Are you a mom that runs around in sweat pants, leggings, and maybe even pajamas, but wished you looked a little bit more put together? Or are you a mom that runs around in cute denim jeans, but wished it was a bit more comfortable?  How about putting together the best of both worlds?  Pants that offer both comfort and fashion forwardness to your daily outfit.  Introducing PajamaJeans™, pants that give you the freedom to do splits but keeps your body looking fit and fashion forward.

I think these pants are perfect for any women, but for a mom, it’s very ideal.  Being a mother means being constantly on the go, and the clothes need to feel and go on effortlessly.  When it comes to jeans, I love designer jeans.  Being spoiled by them, it’s very difficult to try anything other than designer.  I always say if there is one place you want to invest some money into, it’s some nice pair of designer jeans. 

When I recently came across PajamaJeans™ , I said “no way!”  Not in a bad way.  I wanted to see if these pants really lived up to its name.  To the eye, it looked like a chic dark denim jean that would catch any gal’s attention.  To the touch, it was soft and stretchy enough to make any girl want to sleep in.  What was the secret?  I looked at the tags and it was 95% cotton and 5% spandex blend (a.k.a. Dormisoft™ Denim). Bingo! Spandex!!  Spandex used the right way (not the 80s neon spandex leggings), is a girl’s best friend.  Whether you are plus sized or someone with a slim frame, like myself, a spandex will hug your body in all the right places.

The second I put on my PajamaJeans™ I turned into my 4 year old.  I literally started to jump and down on my bed, followed by my 4 year old joining me on the fun.  I ordered a XS because I wear a size 25 jeans or a size 2.  For me, I had a little bit of a hard time slipping my hips through the top band part of the jeans, but once I got it on, it hugged my body just the right way.  The pants come in a variety of sizes XS-XLG for $59.95 and Plus Sizes for $64.95.  As a bonus, you also get a heather grey t-shirt made of comfortable cotton jersey (you can customize it with a monogram).  Whether you want to update your current look or look more refined while still being comfortable, PajamaJeans™ would be a perfect choice!

(Disclosure: Product was provided free of charge to test and does not affect my views or feedback of the product.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

If you love leggings or leg warmers with some cute dainty little skirts or some adorable shorts, you’ll love Tushie Huggers.  They are a 2 in 1 ensemble piece that goes with pretty much everything and the best part, it makes life so much easier.  I love leg warmers, but I hate when they start to fall and I have to follow my daughter around to keep those suckers up.  An all-in-one legging/leg-warmer plus skirt saves me time and energy and keeps my daughter warm and cute!

When I received my Tushie Huggers, I made a huge mistake that I will never ever make again!  The package did not have any “give” room, or shall I say, there was no room for me to use the scissors to open the package.  Without thinking twice, I went ahead and made an ever slight slit with the scissors and the unspeakable happened, I cut through a little part of the Tushie Huggers.  I was mad at myself because I could have avoided the situation by waiting for my husband to rip through the tough plastic, but I didn’t.

My neighbor who was right next to me, when this all happened, graciously offered to sew the hole that I made.  After she sewed the hole, it was hardly noticeable and blend right in with the rest of the fabric.  With kids, you never know what is going to happen (holes, tears, stains) so you want clothes that are durable or fixable, and with my error of judgement, I was able to find out that the Tushie Huggers were fixable.

The design is very girly girl and cute.  The first time my baby girl wore hers out to the mall, the moms at the play area complimented me of her outfit.  They also liked the all-in-one approach (leggings attached to the skirt).  Anything that makes my baby look cute and keeps me sane is a definite thumbs up in my book!  At $25 a pop, not only are they functional and fashionable, they are definitely affordable.

(Disclosure: Product was provided free of charge for review purposes and does not affect my views or feedback of the product.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

Everytime I saw commercials for Shape-Ups or came across the MBT, I was pretty skeptical to see how these shoes really worked.  I would read on message boards how some mothers swore by it and how others thought they were simply ugly.  I agreed with the latter.  While I read so many positive reviews, the way it looked turned me off.  When it comes to shoes, it has to look good, especially if I am going to invest my hard worked money into it.

One day, I was watching some television and a commercial came on.  All I saw were nice toned legs and butt moving from room to street to office and looking good while doing it.  The star of the commercial, Reebok Easytone.  As I watched it, I kept thinking these were so much more attractive looking than the Shape-Ups and MBTs.  I was still not sure if it would really tone my legs and butt, but what I knew was that the design was attractive enough for me to want to try it.

