What girl doesn’t like to get spoiled?  And what mom doesn’t deserve a daily spa treatment?  I was recently invited to indulge in some major back-to-school treatment, compliments of The Huntington Spa at the Langham Hotel.  Can I say, “relaxation to it’s finest!”  First off, you would never know that there would be a hotel in the midst of South Pasadena’s finest homes.  As I was driving on the winding roads to the hotel, it was such a pleasant surprise to find this hidden gem located in a neighborhood surrounded by luscious trees.

Once you take a turn into the driveway of The Langham Hotel Pasadena, you are greeted with history, which reminds me of my hometown Chicago.  I had the option of valeting or self parking my car in front of the spa, and I opted to self park.  Once I walked through the doors of the spa, I was greeted with a zen oasis.  I didn’t know what to expect because I knew nothing about the spa. 

The front staff was very pleasant and personal.  It was the kind of personal customer service one would get in Asia.  To me, this part of the spa experience was so important because it really separates the professionals from the amateurs. 

The whole staff  had a warmth about them and they had the intention to give me all the relaxation I needed and deserved.  After the initial meet and greet, I was escorted into a room where I filled out a questionnaire.  What seemed like a piece of paper with some questions, revealed what sort of aromatherapy oils I would need during my treatment.

The questionnaire showed that I was lacking in “earth”, and therefore they would use “earth” oils for my treatment.  I have to say the smell was pleasant and I actually liked it, considering I usually don’t like any scents.  After that was said and done, I was escorted by David, who was going to do my 30 minute Chuan Back, Neck and Shoulder Massage.

First, the room was an Asian oasis.  Reminded me of the finer spas you would find in five star hotels in Asia.   The moment I stepped into the massage room, I was in relaxation heaven.  David then started to do the “Chuan Back, Neck, and Shoulder Massage” on me.  He was very good at telling me to visualize the earth color, yellow, and breath deeply.  Ultimately, this lead to the best mind-free massage I have gotten in a long time (saliva worthy, as in I had saliva coming out of my mouth from such relaxation).  As he was working his acupressure magic on me, the deeper I breathed, I literally felt my bones click into place.  The more I focused on my yellow dandelion imagery and my breathing, the more I felt my body in tune with the treatment.  At the end of it, I wanted to lay there forever.

After my treatment, David lead me to the ”Dream Room”.  It was literally a ”dream.”  The seats, the linen, and the red and blue oil painting that was hallucinogenic, all made me want to stay in that dreamy state.  I was given the option of a glass of champagne, wine, or some tea.  I went with tea to finish off my treatment (plus, I love tea so much, I wanted to see the quality of their tea). 

The next part of my Back to School Package for Moms included a manicure and pedicure.  Can I say heavenly.  I wish I knew about this spa when I was pregnant and walking around with my swollen feet because my nail lady, Julia, slabbed on some peppermint mud mask on my feet and it was just divine.  I felt my feet tingling and it also felt like my feet were just floating.  My 50 minute Walk in the Clouds Pedicure was followed by my 25 minute Spa Manicure.  It was a simple manicure, but my nails were cleaned to perfection.

Following all my treatments, I was also told that I had access to all of the spa’s amenities such as the jacuzzi, the yoga class, and the gym, but it was late and I had to head to my two little girls that were being watched by my friend, who was on her date.

All I can say is that I wished I could have stayed there, all day and night.  I was so limited in time, I wasn’t able to check out all of their amenities, but it’s definitely on my to-do list now.  The next time, I would like to get a hotel room and make it an all day spa day with my girlfriends.  The great thing about the spa is that, even if you get just one service, you have access to all of the spa’s amenities for the entire day.  The “Back to School” special was priced at $180 which is usually $220.  With the ambience, quality of service, and all of the amenities, it’s not an expensive price for a world class spa experience. 

(Disclosure: The spa package was provided by The Huntington Spa for review purposes and does not affect my views or feedback of the products.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

So yesterday was a whopping 115 degrees on the Westside.  To say the least, it was disgusting and record breaking.  My 1 year old and I were sweating by the milliseconds (and I never sweat).  Being spoiled by the daily breeze from the Pacific Ocean, it was quite uncomfortable to endure the heat that was trapped in my place.  I literally felt like I was sitting in a sauna.  Maybe I should have done some Bikram yoga with the amount of heat that I was feeling, but I’m sure that wouldn’t have been safe either.

