2013 - An L.A. Mama        
   

Friday, May 10, 2013

California Strawberry Festival

California Strawberry Festival
Summer is just around the corner, the weather is warmer, and the days seem just a bit longer.  That means it’s time for some outdoor fun and what better way to kick things off than this weekend at the 30 th  anniversary of the Annual Strawberry Festival in Oxnard, California where you can experience…

Friday, March 8, 2013

Share Breakfast

Share Breakfast
Of the many hats I wear, I count being a mother as the highest honor and biggest challenge. Being a mom means striving to provide the very best for your children, worrying if you’ve made the right decisions or just play done enough. One of the greatest tasks I’m faced with on a day-to-day basis i…

Monday, March 4, 2013

SEPHORA by OPI: I Come in Peas

SEPHORA by OPI: I Come in Peas
I can show you better than I can tell you... This pretty shade of green goes on nicely and shows well in 1-2 coats. Love it for spring! ($9.50 at Sephora)

Monday, February 25, 2013

You put what in my what?

You put what in my what?
When I first laid eyes on Vosges chocolate bars at Whole Foods about two years ago I scrunched up my nose at it. BACON??? In chocolate? Who does that? But for some reason I kept going back. Each time a little less judgemental but still a bit skeptical. A time or two I placed one in my basket o…

Hiya, Honey!

Hiya, Honey!
As a kid I never much cared for honey. I didn’t care how they dressed it up with in that teddy bear-shaped squeeze bottle, I wanted no parts of it. To me, it tasted like booty or what I thought booty might taste like. It wasn’t until a few years ago when I was suffering terribly with seasonal al…

Saturday, February 16, 2013

The Globies are Here!

The Globies are Here!
Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! The Globetrotters have arrived in Southern California!! I couldn't be more excited as I've never seen them live but my family and I will be checking them out tomorrow in Anaheim, but if that's not close to you, they'll also be in Ontario and Los…

Friday, February 15, 2013

Until We Meet Again...

Until We Meet Again...
Some of you may have noticed I’ve been MIA for the last two weeks or so. Unfortunately we have been dealing with a death in the family and I have been traveling back and forth between Los Angeles and Pennsylvania. I’m just getting settled back into my routine and thought it would be a good outlet…

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Preparing for a Deployment

Preparing for a Deployment
I never would have imagined that my husband (who was in the music industry when we married) would come to me at age 35 and tell me that wanted to enlist in the Army Reserves. Umm... Hello? Even then he didn't go the traditional route because after he finished BCT he enrolled in school to get …

Friday, January 18, 2013

Review & Giveaway: Build A Bear Harajuku Hugs Panda

Review & Giveaway: Build A Bear Harajuku Hugs Panda
One thing I seem to say a lot when talking about my children is that kids today are more sophisticated than I ever remember being.  They know more, use words I have to look up in a dictionary, and they dress like miniature adults.  Gone are the days of paper dolls and baby dolls. The bar has been r…

Nails! Kristen

Nails! Kristen
This is a lighter, yet funkier hue that I'm kind of in love with at the moment. It's a light, greyish blue that just seems to go with everything. I wouldn't call it a sky blue unless maybe a cloudy sky blue. Perhaps more of a light denim blue. I don't care what you call it, Krist…

Honoring Dr. King

Honoring Dr. King
What I want my kids to know is what Dr. King stood for and not view the holiday as just another three day weekend. Dr. King fought and died for his belief in equality for all mankind. Regardless of your political affiliation, it goes without saying that he laid the groundwork for how far we have c…

Monday, January 14, 2013

Free Game Rental @ Redbox Kiosk

Text the word GAMEKIDS to the number 727272 to receive a code good for a FREE one night game rental at Redbox. Expires 1/31/13

Nail Color of the Day

Nail Color of the Day
OPI San Tan-Tonio

2013 Golden Globes Best Dressed

2013 Golden Globes Best Dressed
LOVED the always flawless Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad. She was, hands down, my favorite. Lea Michele looked great and I loved her dress but the accessories? Not so much. I also loved Zooey Deschanel's simple but elegant look. I'm throwing in RHOA's Nene Leakes as an honorable mention…

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Event/Giveaway: "You Write the Rules"

Event/Giveaway: "You Write the Rules"
I don’t know about you, but I grew up watching Scooby Doo cartoons every week. Some of the best episodes (or episode? I was too young to understand the concept of reruns) were when the Harlem Globetrotters guest starred! I had no clue they were an actual basketball team until a little later, but …

Yay or Nay: Candy Yum Yum

Yay or Nay: Candy Yum Yum
Trying Mac's Candy Yum Yum today. My first impression is that it's VERY bright, but it's growing on me. I think I could have went with a darker liner to tone it down some. Thoughts?

A Message to Readers

A Message to Readers
I’ve posted a couple of lipstick reviews since re-launching and I thought it would be worth mentioning here that although I’m 34, I’m a baby in the make up game. I have never been able to get past the way my skin has a tendency to react to make up so I pretty much steered clear of it my whole life…

Monday, January 7, 2013

Lavender Lips: Power vs Asian Flower

Lavender Lips: Power vs Asian Flower
On the left is Nyx Power lipstick and on the right is Mac Asian Flower. First up: POWER My thoughts :  Nyx lipstick in Power is highly pigmented for such a light color.  It is lavender.  Period.  Power is different but it works because it's so feminine. Feel :  This is a Nyx Extra Creamy Lipstick a…

A Twist on Chicken Noodle Soup

A Twist on Chicken Noodle Soup
It's winter time and that means hearty meals in my household.  But it's also the first of the year and that's about when we try to be a little more health-conscious and start tweeking traditional recipes.  Two things inspired this twist on chicken noodle soup.  The first is that I'…

Work in Progress: Reboot

Work in Progress: Reboot
Goodbye to the sweet laziness and carefree indulgences of the holidays. Hello to grunting, sweating and sore muscles of the new year. I’m a week late due to illness, but it’s time to get back to my grind. Yesterday I cleaned out my refrigerator and cabinets, tossing out half-empty bottles of soda…

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Foodie Chronicles: Yummy Cupcakes- Caramel Corn Test Run

Foodie Chronicles: Yummy Cupcakes- Caramel Corn Test Run
So, I'm home sick, lying in bed this afternoon not thinking about a cupcake at all.  Then this happens... I think to myself- You know, the boys have been really great about letting me rest the last two days.  They deserve a treat!  So I drag myself out of bed looking like death warmed over and …

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday
Here's an Expo TV review of my Canon Powershot Elph from June 2012...

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Happy New Year?

Happy New Year?
What a world, what a world... The start to my year has not gone quite as planned.  I had intended to return to work today and then hit the gym hard since I've been on hiatus for a minute.  I had a list and that's exactly how it was supposed to go down.  What I did instead, however, was dro…

Thank you, Santa! (Christmas Haul)

Thank you, Santa! (Christmas Haul)
I must have been a very good girl this year, because Santa hooked me UP!  The hubby came through with the Michael Kors Hamilton bag I've been coveting.  My mom got us some really cute wine glasses from Target and a big honkin' bottle of pink Moscato (yum!).  My daughter, the little artist …