Book Review: Here I Go Again

Wow. Here I Go Again was not what I expected. It's clear Jen Lancaster has enough wit and hilarity to keep her audience laughing... and laughing I did. I expected the book to be more mature considering the age of the main character in her late 30's, but I was mildly surprised by her character flaws that reminded me of an adult version of Mean Girls.

I nearly got sweaty palms reading about her high school experiences and those whose lives were ruined by her snarky comments. I felt a little like some of those characters and it brought me back to middle school when I left school crying because girls. are. mean. In some ways, Jen Lancaster knew this and I was vindicated by the transformation in the lead character as the story progressed. She brings amusement with her incredible pop-culture wit that even had me brushing up on my latest (and past) pop stars and shorthand for phrases tweens use everyday. KWIM?

Definitely a light read and funny at that. While not my typical chosen genre, it did give me something to laugh about after my not-so-fun Shred workout for the last couple weeks each night before bed. I'm not sure it challenged the brain cells much, but it definitely left me chuckling and desperately wanting to know how it all pans out for the snarky teenager, I mean, full grown woman. Good poolside read for sure.

I received a free book and was compensated for this BlogHer Club book review, but all opinions expressed are my own. If you'd like to check out discussions on BlogHer about the book, go here. I'll be discussing there. 

Chi-Town Coca-Cola Blogger Event

I'm not paid to write this. I just want to because I have so many photos from our adventures. My what I learned post will be tomorrow, but currently, I'll just overshare a bunch of photos because I am convinced everyone wants to see them.

And if you don't want to see pictures of me, at least you'll be able to stare at photos of Harley Pasternak and swoon. You're welcome. I may not be Jessica Simpson or Megan Fox, but I did work out with him and it was awesome.

We had a jam packed schedule, as you can see below. I tried to put everything in the order in which we did things-- presentations by dietitians, socializing, one-on-one with dieticians & personal trainers, vision board creations, workout with Harley Pasternak, dinner, Jewel-Osco visit & cooking at The Chopping Block. More info to come tomorrow... but until then...

I'll throw in a few facts along the way... starting with:

Fact 1: This was my first blogger conference of any kind.
Fact 2: I probably drank 20 bottles of Smart Water during the 1.5 days.

Fact 3: I'm not a fan of microphones. Also, why does it look like I have a lazy eye in the below photo?

Fact 4: My mom was the one who initially got me drinking Diet Coke.

Fact 5: I didn't have fish (see sandwich below) until I was well into adulthood. Real fish, not fishsticks, people.

Fact 6: Garrett's Popcorn is legit. When in Chicago, you must eat Garrett's.

Fact 7: This was our first time staying in a hotel in downtown Chicago. The husband & B-man came along for the hotel room & downtown exploring. Also, breastfeeding is challenging if I'm not near B... so they had to come.

Fact 8: This hotel had the best bathroom ever. Large enough to fit 3 Pack 'n' Plays! 

Fact 9: Hotels with large bathrooms or separate rooms are crucial for B to have a separate area to sleep & nap. Otherwise you resort to ultra dark rooms with no ability to watch TV, use the phone, or speak. Sometimes naps can go 2+ hours! That's a long time to sit still in silence.

Fact 10: Harley Pasternak might be attractive. He's also the best-selling author of the 5-Factor Diet.
Fact 11: My husband is also very attractive. #husbandreadstheblog

Fact 12: Boka in Lincoln Park is delicious.
Fact 13: Mom-bloggers can be pretty fun to hang out with.
Fact 14: I had no idea all these bloggers would have business cards. I did not have business cards.
Fact 15: I love prosecco.

Fact 16: That peanut butter ice cream with flourless chocolate cake was crazy-good.
Fact 17: Peanut butter ice cream? Always delicious.

Fact 17: This was the nicest Jewel-Osco I'd ever been to. For those in California, that's Albertson's.
Fact 18: I love grocery shopping. Way more than shopping for clothes.

photo credit bottom left: Kari @ A Grace-Full Life

Fact 19: This was my first cooking school lesson.

