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Showing posts from 2013

Dressing Rehearsal a Whole Foods Market Holiday Event

This is a sponsored post for Whole Foods Market Encinitas. On a recent shopping trip we picked up a few items to make Curried Crab on Crackers . You all know that I work full time while juggling marriage and motherhood so meal planning and recipe creation is something that stumps me every time! Thanks to Whole Foods ~ they have a website FULL of wonderful (and simple) recipe ideas for drinks, appetizers, entrees, and MORE! It's a blessing for working moms like me! That's where I found this SIMPLE appetizer. They even have an option to order your ENTIRE holiday meal!!! I'm definitely using the Whole Foods Best Holiday Ever as my Cheat Sheet for stress free holiday entertaining! This appetizer may be making an appearance at my next holiday pot luck! Bonus: It is super easy to make and you can make it a day ahead! WIN! Curried Crab on Crackers : Creamy, delicately spiced and garnished with a red grape, this is a quick and festive, last-minute appetizer, but it

Project #BareSelfie and My 42 Year Old Bare Face

Thanks to Lancôme and She Speaks I had the opportunity to try DreamTone by Lancôme. As recommended, I used the product twice a day (morning and evening) for a few weeks. I received my full sized bottle free of charge to participate in the challenge. You can purchase your own at Lancôme.com and at department stores nationwide. Lancôme DreamTone retails for $98 for a 1.3 fl oz. bottle. About Lancôme DreamTone : DreamTone is designed for dark spot correction. It is a customized skin tone correcting serum. The new DreamTone line is comprised of 3 barely-tinted serums formulated to visibly correct dark spots, color imperfections and give you a more even-looking skin tone. The serums are customized for your skin tone: 1- Fair, 2 – Medium, 3 – Dark. Post a selfie? ME? NEVER! I would have told you that you are CRAZY if you would even suggest that I post a naturally bare faced selfie! But I DID it, I posted my naked face on Instagram . I posted a picture of myself sans makeup.

Meal Plans From eMeals.com

This is post is sponsored by eMeals.com. Limited time offer:  Save 35% off Subscription  CODE: CYBER35 I was thrilled to partner with eMeals.com to find a solution for my menu planning dilemmas.  As you all may know by now - I work full time outside of the home and have been juggling career, marriage, and parenthood! Not to mention blogging when I can find a moment! As a 42 year old person with an active 3 year old little boy- this isn't easy for me! I'm no spring chicken! Super Woman I am NOT ! I do admire those that have mastered the Super Woman moves! I have been burning the candle at both ends for 3 years now and I STILL need all the help that I can get!  I haven't tried an online meal planning solution before but I will tell you that I am now on board with  eMeals and I am VERY excited about it! I'm so glad that eMeals is designed to help folks like me! Every week, a meal plan arrives in your inbox. You get seven dinner recipes that include an entrée and s

Healthy Cooking with Star Usage Pairing Olive Oils #STAROliveOil

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client. We are very excited about Holiday season! It will be here sooner than you think! This time of the year calls for even more home cooked meals!  Great food and spending time with family and friends is something that we all look forward to.  We are all trying to eat healthier so we are cooking healthier. You can replace using butter and margarine in any recipe using Star's Conversion Chart. Olive Oil has no cholesterol or carbohydrates, and is one of the oils highest in monounsaturated fat which helps lower bad LDL cholesterol while maintaining good HDL cholesterol. It is also a good source of vitamin E. HEALTH BENEFITS • 100% natural • Carbohydrate and sodium free • Cholesterol and  gluten free • No trans fat • No added preservatives, flavoring or colorings I was shopping for a few kitchen e

The School of Fashion and Style at SKILLSHARE

This post is sponsored by Skillshare Skillshare is a website that gives you access to Project-Based Classes, Anytime, Anywhere.  You can learn at your own pace and on your own schedule. The Fashion & Style classes sparked my interest. Skillshare's School of Fashion and Style  is led by industry leaders who are shaping the world of fashion today.  The class offerings are extensive! One of the classes that really caught my eye is the Introduction to Fashion Photography. The class is designed for anyone who wants to explore fashion photography as a profession or a hobby. Personally I think this would be GREAT for fashion bloggers! I feel like I missed out on the artistic gene in our family.  My brother is a artist by trade and my mother is a professional floral designer.  All hope is not lost on me though!  It's NEVER too late to learn!  I can take a class to learn Basic Watercolors to learn painting with PaperFashion.  This class is geared for anyone that want

Group Yoga Class Outdoors

Today I practiced yoga outside the confines of a studio.  I really enjoyed the air and the San Diego sunshine.  I do love being in the studio but really enjoyed taking a class outside!  It was such a nice way to start the day. I am wearing my brand new Roxy gear from the Fitness Magazine Meet and Tweet .  My  CamelBak water bottle is also a souvenir from  #FitBlogLA .  The gifts that I received are being put to good use!  I am really working on blogging more about health and fitness in my forties.  Events like this one keep me excited about the journey! I recruited my sister to join me for a free community event hosted by lululemon and the Tea Gallerie. We had a great practice while supporting a good cause by bringing non perishable foods to donate to the local food bank. You often hear that nothing in life is free.  I beg to differ.  If you look hard enough there are many things to do that won't break the bank! In case you didn't know... Every lululemon loca

