Shoes, Glorious Shoes

Ok so yesterday was my first day back from Mat leave.  Apart from the fact that the baby - who had been a good sleeper with only one night waking around 2am lately - decided it was party time about four times Sunday night, I was still ready to roll come Monday morning.

When I was in high school I would mark the return to school in the fall with the purchase of five new outfits. One for each day of that crucial first week.  (Bless my mother's heart)  It was a way to shrug off the summer buzz and get into school vibe.  Plus it was always about making a great re-impression after being gone those long summer weeks.

In honor of that tradition, I decided to purchase one new pair of shoes for each day of my week's return back to work.  So far, Monday's shoes were not good.  Adorable, but painful and kept slipping off my heel requiring me to walk around like a deranged duck.  Today's shoes are only slightly better which is disappointing considering they are my first L.A.M.B purchase - long overdue - and one would think that Gwen would know better than to go skimpy with cushioning for the balls of the feet in 4" heels.  Shame on you Gwenny.   But they look great and are only mildy uncomfortable so they stay.

Here are this week's selections so far, and I will continue to post each day what I'm rockin on the paws.

Monday's - Not Rated's "Cover Look" in navy polka dot:

Tuesday's - L.A.M.B's Tansy in Grey (more of a weird grey-brown but I love that about them):

Hopefully tomorrow will bring a little more comfort!

Annnnnnd We're Back

For many reasons, I've decided to bring the blog back to life!  (Note the lovely new template!)

First, my maternity leave is over in two days - and during my maternity leave I learned many things. The foremost of which is: I still have my shopping swagga on!   Let me tell you a little story to demonstrate:  As I was sitting on the couch a few weeks ago, the doorbell rang.  It was the UPS man leaving a package.  I grabbed the package, waved and then assessed what had been delivered.  I realized it was actually NOT my package, but my neighbor's.  I quickly flagged down the UPS driver and explained.  His response? "Oh I deliver so many things here I just assumed it was yours! Sorry!"   That can't be good.  Or at least not if you're my husband.  Hey there are limited outlets for creativity when you're home for 10 weeks with a newborn.  Plus, have you seen all the cute kids stuff there is out there?  I mean c'mon.

Second, I realized that for all my shopinista, I was losing touch.  I did not find out that my beloved Zac Posen was designing for my beloved Target until his stuff was on clearance.  CLEARANCE!  (so much is wrong with that - not the least of which is that anything by Zac Posen would be on clearance).  I mean most days I go to Target I sheepishly realize I'm head to foot Target-clad - down to the bra!  How could I have missed this.

So its time to get back in game shape!  In order to do so, and in order to help my pal Zac, I had to purchase his pair of tuxedo pants.  Where will a mother of a three year old and a newborn have to wear Zac Posen tuxedo pants?  Probably nowhere.  Whatev.  That's not the point.  Here they are - in all their lovely glory (note the very cool navy blue accents for a "wait is that blue?" turn of the head from onlookers):

I only wish the jacket had still been available.  *le sigh*

So ladies and gentlemen - I'm bringing sexy back - or shopping back - or something like that.  So tune in, turn on and wait with baited breath!!

Where The Heck Have You Been???

And to answer that question, I present you with a link to my new blog. One that will, for about the next 18 years, take up most of my time:

thecountdownisonhere.blogspot.com

Since this info is very private, and since - in this day and age - the world can be a scary place, if you'd like access to my new blog after Oct 1, 2009, please either email me, leave a comment here, or PM me on Facebook with your email so that I can add you to the approved users list. After Oct 1 the blog will, unfortunately, be set to "Private - Authorized Users Only" status.

I've enjoyed my time blogging here - and may start up again from time to time - I'm sure there is a whole world of new Mommy shopping that needs to be discussed and reviewed - but for now most of my attention will turn to our new blessing.

Thanks for your support and following over the past year(s). It really has meant more than you know! I hope you are all blessed each and every day. Sincerely, Kristi

Holey Donuts

Ok so a while back I mentioned I went on a "research" spree. I've already reviewed my new friends the Bumpits below. The other purchase was a number of flavors of Holey Donuts (www.holeydonuts.net). They purport to be much better for you - in some cases 4x less fat - than typical donuts. AND they're not made with fake out ingredients (no tofu here folks!) - just good old fashioned normal stuff. I was not hopeful upon ordering but still couldn't help myself.

On my first round I ordered the Boston Creme Oreo, the Assortment #4, the Original Glazed, and the Cinnamon Rolls. The first one I had was the Boston Creme Oreo. The directions say to microwave them (they come frozen - packed in dry ice) for 15-20 seconds. I ended up having to do that plus another couple of 10 second hits. The down side was that all the frosting melted and ran all over the little plate the donut was on. Not that I couldn't scoop it all back on, but it didn't look as pretty and darnit I'm a sucker for packaging.

I am happy to report that the donuts were delightful! The fact that they are lower in fat/calories means they will not be 100% identical to a Krispy Kreme people. But for me that's a-ok - those double K donuts just are toooo cloyingly sweet for me anyway. The Holey Donuts I've found are still plenty sugary to satisfy a donut craving but aren't so sticky sugar filled that they mask the great flavors inside.

I've since had the basic glazed and the cinnamon rolls. Both get two thumbs up. I have not tried any of the others but considering its my duty as a blogger (and there's a holiday weekend ahead of me) I plan on it.