Fact 20: While loads of fun, I already knew how to prepare all of what we made... stuffed chicken, haricot vert, fingerling potatoes, cheesecake bites, hummus. But, it was still loads of fun because I love to cook!

Fact 21: That cheese tray? Off the hook.

Fact 22: I hate side-profile shots. But who doesn't?
Fact 23: My friend Solange calls food that should taste amazing but doesn't, bad cheesecake. Like, dessert that isn't worth the calories because it just doesn't taste good enough? Bad cheesecake. We use her terminology now. :)

Fact 24: I was happily the first in line to get food. I learned long ago that as a vegetarian, you eat about half of what others do... so you have to get on the ball quick and load that plate up before it's gone.
Fact 25: We didn't run out of food. In fact, there was far too much of it all. Even with me going back for seconds.

Fact 26: I loved just about every minute of this amazing conference. I might go to the BlogHer blogging conference this year. Any other Chicagoans interested in meeting up there? I'll probably get the expo-only pass, as I would miss B and the husband way too much if I stayed nights as well.

Photo credit for almost all photos above: Coca-Cola & Bruce Powell Photography

Amazing, right? I still can't believe I was invited. It was an absolute blast. Thanks, Coca-Cola!

Book Review: Daring Greatly

A book that's not about history or fiction that allows me to escape my life? One that actually requires I work from within to understand others and myself and not be the hermit crab I refer to myself as? I need a book like this in my life. While I believe it was incredibly well written, I had a difficult time reading as I was convicted on so many levels of not Daring Greatly enough in my life.

Brene Brown is a highly regarded and well-read author and researcher. I was driven to read this because in my nearly 2-year stand after losing Andrew, I wanted to check my life against others in terms of being vulnerable, feeling worthy, and living wholeheartedly. That's essentially what this book's all about. It's about how we all could us a little maintenance in the way we live.

I learned something from every chapter, but the parenting chapter really hit home. I especially appreciated the discussion about wholehearted parenting and how she addresses the shaming nature of parenting debates on divisive issues like co-sleeping, feeding, birthing, vaccinations, etc. She addressed that parents can be the worst at shaming one another using inadvertent name-calling, put-downs, and bullying. She highlights that parents can't claim to care about the welfare of children if you're shaming other parents for the choices they're making. If we feel good about our own choices, we feel no need to judge and attack. She writes, "I think the key is remembering that when other parents make different choices than we're making, it's not necessarily criticism. Daring greatly means finding our own path and respecting what that search looks like for other folks." Kelle Hampton also talked a bit about this in one of her recent rockstar blog posts. I concur.

Brene nixes perfectionism and the ideal that we should be what society demands that is essentially unattainable. There are plenty of moments in this book that I flagged because they were just so relevant to being a loss mom. All in all, I was telling my husband that while I enjoyed this book, it's hard to read. I was staring at my imperfections on each and every page, but in a positive way that was not offensive. Maybe that's why I don't go to therapy. I can't handle the truth. It's a transformative book that was worth the read. I'll leave you with a short excerpt from the book (there are lots and I loved them!) that relates quite well to loss and living that really hit home with me.

A man in his sixties told me, "I used to think the best way to go through life was to expect the worst. That way, if it happened, you were prepared, and if it didn't happen, you were pleasantly surprised. Then I was in a car accident and my wife was killed. Needless to say, expecting the worst didn't prepare me at all. And worse, I still grieve for all of those wonderful moments we shared and that I didn't fully enjoy. My commitment to her is to fully enjoy every moment now. I just wish she was here, now that I know how to do that."

Powerful, huh?

I received a free book and was compensated for this BlogHer Club book review, but all opinions expressed are my own. If you'd like to check out discussions on BlogHer about the book, go here. I'll be discussing there. 