Since I don’t have central air or a portable air conditioner (we don’t need it 99% of the time), I had to take measures into my own hands.  I probably could have just sat in the heat, feeling miserable, and called it a day, but I have a little one to take care of, so the story was a little different.

My daughter and I did some things throughout our day to make it a more pleasurable one:

1. We opened all our windows, including our balcony doors.  Having some circulation helped, even though, the heat felt like it was at a standstill.
2. We took a bath.  We didn’t sit in freezing water, even though I wanted to.  I had the water just a little bit cooler than luke warm.
3. I wiped our faces with a cold wash cloth, every 15 minutes.
4. We drank lots of cold water with lemons in it (restores electrolytes).  I think we went through appromximately 20 servings of water.
5. I work from home, so I filled up the water basin with some cold water, and sunk my feet in it.  My husband told me that cooling the feet, cools the entire body (I’ll take his word).
6. We snacked on frozen blueberries.
7. I wiped down my hardwood floors with cold water.  It not only cleaned my floors, but it definitely made my place 10 degrees cooler.
8. I opted to use a hand fan when my daughter was napping.  I chose not to use the portable fan  because my daughter gets into everything, and I don’t need for her to lose any fingers or toes.
9. I wore a lose dress and my daughter only had her diaper on.  Being loosely clothed in hot weather is essential, for optimum breathability.
10. After I got my preschooler from school, we went to the mall to cool off.  They have a play area and since it’s indoors and air conditioned, it’s a lifesaver on hot days.  Plus, by the time we went home, the weather was a cool 65 degrees.

What do you do on a hot day?  Any pointers of what not to do, or a must do?  If you’re a mom with a baby and not really sure what to do with your baby on a scorching hot day, ABC News in Phildelphia has some suggestions for you.

Do you ever get stumped when you are thinking of what to cook for your kids?  Recently, my daughter has been avoiding anything green at all cost.  She will eat a spinach salad because I told her that she will have flawless skin forever, however, forget about trying to get her to eat broccoli, kale, and peas (these are all vegetables she use to love eating “raw”<–her choice, not my doing).  So it’s been quite the challenge to keep her nutritionally balanced, in these recent months.

My daughters both love avocado and I saw a recipe on Chef Chloe’s blog that I thought both my kids would enjoy.  I didn’t have everything on hand that her recipe requires and I love to cook on the fly, so I substituted some of the ingredients.  Instead of using linguine, I used bowtie pasta and substituted pine nuts for walnuts.  The kids and I were eating the pesto straight from the food processor (yes, it was that good).  Both my children cleaned their plates and in the evening, we baked some fries and used the pesto as our dipping sauce. Yummy!

Parents often wonder where they can get a good bargain or two.  Baby necessities can be quite costly and finding bargains is essential for the average household.  While there are many sample sale sites focused on baby gear and eBay which has a good section for baby products, there are other simple ways to score a bargain.

Buying locally makes it a lot easier for parents because it saves time and energy (you can have the product the same day and you don’t have the hassle of going to UPS or FedEx to return an item you don’t want).  Plus most parents don’t have the luxury to wait days or weeks for baby essentials to arrive.  When they discover they need a certain product, they pretty much need it immediately.

For instances like those and bargain-hunting in general, I’ve found four places where baby items can be easily found for discounted prices.

1. Craigslist – The site is a great resource for a lot of things, but it has a great area for people to sell and buy pretty much anything.  I always find great deals on baby items (discounts up to 70% off retail prices).  Although there are a lot of used items, you can also find a lot of items that are in mint to new condition.  Be sure to get pictures via email before you make the trek out to the seller’s location. 

Read more at Savings.com

Recently, Child’s Play sent me (actually my children) some toys to try out.  At first, I opened the box with caution because I wasn’t sure if these toys would be more added junk to my children’s toy closet (We probably have enough toys to open our own Toys R’ Us consignment shop).  I can definitely say that with toys, they are a hit or a miss.