The first thing I noticed was that it looked like normal walking sneakers or running shoes.  It was not on some 2 inch incline (weird see-saw look) or had a massive width that made me feel like Bozo the Clown.  No one would know that this would be anything other than some nice gym shoes.  Once I put it on my feet, I liked the fact that the shoes felt lightweight and had an airyness to it when I walked around the house.  I couldn’t tell if my major muscle groups were working, but immediately I could tell that my posture was straighter.

After walking around to do my daily activities (drop/pick up preschooler, grocery shopping, post office, up/down the stairs),  I started to feel that something back there in my leg/butt area was contracting, similar to a kegel exercise.  I noticed more contraction in my legs when I was going up the stairs, probably because I had to balance my legs to stay centered.  Even after that, I was still not convinced it was really working my legs like walking on a sandy beach.

The next morning, my legs and butt were sore.  I felt muscles that I haven’t felt in a long time, probably since my high school days of doing gymnastics.  Being sore was proof in the pudding that the shoes actually worked.  I didn’t do anything differently on that day and the next day my legs were sore.  Back in my gymnastics day, I would cry from being in intense pain.  However, being a mother who hasn’t worked out since the birth of my first child, this idea of being sore brought a huge smile to my face.

For more specific questions, I asked Reebok and here is what Kristen Olson, Head of US Women’s at Reebok had to say:

What is the science behind the Reeinspire shoes? – FYI “Reeinspire” is the name of the style and EasyTone is the actual name of the sneakers.

Reebok EasyTone sneakers help tone key leg & butt muscles by using advanced balance pods built into the shoe.  The balance pods are designed to create natural instability with every step that you take.  This micro-instability forces muscles to adapt and in doing so they work harder. 
 
Can you do regular workouts with the Reeinspire shoes?
 
Because of the inherent instability of EasyTone sneakers, we would recommend the sneaker for walking outside or on the treadmill.  However, we do have a running version of the sneaker called RunTone that is available at retail now, which incorporates the same kind of technology and allows you to get more out of your run.  TrainTone, a cross-training sneaker specifically made for working out in the gym, will be introduced later this summer.

Would these shoes be good for people who have back problems and past injuries?
 
Since EasyTone sneakers are more muscle toning sneakers, they have not been tested for people who have back problems or past injuries.

How are you similar and different from MBTs and Shape Ups?
 
MBTs and Shape Ups incorporate a “rocker” sole in their bottoms of their sneakers – EasyTone sneakers have technology that is inspired by BOSU or balance balls in the gym. 

I can’t say this shoe is the end all say all to a regular workout, but for a busy mommy like myself, it adds an extra umph to my steps.  If there is a shoe that can keep your legs looking fit and give your butt that yoga-butt look, why not?  I think the Reebok Easytones would be perfect for all those moms that have been curious about using Shape-Ups or MBTs but shied away from it because of its awkward appearance.  I like wearing it because it’s light, comfortable, and has its own built in balls that shapes my legs and gives me good posture (less strain on my back).

After making numerous videos of my preschooler and my infant on the Flip MinoHD, I could never imagine another video camcorder taking it’s place until the SlideHD was born.  Like it’s sibling, it records in HD (High Definition) which gives your home videos a more professional  and polished quality.  Furthermore, it gives you 4 hours of record time (mine only allows 60 minutes) and you can view it on a bigger screen, 3 inches to be exact.  This is definitely worthy of sibling rivalry!

SlideHD looks very sleek and modern and comes in my favorite color white.  Not sure what your preference is in, but I like white in everything.  It’s probably one of my favorite colors!  Meeting the needs of society and the current technological standards held up by many companies such as Apple, Flip comes with an easy touch screen that opens up to give you a 3 inch viewing screen.  When I reviewed the MinoHD last year, my only complaint was the small screen size but I was also understanding that it was small because the entire camera was compact.  Flip came up with a way to view it with a bigger screen without sacrificing the compact size.  That is genius! 

I loved the MinoHD because I could take it anywhere in anything. Whether it was a diaper bag or a fanny pack, it fit in pretty much everything. As a mother, convenience is of utmost importance!  The SlideHD does the same, as the size is only a tad bit bigger than its sibling.