If there is a downside here its price. A six-pack of donuts (without shipping included) is almost $12.00. Yeah that's $2.00 a donut. And they won't ship any order under $35.00 so buy in bulk and save em in your freezer. But since these are hand made, and are a rarity (a good donut that you can feel good about) I say the price is worth it. BIG HINT: get on the mailing list right away before placing your first order. Quite often they run specials and sales that will include either free shipping or free-with-purchase donuts.


And in the "to be continued" column, I've recently made a new purchase that is winging its way to me. Its from the COMO Shambhala spas. I'm on a major kick lately to stop putting artificial chemicals in my body. To that end, I'm trying to locate products from make up to laundry detergent (and of COURSE foods) that don't have anything in the ingredient list that I can't identify! I read about the Shambhala bath gel in a famous mag and decided I couldn't live without it! I also got sucked in on the website and ordered a soap bar and some massage oil as well. With the tricky EU exchange rate I ended up paying about 1.5x what they "cost" but hopefully my body and mind will thank me for it! When they arrive from across the pond I'll give an update!

The Amazing Bumpit Review

Ok so maybe the review won't be that amazing - but it will be a review of my new Bumpits!  Ok, the technical:

• Price:  $18.95 + shipping (normally around $19.95 - $24.95 for a full set - you can get cheaper "partial" sets for around $10-14)
  
• What you get:  5 "Bumpits" - 2 regular, 2 mini, 1 rockstar/hollywood
• What they are:  pieces of plastic - we like to call them my "hair scaffolding" - in an arch shape with teeth all around to help you get that great "hair bump" at your crown without teasing your hair within a inch of its poor little life.

Here is what they look like:

Whe I got my box I opened them anxiously.  I used the brunette though they do also come in blonde, redish, and black.  I HIGHLY suggest matching then to your hair color as closely as possible.  That way if they end up peeking through a bit over the day's wear, it won't be so obvious.  But I'm getting ahead of myself....   In case you are wondering, the tiny Bumpits are apparently if you want to pull just your front bangs back and pouf them up.  Not an issue for me since I just cut fringe about a week ago.  Oh well.

Figuring there was no time like the present, I decided to use my Bumpits the next morning and see how they would hold up through an entire work day.   I pulled my hair straight up, teased just a bit at the base, put the Bumpit in and pulled my hair over it firmly (they suggest you do this very firmly so that the hair sticks to the little arrow-like teeth).  I also wiggled and jiggled my hair into place just to be safe.

I quickly realized that one Bumpit would not do the job.  It left a drop-off shelf-like appearance on the back of my head.  So I left the first one in where it was but repeated the process with the second Bumpit about an inch or so behind the first.  I made sure I kind of wiggled each Bumpit in place when I was putting it in to get it really snarled into my hair and also sprayed a bit of hairspray on each one.   After I got both into place, (and I had to re-do each a couple of times) I pulled my hair into a low ponytail at the nape of my neck.  The pull of the ponytail made the second Bumpit pull downwards and I ended up with  a leaning tower of Bumpit.  I had to remove it and put it in a little closer to the first and with a little more teasing at the base.  Once situated I put my hair back into my pony.

Overall it actually took longer to do all of this than it takes me to do my normal dry and style.  However to be fair, I think once I got the hang of it, it would become pretty quick.  It did take some wrangling and my arms got tired from being up in the air for so long!  But I was happy with the end result.  I wore them all day and even some into the evening (put them in around 6:30am and took them out around 7:00pm) and they held up fine.  They take some getting used to - they itch a little while they're settling in and at first you can feel them move ever-so-slightly when you walk (after an hour or so I stopped noticing it).   I also did feel self conscious about  them - wondering if the teeth or the strips were showing.  I found myself touching my hair ALL the time just to check and that got annoying throughout my work day.  I'm not used to worrying about my hair around others.  And since you can always feel the little jabby teeth when you touch your hand to your head, you get scared they're showing.  I did have a couple of co-workers do some spot checks for me and one time they could see the Bumpit showing so they had to help me fix it.  She did say that it only looked like a few bobby pins showing or something so I'm assuming what she was seeing were the teeth poking through.  

Here are my photos - I will say that when I put it in I felt like my hair was 2 stories tall.  Now looking at the photos it barely looks like it has any height.  Funny.  But of course I'm not a big hair teaser so maybe that's why.  And yes, I'm an Internet-photo-phobe, so sorry for the "edits".

So the final verdict is that they do work and I'm pleased with them overall.  I haven't used them again since last week.  I'm sure I will use them again, but not sure I would use them again for work.  For work, a standard pony is probably fine.  But for nights out and fun time, I've seen a lot of bloggers who have found really neat and creative ways to use these (french twists, helga braids, etc) so I look forward to experimenting.

The Pros: They do what they say they will.  They are wearable for long periods of time.  They come in many colors to most closely match many hair shades.  They appear to be quite sturdy and long lasting.  With time I imagine they will become easier and quicker to use.  They don't hurt your head even after long wear and surprisingly weren't hard or "ouchie" to take out.

The Cons:  There is definitely a learning curve.  They are better suited to thick hair - those with fine hair have to really work to get the Bumpits covered and concealed.  They can take some getting used to (itchy and feel odd for a bit until you get used to them).  I wish they were just a smidge shorter - I felt they were too long and almost hit my ears which made the ends harder to cover (not as much hair there).

So there you have it.  Go forth and Bumpit!