The first toy was Pop on Pals Amusement Park Deluxe Playset.  A very cute amusement park theme with a pop-on-pal.  My 1 year old was all over it.  Every time the ferris wheel went around, music would play, and it immediately became a cue for my daughter to shake her tushie (It was the cutest thing EVER!).  You could also place the pop-on-pal on the roller coaster seat and let it slide down the roller coaster.  The toy was very interactive and kept both my children (1 and 4 year old) very occupied.

The only downside was that you get only one pop-on-pal with the Deluxe Playset.  So my 4 year old kept telling me that we were missing some of the pals (The back of the box shows 3 other pop-on-pals enjoying their time at the amusement park).  I had to explain to her that we would have to purchase those separately.

While it only came with the one pop-on-pal, it was a very interactive and enjoyable.  As a parent, I loved that it encouraged imaginative play, creativity, fine motor skills, dexterity, and social play.  Allthough the recommended age is for 2 years or older, both my 4 year old and my almost 1 1/2 year old, equally had fun playing with it. 

The next one was a family favorite and I have to admit, it brought the child out in me and my husband.  We were actually very fascinated by it because when we were growing up there was nothing like it.  Meet Moon Dough, the most fun you will have without being too messy.

You literally put the moon dough into the top, press it down, and crank the handle, and you get horses that pop out of the barn door.  Plus, you can use the moon dough to make fences and hay with the added molds that the toy comes with.  I have never seen anything like it and my family had so much fun, we sat down and played until 10 pm (oops the kids bed times were completely forgotten).

I love that the moon dough never dries out, it’s wheat free, and hypo-allergenic.  So any children who may have wheat allergies and was missing out on play dough, can play with something so much more superior to it.  And for the parents, not only is it fun, but because it doesn’t break apart easily, it’s almost mess free.  If there are any moon dough pieces laying around, you can either mold it back together or just toss the leftovers.

The moon dough was definitely a family favorite and I love it so much, I will be buying it for birthday gifts.  Both toys are available at Toys “R” Us, Target, Kmart, and more.

(Disclosure: The products were provided by Child’s Play and Spin Master for review purposes and does not affect my views or feedback of the products.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

Did you know that breastfeeding could save you $1,600?  Besides being nutritionally potent for your baby and keeping their immune system healthy, breastfeeding could be the single best thing that you could do for your baby, yourself–and your pocketbook!

Mothers are presented with the idea of breastfeeding and formula feeding well before their babies are even born. Whether it’s their grandmothers advocating nursing, their friends who swear by the ease of formula feeding, or their obstetrician encouraging breastfeeding (then minutes after, handing them some samples of Enfamil), everybody has a thing or two to say about it.

Many parents seek to find ways they could save money, but also give the best care their child deserves. Meet “breastfeeding,” the golden ticket to health, wealth, and happiness. It quickly becomes your new best-friend. Personally, I knew I wanted to breastfeed from the get-go because of all the advantages breast milk had to offer.  For one, it’s nutritionally well rounded with amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, and minerals, which also makes it easy on the baby’s digestive system.  Moreover, breast milk contains antibodies that fight off infections which is very important for newborns because their immune systems are not fully developed yet.  Nursing is also a time when mommy and baby can bond, and it provides an easier transition from the womb to the outside world. 

Read the entire post at Savings.com

Who doesn’t want to save money?  It’s a time and age where most people walk around with iPhones, Blackberrys, and all sorts of other types of gadgets you can call out of.  With mobile phones being the primary source for calling, most people want to nix their landlines. For the small population that continue to use landlines or a line through a VoIP (voice communication over the internet) they have it because they are either old school, trying to save minutes on their mobile phone lines, or have it for emergency purposes, in the case that there is a mobile outage.

Some people like me choose to use internet phone companies like Vonage, but then question the need for it when looking at the phone bill, which clearly shows that is was used for 10 incoming calls, all from telemarketers.