Speaking of specs, the SlideHD has a higher resolution of 400 X 240 and an internal memory of 16GB, which allows for the 4 hours of recording time.  In so many ways, I am loving the SlideHD.  I have history with my MinoHD (birth of baby, ballet recital gone wrong, baby babbling, etc.), but the SlideHD is the newest addition to the family that is warming up quickly because it has that extra edge over it’s sibling.  I hate to compare them because I never liked people telling me how genius my brother was, but I think the SlideHD definitely gives its own sibling some major competition!

(Disclosure: Product was provided free of charge for review purposes and does not affect my views or feedback of the product.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

Not sure where to start because I went there with a mound full of hopes and expectations.  Sometimes it’s my biggest flaw because I set myself up for disappointment.  I am not saying WorldFest was a disappointment, but it hardly met my expectations.  One of the first things we saw or shall I say my daughter saw was the shaved ice.  The guy there seemed nice but the gal gave me the weirdest look when I asked  her to make a smaller sized cone.  She repeatedly said “but it’s the same cost” and I repeatedly said, “yes, I know.”  If she was a parent she would know why I wanted a smaller size (I don’t need my daughter’s clothes to be drenched in cherry syrup, then her crying that her hands and clothes are sticky).

After that, we headed to the Kids section which was called Kids World.  For the first time, my daughter was not at all interested in any of the activities they had and wanted to simply check out the animals that were nearby.  I will give them props for having a “chill out” tent available for us to rest and take time out from the sun, as well as having a changing table.  But the crafts area was almost bare that it completely lost the interest of my daughter.

I came hungry because I heard so many great things about the food from last year, that I wanted space in my tummy to handle all the offerings.  Well, the popular places like MaggieMudd had a line that was way too long for me to stand in, especially with two kids.  I opted to stand in line at Southern Fried Vegan and that turned out to be a really big mistake.  The line did not move.  The two girls were working very hard and I appreciated that, but they didn’t have enough supply to meet the demands (I hope it’s a lesson learned).  After waiting in line for 1 hour and 16 minutes, half of the menu was out and I chose the Chicken Nuggets and the Italian Sausage.  The Chicken Nuggets were very tasty, but extremely oily (the oil was dripping onto my face as I was eating and left a huge puddle on the plate) and the Italian Sausage was cold in the middle and bland on the outside.  I paid $14 and felt completely ripped off, especially when my daughter threw her Italian Sausage away.

I wanted to walk around and see what was out there and came across RevitaPOP.  They are essentially Vitamin B12 in a lollipop.  What a great idea?  These were definitely perfect for my daughter.  I talked to the representative about the product but it seemed that he wasn’t very much interested in what I had to say.  Fortunately for him, I purchased 3 bags of those lollipops (very pricey) for the product themselves and not customer service.  But as I walked away, I was a little irritated that I paid all that money and there was no genuine care.

All in all, I was unimpressed with WorldFest 2010 and left there feeling like I spent way too much money for almost nothing.  Most of the vendors looked tired, overworked, and just not happy.  Maybe I came at the wrong time and had way too high expectations, but I felt like I didn’t gain anything or learned much when I left there.  Will I go back there next year?  Not sure.  If I do, I will stick to my favorites (Luscious Desserts and Ce’st La Vie Bakery) that I unfortunately could not visit because my daughter had some stomach issues after eating a half cooked sausage.

You hear about celebrities being gifted expensive jewelry, clothes, spa certificates, and vacations during the pre-Oscar swag parties.  Every company participates in hopes that their items will be used by a celebrity and in turn they get prime media coverage (a photo of the celebrity and their product in People Magazine).

Celebrities are always being gifted, whether it’s a swag event or a gift basket being sent to their homes.  Within the last 10 years, with celebrities popping babies left and right, many companies have specialized in this nitch market.  One of my favorite twitter gals is BabySwags and her business is around gifting new celebrity parents.  Companies will pay good money to have their products included in the basket in hopes that it will reach the masses.

Jodi Sweetin at the Dog + Baby Buffet Photo Credit: Michael Bezjian/WireImage

This past weekend, I attended The Silver Spoon Dog + Baby Buffet, an invite-only event that celebrated dogs and babies in luxury.  It was held at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Century Plaza.  I was familiar with some of the companies there and was introduced to some new ones as well.  Although there were tons of cute dog items, since I don’t have a dog, I didn’t include them in my gifting list.  For all the expectant and new celebrity mommas who came to the event (Cameron Richardson was next to me), what kind of goodies were they getting (or shall I say their assistants)?

