Monthly Archives: July 2013

RockStarMom Recommends :: Summer Trends

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

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Summer introduced me to some great finds. Lucky for me, they all transition great for fall keeping me in my “Summer Happy Place”. I do, really do love summer. It’s one of my favorite seasons, and not just because my birthday is in June. So, let me do the honor of passing on the introduction of these summer trends to my fabulous friends for fall.

1. La Foret Pinot Noir nothing says summer to me than finding a great French wine that is affordable. I’m not usually a big fan of Pinot Noir, I prefer something more bold like a Zinfandel or Cabernet, but this one got my attention. Maison Joseph Drouhin, a family owned winery founded in France in 1880, developed the La Foret line of wines to appeal to a younger demographic. These wines have a fruitier and fresher flavor, offering an uncomplicated, yet refined option in the wine section. For around $20, the La Foret Pinot Noir was the perfect sipping wine while watching the sunset and the kiddos play in the backyard.

2. DollarShaveClub.com I love love love the idea of this monthly mail order club for men. Roughly $8 a month provides you with a razor, 4 blades, a shave cream and wipes. Initially I thought it was the perfect Father’s Day gift, until I tried out the Dr. Carver’s Shave Butter and took it over as my own. My husband also liked the concept, however, his complaints were that the razors were too fancy for the thickness of the shave cream. I totally got that, so instead of using his DollarShaveClub.com razor, I used my own with the shave butter. It. Is. Awesome. On a side note, he totally dug the One Wipe Charles.

3. SIGG Water Bottle for Kids :: Hello Kitty collection My daughter was sent this SIGG water bottle from their Hello Kitty collection to review. She has used it every day since we received it in the mail. I’ve always been a fan of SIGG. I love the durability, the ergonomics and the chemical free lining on the inside. All of those things make me feel better as I send my little one off to school. She loves it for its style and function. An avid Hello Kitty fan, she loves that she can also personalize her bottle every day to reflect her mood. It also fits nicely in her lunchbox and backpack. $20/mysigg.com

4. Hydrating Sea Water Pearl Facial and J.W. Marriott Las Vegas Spa Aquae The perfect facial to rehydrate my skin following a summer full of sand, salt water and sun. Don’t those little Sea Water Pearls look so refreshing? And a seaweed wrapped linen facial massage? I’m so there. I love the new treatments on the Spa Aquae menu just added over the summer. The Spa Director carefully hand picked treatments unique that offer a sophisticated clientelle the chance to feel like they are being pampered on a tropical island or just steps from a white sand beach. Plus, Spa Aquae at the J.W. Marriott is one of my favorite Off the Strip Spas, and RockStarMom Recommended. $135 for 50 min./spa.jwlasvegasresort.com

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5. UP by Jawbone This bad boy looks cool on my wrist while keeping track of all the things I’ve been longing for one little gadget to do: record my steps, my sleeping patterns, log my workouts can calories burned, along with my caloric intake. I can create Menus with My Favorites to easily select and add to my daily diet routine, and it even scans the UPC code to input all the calories, fat, sodium, etc. It hooks up with my other friends who have an UP band, and communicates with my other fitness apps like RunPal and Fitness Pal. Uh, this thing is amazing, and will hold you accountable for everything you do all day long. Go get one! $130/jawbone.com

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6. Pedego Comfort Cruiser Electric Bike Before you scoff at the electric thing, read this first. The 36-volt 10-amp lithium long-life battery attached to the bike is a great assist. In the neighborhood I live in, it’s quite hilly. Top that off with hauling two 50 lb. boys in a trailer behind me, and my legs are thanking me for the help. Even with my battery pumped to the highest amount of speed, I still have to pedal pretty hard to get up those hills. The other great thing about an electric bike on the open road? The option of speed helps when competing with vehicles. Not that I’m trying to race them on my Pedego, but because I can move quicker than the average biker, I can determine my timing better. Still, a helmet and safety is always recommended. We love cruising around our neighborhood, and everyone loves chatting us up about the cute orange bike with the basket and the twins. Not only has owning this bike forced me to be outside more, but it’s also forced me to be more aware as a driver. Now that I ride a bike, along with my kids, I’m more concerned about bike lanes and safety signals than ever before. Driving tests should include having the driver ride a bike around town for at least a week before getting their license. prices vary/pedegoelectricbikes.com

7. Atlas Collection by Tiffany & Co. I was invited to preview the Atlas collection this summer prior to its September launch. Timeless, classic, and new additions with a modern flair, the Atlas collection by Tiffany & Co. is a confident piece to add to your Fall accessories. I was re-inspired to go through my personal collection and match my Tiffany’s pieces with my every day jewelry for an elegant, and bold statement. I love how the new pieces from the Atlas collection add a little bit a sparkle, offered in yellow, white or rose gold, sterling silver and diamonds. prices vary/tiffany.com

8. H2O+ Black Sand Scrub Personally, I’m addicted to body scrub. I want it in my shower all the time. In the form of a loofah, a sugar rub or good old fashioned salt scrub…I’ll take and try any as long as it’s good to my skin. It gets a bit tricky though, when traveling, and I’m always looking for the next best thing. At the Disney Social Media Mom’s event in May 2013, H2O+ gifted all the invited bloggers a lovely gift basket full of their Spa goodies. Included was the H2O+ Black Sand Scrub. The perfect size to keep in my travel bag. Plastic so it won’t shatter. And, all-in-one, so I didn’t have to drag a sloppy wet sponge with me from one place to the next. I love the feel of the gritty black sand blended with Irish Moss, sea salt, aloe vera and provitamin B to deeply hydrate, soothe and revitalize. It smells nice, too. The H2O+ Black Sand Scrub is a Redbook MVP (Most Valuable Pick). $20/h2oplus.com