The reason I keep a home line through a VoIP is because of those emergency situations that can happen without a moments notice.  Being somewhat paranoid, I worry that my daughter’s preschool won’t be able to reach me, or something happens to my family and friends that require immediate attention, and they are not able to get in touch with me because of a faulty mobile network. For those days, I keep my home line.  But is it worth the $32.99 that I pay on a monthly basis?

Just recently, while reading about saving money and cutting unnecessary costs,  I learned that my extra phone bill was doing me no good.  So I went on a hunt for an alternative to Vonage and came across a whole plethora of companies that offered either free or discounted phone services, similar to Vonage, but way cheaper.

That’s when I came across Ooma which was another VoIP , but unlike it’s competitors who charged a monthly fee for local calling, Ooma was completely free (you pay applicable taxes and fees for 911). While you have to buy the actual Ooma Telo base which costs $249.99, it pays for itself in less than 9 months.  After 3 years of using Ooma, I would be saving $777.08 (that’s money that could go toward my daughter’s college savings).

Calling and Receiving phone calls in the U.S. are free, but I still have to pay for applicable taxes and fees shown here.

For international callers, like my husband, you can call 70 countries for less than a penny.  For us, this is where our big savings comes in because we spend an average $36 in international calling (via phone card at 5 cents a minute) a month.

Some people find that spending the initial $249.99 to buy the Ooma base might be a little scary not knowing how the system would work for them.  However, calculating the savings that come along with it, most people jump on it without a second thought.  Being a mommy that constantly budgets everything, I definitely consider myself to be in that scary group.

I want to make sure that this product doesn’t become obsolete over the course of the 3 years (when I am suppose to save my largest amount of money) and I want to do enough research to know that company will not go under, like some new tech companies out there.  I find these to be all valid questions a consumer may have and something that immediately popped into my head.

For me, it’s much like buying a hybrid car.  You pay a higher price tag because it has a hybrid engine, but over the course of a couple years, you end up saving a lot of money from fuel, that it pays for the difference of the price tag and then some.

So for the timid, like myself, I noticed that Ooma now offers a risk free trial for 30 days, plus free shipping.  This is a great opportunity to try out the system for free and if it’s not your cup of tea, return it without any questions asked.  If you decide to keep it and 6 months down the line you decide that you don’t need it anymore, you can always resell it on Ebay or Craigslist  for $150 or more.

I tried out some of the Ooma products with my Vonage still intact, and I have to say I was really impressed.  Because I was trying to set-up the Ooma with my Vonage still working, I had an initial mental block during the set-up process, but it was relatively simple after I tried doing it without any distractions (kids screaming, crying, trying to play with the products).

What I love, love, love about Ooma, is that I’m happy to say that I am not suffering from major hearing loss.  For years, I tried ear candling, went to an ENT doctor to do a hearing screening, experimented with alternative methods to clear my ear pathways. It was common for me to be on the phone and say “What?  Excuse me?  Can you repeat that again.  I can’t hear you.”  This happened both on my mobile phone and my home phone.  Once I changed my mobile phone, I couldn’t get over the fact that I could actually hear people out of the phone.  However, with my home line via Vonage, still stayed semi muffled.

The second I put that Telo handset to my ear, I was in ringing heaven.  I could actually hear the rings as clear as daylight and the background sounded like I was inside a sound booth (absolutely no extra sounds at all, almost felt like calling from my dark and quiet closet).  Once I had my friend on the line, her voice sounded like she was sitting directly next to me.  She even asked if I was inside my car because she heard me crystal clear.  It was good to know that the clarity went both ways.

With the Ooma Telo purchase, you receive a 60 day trial period to it’s Premier services which make the Ooma far superior to other VoIP services.  I will have to say, just with the base services (free US calling), your other standard VoIP services have almost everything the Ooma offers (with a monthly fee), which is not a dramatic wow factor to win you over to Ooma.  However, where Ooma has an edge over its competitors is the voice quality, when making and receiving calls.  It really doesn’t matter what the VoIP service provider has, unless you can actually have a good, solid, clear conversation on the phone.

