Author: trendymommies

Yikes – I let summer vacation go to my head!  In the midst of all of our trips to the beach and packing tons of sunscreen I realized there are quite a few essentials I could have used this summer (and of course did head to the store to pick up a few gadgets). Here are a few you may like:
 

After schlepping all of my bags, toys and kids to the beach I realized there has to be a simpler way – whether you call it a beach buggy or a beach cart – it’s pretty cool way to pack up for the day  https://www.wonderwheeler.com 

Sick of loosing sand toys and lugging them in a cumbersome bag? I  bought a mesh bag with a shoulder strap that I just love. Here is another one for the little ones – toys already in a backpack.  https://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/7370.htm  This site also has great gear from the stakes you need for your cabana to boogie boards.
 

Speaking of beach cabanas why not bring your own?  https://www.onestepahead.com has the best one for the whole family.

Don’t forget the sunscreen!

Well…not totally yet…..So after the whole baby shampoo incident – yes I am still talking about that!  I went to my local networking luncheon and there was a great speaker who told us about this wonderful site https://www.safecosmetics.org

So for the last few weeks I’ve been talking to everyone I know and obsessing a bit about checking ALL of my beauty products (and you know me –  I have a ton of them!)  It rates your products from 1-10; 10 being the worst in terms of having a lot of chemicals, etc.  As long as you don’t have all your daily products a 10 you should be find but it is interesting to log on and see that your favorite product is a 9!   So onto my list for the things I have changed – deodorant, liquid hand soap, kids shampoo and many scented body lotions.
 

Hand soap – most all contain some sort of fragrance so they are a big offender. So I have tried Dr. Bronner’s Magic soap https://www.drbronner.com and Jason satin soap which is still listed as a 5 but has no Lauryl sulfates or paraben preservatives and you can find it at most Whole Foods.
 

Deodorant – still love Dove but have also been surprised by Almay Unscented and its effectiveness
 

Kids shampoo – now I try anything by Burt’s Bee https://www.burtsbees.com
 

Some Body lotions are still pretty heavy scented but a brand I have always loved is London’s Moulton Brown. I think many years ago I got hooked on this line at a NYC hotel.  They tend to discontinue their items (still crying over ABC shower gel!) so don’t get too attached!  https://www.moltonbrown.co.uk/

Well…not totally yet…..So after the whole baby shampoo incident – yes I am still talking about that!  I went to my local networking luncheon and there was a great speaker who told us about this wonderful site https://www.safecosmetics.org

So for the last few weeks I’ve been talking to everyone I know and obsessing a bit about checking ALL of my beauty products (and you know me –  I have a ton of them!)  It rates your products from 1-10; 10 being the worst in terms of having a lot of chemicals, etc.  As long as you don’t have all your daily products a 10 you should be find but it is interesting to log on and see that your favorite product is a 9!   So onto my list for the things I have changed – deodorant, liquid hand soap, kids shampoo and many scented body lotions.
 

Hand soap – most all contain some sort of fragrance so they are a big offender. So I have tried Dr. Bronner’s Magic soap https://www.drbronner.com and Jason satin soap which is still listed as a 5 but has no Lauryl sulfates or paraben preservatives and you can find it at most Whole Foods.
 

Deodorant – still love Dove but have also been surprised by Almay Unscented and its effectiveness
 

Kids shampoo – now I try anything by Burt’s Bee https://www.burtsbees.com
 

Some Body lotions are still pretty heavy scented but a brand I have always loved is London’s Moulton Brown. I think many years ago I got hooked on this line at a NYC hotel.  They tend to discontinue their items (still crying over ABC shower gel!) so don’t get too attached!  https://www.moltonbrown.co.uk/

 

It’s is a big moment for moms, dads and kids – moving….. with kids.  
 

Moving with kids is always stressful – top that with not knowing where you are going to live and it’s even more stressful!  We sold our house and tried to buy another house but it just didn’t work out so now we are staying temporarily in a two bed two bath apartment until we find a house we like. I have to say it’s very nice and all brand new.  The girls think it’s a hotel and my six year old even said, “Can I go down to the rec room and get breakfast?”  Dear… there is no room service here! 

Anyway I would have loved to have movers come, pack up our stuff and move it and unpack when we arrived but that is just a great luxury. I noticed on Daily Candy one day – what you haven’t heard of Daily Candy? Sign up  – at least for the Boston one – it is truly a great way to get great information.  It’s a free daily e-mail newsletter and website and according to them it is “the insider’s guide to what’s hot, new, and undiscovered — from fashion and style to gadgets and travel”  https://www.dailycandy.com anyways that is where I heard of this great site https://www.finiconcierge.com/ and they offer a moving service that does everything for you – can you imagine that?  Everything from unpacking to setting up your utilities. Now I can appreciate that as I did not have my home phone for three days!

Ok so it has been a while since I wrote but have been very busy!  Went to Vegas for my birthday with the girlfriends, sold my house and my husband is starting back up at work! WHEW…

But I did have fun in Vegas – lots of shopping but you know you are getting older when you are out to dinner (or in this case a club) and the majority of women are wearing shirts as dresses – I guess that was the trend. My friend had on a cute black dress/longer shirt with leggings and as the night wore on she said I think I should have left my leggings at home! It’s funny to see the styles in a different part of the country (and in warmer weather).While it’s not so warm in the Northeast today I am still looking forward to sandals, shorts and skirts for the season.  Here are some of the latest trends I spotted:
 

Bright colors – fushia, yellow,etc.   I thought yellow was the “it” color last year but am still seeing it out and about.  There are so many variations of yellow but the bright sunny type yellow is my favorite (not mustard, please) Jcrew has a great selection https://www.jcrew.com. Although I have seen pairing black with yellow I recommend against it.  I just think it makes you look like a bumble bee – well I think it makes me look like a bumble bee. (actually Oprah had back and yellow on the other day on her show and it looks fabulous)  The better option is to pair it with white, kakhi or gold.
 