Halloween Family Fun

I've never really cared much for Halloween. Becoming a parent has definitely changed the game for me. As a family we have so much fun and with each year it just gets better. Seeing our son in costume is so cute! His excitement rubs off on us. This year we decided to really get into the spirit and get into costume ourselves! We visited the pumpkin patch, decorated our home (our kid's idea), decorated pumpkins, and went trick or treating of course! Meet the Life by Cynthia family: Little Captain America, Mommy the Witch, and Daddy Wolverine! Our pumpkin patch adventure this year took place at Oma's Pumpkin Patch in Lakeside, CA. The Pumpkin Patch is on the Van Ommering Dairy.  Guests can enjoy many family oriented activities including a hay ride and a dairy farm tour.  On the day of our visit a calf was born earlier that morning.  We got to see the little one. Watch our family video to take a peek at her too. It was a little crowded and a little hot but

Wordless Wednesday #FitBlogLA #FindYourStrong

Fitness Magazine's Blogger Meet and Tweet attendees were treated to a BUNCH of nice gifts from event sponsors. I wanted to share one of my favorites: The soon to be released Saucony Guide 7 . Stay tuned for future blog posts as I plan to showcase ALL of my favorites from #FitBlogLA. Happy Halloween! Wordless Wednesday?! SPEECHLESS is more like it! Thank you Saucony for giving the #FitBlogLA attendees a "sneak peek" at the Guide 7 which is debuting on November 1. If you were at the event and have already taken a test run please let me know how it went! I have been having some hip and low back pain that has kept me sidelined. Disclosure :  I received the Guide 7 during the Fitness Blogger Meet and Tweet event at no cost.  I am not under obligation to post about the event or the product sponsors but just try and stop me!

Fitness Magazine Blogger Meet and Tweet #FitBlogLA

I am still in awe of the amazing event that Fitness Magazine held on the West Coast.  I had been envying the NYC events and was thrilled with the announcement of #FitBlogLA . The Fitness Blogger Meet and Tweet was held at the the  Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica, CA.  The venue was PERFECT for the event.  I attended #FitBlogLA with the expectation of being inspired.  I definitely got what I expected and THEN SOME!  I made a new friends, learned a lot of valuable health tips, and had the opportunity to meet reps of my favorite brands who sponsored the event.  If you haven't heard by now, the sponsors were VERY generous with attendees.  We have the opportunity to test out the latest and greatest in health, fitness, fashion, and beauty products. I will share more about that in an upcoming post. There will probably be several upcoming posts about my #FitBlogLA experience! I am amazed at how quickly some of the attendees were able to post their  recap posts ! Now th

Trading Girls Night OUT for Girls Night IN

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This post is sponsored by Collective Bias and NickMom. #Motherfunny #shop #cbias Three years into parenthood I have collected enough funny parenting moments to keep me sane.  I honestly don't know how moms survive without having a sense of humor. Laughter is the best medicine, so they say. A few mom cocktails can also help! I don't often indulge but every once in a while is fun!  Seriously ladies, please find the time to connect with your gal pals! The kiddos enjoy Nickelodeon during the day, but once they hit the sack check out NickMom ! Once upon a time a party with my girls involved getting dolled up and heading to our favorite dance club: GNO, woo-hoo! These days - all the partying that I can handle is plopping on the couch and chatting with my girls! Translation: GNI = Girls Night IN!  Well... 'night'  now must be in the daytime! Girls Day IN just doesn't sound as catchy! Of course we n

Lemon Pepper Tilapia Quick Dinner Recipe

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This post is sponsored by Collective Bias and Land O’Lakes Sauté Express® Sauté Starter as a part of a social shopper insights study. #SauteExpress #shop #cbias Do you have quick dinner solutions?  I'd love to know your dinner ideas for quick and easy recipes. My life as a working mom is rewarding but it can take on toll on me time wise. I LOVE my family, I am good at my job, and I am trying to make it all work. Sure I'd love to have more time to myself to workout, get a massage, and maybe finally get my hair done. I'd settle for getting the laundry put away, stocking the pantry, and cleaning out the junk drawer. I juggle pretty well but being mommy to a 3 year old, a full time employee, and a cheerful wife while being in my forties isn't always easy for me! I know that some women may be able to do it all without batting an eye.  THAT isn't me.  Not yet. Maybe not ever.  I am not going to beat

Fitness Blogger Meet and Tweet

Fitness Magazine is holding a gathering in Los Angeles. #FitBlogLA is a one day event that will cover a variety of topics: Health , Beauty, Wellness, and Diet and Nutrition. I am excited to have been invited to attend! I look forward to the opportunity to meet bloggers, preview new products, and even get a workout in! I've been following some of my favorite fitness bloggers and their recap posts from the NYC Meet & Tweet are amazing!  I am so glad that a similar event is being held here on the West Coast!  I know that I'll be so inspired after attending! The venue looks perfect for the event! I can hardly wait to check out the panelists, see some fun fashion in workout wear, sample some healthy food, and meet the sponsors! I'm READY to meet & tweet! Thank you Fitness Magazine for coming to L.A. I will definitely be sharing more! In the meantime, I'd love to know about your favorite fitness regimen, product, or tip that keeps YOU fit! My biggest

Unlimited Talk, Text, and Data with Plans from Walmart Family Mobile

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This post is sponsored by Collective Bias and Walmart Family Mobile as a part of a social shopper insights study. #FamilyMobileSaves #cbias My motivation to try an affordable cell phone service plan was to finally join the rest of the world and benefit from the use of a smartphone.  I admit that we were hesitant on joining the masses.  We simply didn't feel that we needed it. Cost was also a major factor.  We have friends and family members paying anywhere from $120 to $300 per month for service. When presented with the option of a cheap wireless plan through Walmart Family Mobile I couldn't sign up fast enough!  I am glad that I did and will be continuing service. The benefits of having a smartphone with reliable service at  the lowest price rate plan made it a no-brainer. In the time that I had been testing our my phone and service through Walmart Family Mobile my life had an unusual amount of ups and d