Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

Valentine’s Day has always been one of my favorite occasions.  Getting to shower my little Valentines with an abundance of pink and red everything, just makes the holiday even more sweet.  Here are a few of my favorite Valentine’s Day gifts for 2011.

1. Dora & Diego Personalized Books by Shutterfly

1. Diego Personalized Book By Shutterfly

I just ordered this Diego book for my son and am absolutely giddy.  He loves Diego!  I can hardly wait to read to him about his adventures with Diego.  (Be sure and use the Ship25 code for free shipping)

2. Valentine Tutu by Chasing Fireflies

2. Valetine Tutu by Chasing Fireflies

3. Personalized Heart Tee by Chasing Fireflies

3. Personalized Heart Tee by Chasing Fireflies

4. GAP Heart Sunglasses

4.

5. GAP King of Hearts

5. King of Hearts

6. GAP Mom & Dad Bodysuit

6.

6.

7. Arm and Hammer Spinbrush for Kids

Not only is this brush fabulous for cleaning, it is super fun to decorate! Tons of stickers are provided—-I think every toothbrush in our house is now decorated.

7.

I’m concluding here….but don’t be surprised if there is a second list. 🙂  Happy Valentines Day to you and yours!

Hello Kitty

Meet the cutest addition to the Little Giraffe family.  This Luxe Leopard towel is puuurrrrrfect for wrapping up little Arm Candies! Too bad they don’t make them big enough for mom….but this should do the trick…..

Are you ready for some football?

Love it or hate it, the Superbowl is just two short weeks away.  Time to put your sportiest foot forward and celebrate the end of another wonderful season of men everywhere spending endless amounts of time on the couch and clogging up the DVR menu with hours upon hours of football games.  If your team happens to be in the Super Bowl. kudos.  For the rest of us that are ready for the season to retire….along with a middle-aged quarterback or two……bring on the commercials and artery clogging appetizers!!

I’m looking for a few new recipes to add to my Superbowl repertoire, but had to share the easiest Artichoke dip known to man.  It’s seriously simple, delicious and super fast to make!  I tried it out last weekend for the playoff games and loved everything about this crowd pleaser.

*The recipe can be found on Simply Recipes.

Quick and Easy Artichoke Dip Recipe

Preparation time – 15 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 14 oz. cans of artichokes (packed in water, not oil)
• 2 cups of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup of mayonaise
• Salt and pepper

METHOD

1 Drain the artichokes from the can. Coarsely chop them.

2 Combine chopped chokes, Parmesan, and mayo into a microwave or oven-proof serving dish.

3 Microwave on high heat for 5 minutes, pausing occassionally to stir, to ensure that the dip gets heated evenly. Add fresh ground pepper and salt to taste.

Serve with toasted, thinly sliced French baguettes, crackers, or even leaves of endive.

Luke Warm Mess

Mommy maintenance is a struggle on my best days, but on those days that I am running around like a mad woman trying to get my brood from point A to point B, I can be a hot mess.  Recently, I discovered the Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing towelettes and they have transformed me from a hot mess to more of a luke warm mediocre mess.

I have extremely sensitive skin and have tried the Mac wipes, which I loved, but unfortunately, my skin did not.  I saw the Neutrogena towelettes in a Fred Meyer’s of all places and thought why not?!  For $7 I figured it was worth the risk.  I now have these lovely little lavender wipes on subscribe and save through Amazon and couldn’t be happier.

Bump It Up Kit by Mama Mio <3

Hello old friends.  Sorry it has been awhile.  I’m embarrassed to admit, it has almost been a month since my last confession.  (Arm Candy Confession of course) Leave it to a dear friend to point out my Corporate Finance class is sucking me dry of my creative juices.  I couldn’t agree more.  So, here I am, excited to share a special little treat for all the fabulous pregnant women in our lives.

It’s a  preggers kit by Mama Mio and the ever fashionable style expert, Amy Tara Koch.  Mama Mio happens to be one of my very favorite pregnancy product lines.  I used the Mama Mio Tummy Rub Stretch Mark Oil religiously during my first pregnancy.  It is fabulous for a number of reasons.  First, the fact that I tried a handful of belly rubs that made me want to run to the nearest toilet and puke my brains out from the smell, make this fabulous scent-free rub hold a very special place in my heart….and belly.  Second, the tiny 4.1 oz bottle lasts forever! Well, at least 8-9 months or so.  Third, no stretch marks.

I have absolutely loved all the Mama Mio products that I have tried AND the fashion tips of Amy Tara Koch are a gals fool proof guide to a fashionable 9 months of pregnancy and beyond.  You can imagine my excitement when I saw that two of my faves teamed up to bring the Bump It Up kit to expecting mothers everywhere.  The kit includes a copy of Bump It Up, Mama Mio Tummy Rub Stretch Mark Butter and a tube of Mama Mio Boob Tube.  It’s the perfect gift for Mama’s-to-be.  Love, love, love!

***The Mama Mio Tummy Oil is not included in the kit, but you can find it here.