With that being said, Ooma Premier is the forefront in VoIP technology, which integrates VoIP technology with people’s everyday needs.  This separates the professional from the amateurs.  With the Premier, you can link your mobile phone to your Ooma Telo with a bluetooth adaptor and with the more recent hype of using Google Voice as an alternative to phone calling, you can now have access to it on your Ooma system.  Another added convenience is having the ability read your voicemail as text, which is great for people who are constantly on the go, like myself.  There are other features such as Do-Not-Disturb option, Personal and Community Blacklist, and iPhone App for Ooma.  Of course, these added features are not free and come at a nominal fee of $9.99 per month, after the trial period ends.

I really enjoyed trying out the Ooma and after using it for almost 2 weeks, I feel like it’s a good system with a lot of promise.  The services Ooma offers is at the forefront of VoIP technology and integrates features that incorporates many services into one system, which makes people’s lives more simpler.  If you are in the market to save money on your home phone line or want a service that offers features that integrate your mobile phone via bluetooth or iPhone app and have the ability to check your Google voice on a simple system, Ooma is definitely worth checking out.

(Disclosure: A tester was made available to test the products and does not affect my views or feedback of the products.  This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

In my world, “Labor Day” is when mothers get ready to deliver their own tiny little miracles.  It’s a day filled with pain, joy, and laughter (in that order).  Very similar to running a marathon or competing in some Olympic event.

Just like the planning and strategizing involved in packing for the big game, the same process happens when packing for the big day. You walk around contemplating about things that you think you need and things that you really don’t.

When you’re a first time mom, you want to pack your whole bedroom, closet, and your bathroom.  Although I wanted to do all of the above during my first pregnancy, I didn’t have the time because my daughter arrived two weeks before her due date.  At that time, I was still in the midst of contemplating and, in hindsight, it was a blessing in disguise.

Read the rest of my post at Savings.com

I recall years ago when I visited my gynecologist’s office to confirm that the two lines on my pregnancy test were indeed identifying that I was pregnant. After peeing into a cup and being escorted into a cold and muted examination room, the nurse confirmed that the test was positive. She left the room and came back with a handful of printed papers (which looked like someone’s dissertation) and plopped it onto a table right next to me.

I stared at it for a few seconds, and then called my husband to confirm the news. After waiting endlessly for the doctor, I eventually grabbed a handful of handouts and began sifting through them.

Besides the initial pregnancy packet which talked about the stages of pregnancy and what to expect during those ten months, the thickest handout from the pile was all about nutrition during pregnancy and more specifically, what not to eat when you were pregnant. Everything from things I didn’t know you could eat like shark, to the more obvious no-nos like alcohol.

Read the rest of my post at Savings.com

If there is one thing that can remove any ketchup stain, pizza grease, and dirt residue, it’s Grandma’s Secret Spot Remover.  It’s compact in size so it’s always ready to go in my bag (as we all know, accidents happen everywhere and anytime).  I came across this remover when I was looking for a spot cleaner that was non toxic (most of the time, I need a spot remover for my children and you don’t want any harsh chemicals getting on them or their clothes).

Not only was it non toxic, it was environmentally safe, biodegradable, and did not contain any chlorine or phosphates.  At first, I raised an eyebrow thinking, “Hmm…Does this really work, like it says it works?”  I hate when you buy something off an infomercial and the product does not do anything that the infomercial claimed it would do (Remember: infomercials have this tiny fine print that says it doesn’t work for everyone, I wonder why?).  Since it was only $3.99 (at Jo-Ann Fabrics), I had to try one out.

Before I even bought the remover, I had a stack of stained shirts and pants that needed some good stain removing.  I wasn’t sure if the spot remover could remove stains that were a few weeks old, but to my surprise, it did!  I love that it does not have a strong odor and it literally takes a drop to remove the stain.  Since I use the spot remover so often, my preschooler learned to use it herself.  She has a bad habit of wiping her hands on her clothes when she eats (I don’t know where she gets this habit because we always tell her to use her napkin) and the last time she spread olive oil all over her dress.  Instead of watching me freak out, she took the spot remover out of my bag and put it on the oiled areas.  When we went back home, I just had to wash it out.  Simple as that!

This spot remover has been my secret for almost a year and I am happy to share it with you!

(Disclosure: I haven’t received any monetary compensation or free products. This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)