I brush and floss my teeth during the day, I can’t STAND the taste in my mouth. THIS SUCKS BEYOND BELIEF. Enter constant gum chewing.

11. Bumble & bumble Curl Conscious Defining Creme – Screw drying my hair straight. This creme really enhances my waves and saves me about 30 minutes in drying time. Hallelujah!

The Perfume Diaries

Listen up, ladies and gents!

I’m super excited to be working with Leslie Blodgett of Bare Escentuals and Sephora (OMG, pinch me) on a contest that starts today and goes through October 23, 2009. Many many MANY of you all need to enter immediately. Why?

#1 – (1) grand prize winner and a guest will receive a luxurious vacation to Honolulu, Hawaii for 5 nights/6 days and a gift basket of Leslie’s Bare Skin collection (approx. $2000 value).

#2 – (3) second place winners will receive a gift basket of Leslie’s Bare Skin Collection (over $100 value/each).

#3 – The contest involves writing about a personal travel experience, and considering so many of you are TALENTED BLOGGERS, you could totally win this thing. For reals. I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT.

#4 – Because I said so.

Leslie’s brand new perfume line, The Perfume Diaries, is a series of fragrances inspired by Leslie’s travels around the world, and now she wants to hear about the scent memories you’ve created while on your own travels. The official rules and entry requirements are over here. I can’t tell you how incredibly stoked I would be if someone I knew won this contest.

(Even though I’m not eligible for the contest, I wrote about my own scent memories revolving around my wedding in Hawaii.)

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