a little t.l.c...

Last night Amalia slept in her own crib, in her own room. She did great and slept right through the night. The boys, however, did not. Jack was up three times and sneaked into our bed at some point before dawn. George woke up twice. Once to use the bathroom and another for, well, who knows really. They have never been consistently great sleepers but last night was extraordinarily awful. Pass the coffee.

My favorite BB cream and mineral foundation have been no match for the circles under my eyes the past few months. And, as I am rapidly approaching another ::coughmiddleagecough:: birthday, the fine lines wrinkles are making their presence known along with more than a few grey hairs. Super fun stuff. Each time I have more than 1.43 seconds to  look in the mirror, I think, "Really time to do something about this." Then a wrestling match ensues or a baby squawks to be fed and dreams of skin care regimes and hair salon bookings are once again forgotten.

I have three children under school age. My shopping trips with them are timed and orchestrated to the minute with lists by aisle. One misstep can and will result in one or more small person melting down in the checkout lane. Gone are the days of browsing the beauty aisles, reading package labels and fawning over lovely packaging. Mall trips? Ha! Only because our Target is attached to one. And by Target, I mean the diaper and grocery aisles.

When my Influenster TLC Vox Box arrived in June, I was thrilled. Every mom can use a little pampering. I pawed through the contents and my eyes went straight to the sleek little Avon package: Anew Reversalist Express Wrinkle Smoother. It had me at Express. I moved the box up to my bathroom counter and there it sat for awhile. One day when I managed more than a rushed moment for my makeup routine, I slid open the mirrored cover and gave the balm a try on my forehead. And, it worked.

No, really. It worked right away. As in, that moment. My deepening wrinkles were instantly smoothed out to a few fine lines. This is my forehead, right out of the shower with (before) only my BB cream and (after) the balm patted over the lines.

When a product actually works and takes next to zero time? Huge mom win. And, Avon. Who knew?

Disclaimer: I received this product for free for testing purposes. All opinions and commentary are my own.

review: annie's homegrown mac and cheese

Earlier this month, Influenster sent me a coupon to try one of Annie's Homegrown's new frozen entrees. We have been long time fans of Annie's in our house from the fruit bunnies to snack mix to their boxed mac and cheese. I liked the idea of a natural entree that was easy to prepare and could pick up at our local Target. We're talking microwave here!

In keeping with their product line, the Classic Macaroni and Cheese delivered. It was very cheesy, rich and delicious. I took this photo after I served Jack a generous portion because he saw it cooling and could not wait any longer. Never attempt to make a toddler wait for mac and cheese! He was a huge fan but, we all enjoyed the entree and will happily purchase it again on our own.

Disclaimer: I received the above product for FREE from Annie's Homegrown and Influenster.com. All opinions are my own. I only choose to review products that are in keeping with my own values.

product review: braun forehead thermometer + win!

In early December I was selected by Influenster to receive the BraunTherms VoxBox. This meant that I would be the lucky recipient of a complimentary new device: the Braun Forehead Thermometer. Awesome. Honestly though? It was one VoxBox I didn't want to have to use! Fevers stay away from my house, please.

In the midst of closing on our new home, packing, and keeping our condo clean for selling, the arrival of this new gadget was the last thing on my mind. Until Christmas Eve. Sure enough, George came down with croup. On his birthday. And, all of a sudden this new little gadget meant everything. A few days later, Jack caught a terrible cold and we needed it yet again. And, then G got sick again. And Jack got sick again and well...yeah, not fun.

My review: The Braun Forehead Thermometer is now a staple in our home. My boys never liked the ear scan and I never found it to be accurate. This is so easy, non-invasive and was as accurate (for us) as the readings at the pediatrician's office. It is as simple to use as powering it on and moving the scan from forehead to temple and back. The thermometer beeps when it has a read and the display light up to guide parents on the temperature: green - no fever, yellow - elevated temperature, red - fever. The display is even backlit, so no need to turn on a light for late night scans. It's that simple.

Disclaimer: I received this product for FREE from Influenster and Braun in exchange for my use and opinions. These opinions are solely my own and based on my personal product useage.