There’s nothing like a floral shirt or skirt to brighten up your wardrobe. https://www.bananarepublic.com – They have some great ones. Floral looks great with white accessories or straw accessories.  I am still distraught over not buying a straw/wicker handbag from the coach outlet last year as when I went back it was gone! (when it doubt buy it as you can always return it!)   I still think about that bag as I put together my outfits this spring……..
 

The last trend is the exotic prints or global. Whether it’s a shirt with a jeweled neckline, beaded bottom, geometric patterns and even paisley prints. This one is hard to pull off.  Log onto Neiman Marcus for a wide selection.  https://www.neimanmarcus.com.

Ok so it has been a while since I wrote but have been very busy!  Went to Vegas for my birthday with the girlfriends, sold my house and my husband is starting back up at work! WHEW…

But I did have fun in Vegas – lots of shopping but you know you are getting older when you are out to dinner (or in this case a club) and the majority of women are wearing shirts as dresses – I guess that was the trend. My friend had on a cute black dress/longer shirt with leggings and as the night wore on she said I think I should have left my leggings at home! It’s funny to see the styles in a different part of the country (and in warmer weather).While it’s not so warm in the Northeast today I am still looking forward to sandals, shorts and skirts for the season.  Here are some of the latest trends I spotted:
 

Bright colors – fushia, yellow,etc.   I thought yellow was the “it” color last year but am still seeing it out and about.  There are so many variations of yellow but the bright sunny type yellow is my favorite (not mustard, please) Jcrew has a great selection https://www.jcrew.com. Although I have seen pairing black with yellow I recommend against it.  I just think it makes you look like a bumble bee – well I think it makes me look like a bumble bee. (actually Oprah had back and yellow on the other day on her show and it looks fabulous)  The better option is to pair it with white, kakhi or gold.
 

There’s nothing like a floral shirt or skirt to brighten up your wardrobe. https://www.bananarepublic.com – They have some great ones. Floral looks great with white accessories or straw accessories.  I am still distraught over not buying a straw/wicker handbag from the coach outlet last year as when I went back it was gone! (when it doubt buy it as you can always return it!)   I still think about that bag as I put together my outfits this spring……..
 

The last trend is the exotic prints or global. Whether it’s a shirt with a jeweled neckline, beaded bottom, geometric patterns and even paisley prints. This one is hard to pull off.  Log onto Neiman Marcus for a wide selection.  https://www.neimanmarcus.com.

So after the baby shampoo info….it got me thinking about plastic. (of course that was another chain email..I think). You may have heard about all of the yucky plastic stuff:  Bisphenol-A, PVC, Lead, Phthalates, and Nitrosamines.  I am sure all of us trendy mommies know never to cook in plastic and then my friend told me about sippy cups and  how many of them are made with yucky bad plastic.

My kids have a water bottle next to them at night and it was some cutsie, probably yucky plastic one.  My friend and I purchased together water bottles from https://www.kleankanteen.com and we love them! They even have interchangeable tops like a sippy cup top or regular sport bottle and it keeps the drinks cold too! 
There is also a cool sippy cup from the safe sippy.  https://www.thesafesippy.com
 

But what about for babies?? I used to use the disposable plastic liners and I wonder how safe those are? I remember in the hospital they gave me glass ones and there is this great site that sells some neat things as well as glass bottles. Check it out.   https://www.healthykitchenware.com

So after the baby shampoo info….it got me thinking about plastic. (of course that was another chain email..I think). You may have heard about all of the yucky plastic stuff:  Bisphenol-A, PVC, Lead, Phthalates, and Nitrosamines.  I am sure all of us trendy mommies know never to cook in plastic and then my friend told me about sippy cups and  how many of them are made with yucky bad plastic.

My kids have a water bottle next to them at night and it was some cutsie, probably yucky plastic one.  My friend and I purchased together water bottles from https://www.kleankanteen.com and we love them! They even have interchangeable tops like a sippy cup top or regular sport bottle and it keeps the drinks cold too! 
There is also a cool sippy cup from the safe sippy.  https://www.thesafesippy.com
 

But what about for babies?? I used to use the disposable plastic liners and I wonder how safe those are? I remember in the hospital they gave me glass ones and there is this great site that sells some neat things as well as glass bottles. Check it out.   https://www.healthykitchenware.com

It was so cute to see all the kids are my daughter’s preschool in green today! I love seeing everyone interpretations of the color green. One guy in Starbucks was wearing a, “dude don’t pinch me” shamrock shirt and I was wondering why? Of course I should have known…..St. Patrick’s Day commemorates the patron saint of Ireland and is a day to celebrate Irish culture.  One tradition is to pinch people who are not wearing the color green!  Makes perfect sense!   
I was on the search for something fashionably green this weekend to wear to the annual Sheehan’s Saint Patty day party but it was not easy to find the right shade of Kelley green (teal does not count!!)   so I opted for white shirt with a very old shamrock scarf.
It has been years but I remember heading to the parade in Southie and going to the Black Rose in Boston many a times…… bk (before kids)
Have a Happy Day!