Gifted Items:

Posh Tots: Lucy the Lamb stuffed animal.  The company specializes in high-end nursery decor.

GroVia: Diaper shell, Biowipes, and Tinybubbles.  Formerly known as GroBaby, they specialize in cloth diapering (My baby uses GroVia).

Sugar Bean Jewelry: Beautiful bracelets, necklaces, and rings (Retail Value $50-$250+).  The company was named after the owner’s daughter.  They make chic high-end jewelry.

Cutey Baby: Adorable Cloth Diapers.  The owner is a Chicago native and by the looks of the design, will give GroVia a run for its money.

City Slips: Cute foldable ballet flats for after a girl’s night out.  Take off those heels at the end of the night and slip on these slippers, comes with a chic carrying pouch that can also carry your heels.

Heaven to Home: Amazingly scented Angels for Animals soy candles. They donate a portion of their proceeds to animal welfare.

OrganiLuxe: Lunchbags, totes, and the cloth version of ziplock bags. (all hand-made and organic).

Suga’Pies: Samples of their Lolli-pies.  A company that delivers pies right to your door in a vintage style dress. They give you more than just a pie, you get an experience.  All pies can be veganized or made gluten free (perfect for me!).

Sweet Pea Organics: Toddler Protein Bars that are all handmade and all-natural.  Perfect balance between texture and taste (my preschooler loved it).

Non-Gifted and Educational:

Stokke: Brought their new high-end Stokke Xplory.  The new and improved Xplory comes in so many beautiful colors and a rider board that is attached.  I want one!

Keeping Babies Safe: After losing her own son in a crib accident, President Joyce Davis started a non-profit to educate other parents about crib safety, so other parents will not have to go through what she had too.  Keeping Babies Safe mission is to educate and inform parents on how to keep babies safe from preventable injuries associated with unsafe cribs, dangerous infant products and unsafe sleep environments.

So these are what your celebrity mommas took home with them!  Try to spot these items on them or their babies in an upcoming post on Celebrity Baby Blog or on print, in People.  The event was small and quaint and I’m sure it probably got more celebrity action once I left.

Oh, by the way, a shout out to Hyatt Regency Century Plaza for giving us media, a doggie bag filled with doggie treats.  Although I don’t have a dog, my daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed your doggy gourmet creations.  Some were deliciously sweet, some had no taste, but all in all, it was an interesting experience tasting doggie treats!

Wow!  It’s almost summer and it’s that time of the year to announce PTPA (Parent Tested Parent Approved) Summer Campaign Winners.  I am always curious to see who made the cut because parents (like you and I) decide the winners!  If you haven’t signed up to be an evaluator with PTPA, you can go here to sign up.  Who knows?  You may be the next parent to try out something really special for your child and in turn, give your PTPA stamp of approval.

Summer Campaign Winners included are:

Encouraging peel & post mirror notes: Thought spots are encouraging messages that you can put on your mirrors, windows, and other clean shiny surfaces.  It’s a great way to encourage you child and also bring a smile to their face.  (I put “I believe in you” on my bathroom mirror and it brings a smile to me everytime).

Dora the Explorer Talking Digital Camera:  The camera has a very cute design, perfect for the little Dora fan, and it says three different encouraging phrases. (I think my preschooler will go gaga over this.  She already has the talking backpack.)

Boba 2G: A soft structured carrier designed to meet the needs of children 15-45lbs. Boba features patent-pending foot straps, which keep the child’s legs at a natural 90-degree angle, promoting proper circulation and posture. (I would love to try this out and see how I like it compared to my Ergo that I use on a daily basis).

Dyson 25Animal: A vacuum cleaner that actually looks like an animal but also made for homes that deal with stubborn pet hair.  Dyson known for it’s innovative ball technology has definitely come out with something super innovative.

Click here to view the full line-up of winners.

As always, I will bring you the inside scoop on some of these products and will give you my honest feedback.  If you are trying to decide on a baby shower gift, a gift for your own child, or even something for yourself and your just not sure, take a look at PTPA’s growing list of great products ( I always reference the site).