9. La Foret Chardonnay Just like the Pinot Noir, Chardonnay is just not my first pick for a white wine. Again, this La Foret Chardonnay from Maison Joseph Douhin, won me over this summer. A cool, refreshing change from my normal reds, the flavor was crisp, not heavy, and didn’t linger with a syrupy aftertaste- which is why I don’t normally go with a Chardonnay. Maybe it’s a French thing, but both my husband and I loved sharing this bottle on our vacation to Coronado Island over the summer. Finding new French wines makes me giddy! $20/drouhin.com

10. Rocker Chic Fall Fashions It’s about time all the rocker chick clothes I’ve held on to since college has made its comeback. A girlfriend of mine commented, “It looks like it’s your year!”, when I enthusiastically shared the latest fall trends from the Neiman Marcus fall fashion luncheon in August. Black leather boots with studs, pointed high heels with studs, leather, lace, chunky jewelry and LOTS OF RED!! I watch the thermometer here every day for miniscule dips in the weather to start sporting my gear. Though, not to worry, I have updated my pieces since 1997. Promise.

Vera Bradley Summer Chic :: GiveAway

02 Tuesday Jul 2013

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Summer is full force. Temps in Las Vegas are busting the mercury in the thermometer. Wonder what The World’s Tallest Thermometer in Baker, California is going to read tomorrow as we cruise by on our way to the beach! I, personally, cannot wait to get out of here where temps are over 115 degrees and into the easy breezy California living for awhile. I have a few fun tricks up my sleeve planned for the family, and I can tell you this, I’m going to be stylin’ while I do it. With my Vera Bradley Summer beach accessories to add to my wardrobe. I love this sarong, beach towel and tote they sent me! And, wouldn’t you know, they want me to send you one, too!

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That’s right! One lucky RockStarMom reader will get to sport a sassy style this summer with items from the Vera Bradley summer collection. Enter the give away below to win a Vera Bradley sarong, beach towel and mesh tote (retail value is over $150). I love all three pieces, but the towel is my favorite. It is so plush and yummy, I can’t wait to show it off at the beach! If you can’t wait until the give away ends, check out the 50% off sale happening now at VeraBradley.com. Items seen here, as well as the flip flops and Cooler tote are currently marked down.

Mesh Tote $19.50, Beach Towel $17.50, Flip Flops $16, Sarong $29, Cooler Tote $30. Independence Day is two weeks from today – Marina Paisley and Sun Valley are perfectly patriotic with touches of red, white and blue!

FTC DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT RockStarMom Las Vegas aims to provide unbiased editorials. However, I wish to disclose that from time to time I may receive free products or other compensation from companies for blogger reviews.

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Delivery Man :: Trailer Debut

02 Tuesday Jul 2013

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Sometimes I wonder how people with more than 4 kids do it. I mean, I know I’m a RockStar and all with my little entourage, but seriously, am I the only person you know with this many kids? I can’t be. In both my son and daughter’s classes at school, they have at least one classmate who comes from a family of 8. EIGHT. That’s 2 parents and 6 kids. That. Freaks. Me. Out. My own immediate family of 5 was pretty medium sized, maybe large by some’s standards. When my extended family gets together, there is an automatic invite list of 25. That includes great-grandma, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. That does not include my husband’s family, who is a nice  round number of 12. I come from a large Irish-Italian family, so it really was no big thang when we announced we would be having a total of 4 children. My in-laws, on the other hand, were a bit anxious to know there would be at least 4 grand-kids from just their oldest son alone. They now have a total of 5 grand-kids, and I think that’s a good number for them. Just the right amount for them to handle. My house is full of all kinds of crazy, and I feel like I should walk around with a disclosure on my shirt stating, “We are happy to be included in your event or be invited to your home. Please know we are loud and bring chaos with us wherever we go. Things may break and people will get annoyed. That’s why we travel with wine and cigars.” 

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Regardless, there are days like today when I proudly escorted my little entourage through the hotel lobby and allowed passer-bys and looky-loos to compliment us with their stares and comments. I love my little family, and if ever given the chance, I would go back and do it all again. I couldn’t imagine life without any of them. I love the noise and the chaos and ridiculousness of it all. There have been plenty of moments when my husband, God bless him,  and I just look at each other and roll our eyes and laugh. What else can we do, but put aside the complete disaster that our house is, recognize we may never sit down together at the same time for a family meal until the twins are 7, and just be OK with flying by the seat of our pants. As much as I try to implement plans and schedules and maintain some sense of organization, I have to allow for disregard to all of the above. Sometimes things just don’t go as planned. And, when that happens, it’s how you determine to handle those moments that define your life.

When Disney invited me to take part of the nation wide trailer debut for the new movie, Delivery Man, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to acknowledge that sometimes the idea of family doesn’t always turn out as expected. This heart warming and light hearted comedy about a man, Vince Vaughn, who discovers he has accidentally fathered 533 children due to a glitch in a sperm donation facility, made me think about the lengths we would go to for our children. How and when, as adults, we learn to take responsibility for our actions, understand that every action has an effect, and know how we are committed to achieving an outcome. Whatever that outcome may be. Several times this past week my kids have assumed I wouldn’t want to do something because it would take me out of my way, or take up too much time, and without thinking responded, “Of course we will make it happen. If this is something that is important to you, we will figure out a way to make it work.” It was then that I realized my development as a parent. Having four children and a spouse certainly pulls me in many different directions on any given day and at any given time. I couldn’t imagine what Vince Vaughn will go through taking on this responsibility as a parent to 533 children! I guess we will just have to tune in to see!