Book Review: The Chaperone

Set in the 1920's, The Chaperone is a book of dazzling glamour and history. Two women set out for an adventure that will change their lives. Louise is chaperoned to NYC from Wichita by a woman she doesn't know, Cora. For personal reasons, Cora is seeking answers to her lifelong question of where she came from, as orphan life is all she remembers as a small child. 15-year old Louise is on a much different path in search of finding herself and branching out in a desperate attempt to find fame in NYC. Unpredictable to say the least, this book will have you guessing at every turn.

History presents itself at every turn. The glamour of the fashion and rich theatre culture sucks you in to the beauty of the times while being so thankful for such conveniences as air travel, air conditioning, electric freezers and the allowance to wear shorts and ditch the corset for a relaxed-fit tank top or comfy sweatshirt. If you love historical fiction, a little teenage drama, and romanticizing about what America was like nearly a century ago, this book pulls out all the stops and dishes it on fine china.

I received a free book and was compensated for this BlogHer Club book review, but all opinions expressed are my own. If you'd like to check out discussions on BlogHer about the book, go here. I'll be discussing there. 

Book Review: The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns

Gal Garner isn't your typical 36-year-old woman. She's a bit of a loner, brutally honest, obsessed with rose breeding, a ruthless biology teacher, a dialysis patient, and living the single life... until her niece enters her world and rocks the boat of mundanity.

If you ask me, she needed it. I was captured by the delicate facts displayed of rose breeding and the daily life of a dialysis patient, but I found myself desperately wanting to jump into the book at the end of every chapter and explain to Gal that she's missing the point. Life is delicate, much like those roses she breeds, and instead she should be drawing her focus elsewhere.

In every book I read, I find myself questioning where I would place myself in these relationships. Would I befriend a woman who has an interest in something I've never given much thought about? Would her sarcasm be too much to handle? I found some parts of the book predictable, but then I was left to question as a twist was thrown into the mix. But in the end, the predictability from the beginning came back to fruition.

Every so often the chapters were divided by a short excerpt from a professional rose handler's book. It was quite intriguing as I learned snippets of rose breeding expert advice while it craftily tied into the book's underlying saga. Talk of aphids and destruction in roses easily foreshadowed or followed the turmoil and destruction involving the characters and their relationships. Cleverly done.

I received a free book and was compensated for this BlogHer Club book review, but all opinions expressed are my own. If you'd like to check out discussions on BlogHer about the book, go here. I'll be discussing there. 

We Time to Me Time

On any given day, I have the little mister attached to me, often literally, for hours and hours. While I wouldn't want anything more than to be his mama and care for and nurture him, I need some me time. Here's how the story goes:

7:30 a.m. B cries & is ready to be fed. Pull him into bed with me. Feed. At the same time, Ray leaves for work.

8:00 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Duties of a mom ensue. I hold my little babe, feed him and get peed on and slobbered on repeatedly. Sometimes I even manage to eat lunch one-handed. It's a wild job, this mom business. Nothing I take for granted... but when Ray gets home... I'm t-i-r-e-d.

6:30 p.m. usually means I get some sort of break from holding B and move into the kitchen for dinner creation if that hadn't already been in the works while holding a certain baby boy in one arm and navigating through the kitchen with the other.

8:30 p.m. is me time. I hop in the shower and get to enjoy time all to myself. It's lovely. And in this time, I like to really enjoy myself. Being a stay-at-home-mom definitely has its perks, but it's not the job that really gives you a feeling of beauty like I felt when getting up, applying makeup and setting out in my nice clothes to teach my eager fourth graders. I know it's all a choice, but most days I'm relaxed and live in whatever is comfortable for breastfeeding and going for walks with B. But this time of night... this is my time to relax and  really feel beautiful in my own skin.

Lucky for me, BlogHer has given me the opportunity to try out a new product that I actually love. And it does just that-- it makes me feel lovely. We've always been a huge fan of Dove products in our home, and this one is no exception. It could account for the higher water bill we've been experiencing however.

Dove Visible Care Body Wash is new to me and I can tell you that my 8:30 me time has been one joyous occasion. It's feminine and silky and makes my skin feel oh-so-lovely and soft. It reminds me a little of my favorite spa in Hermosa Beach where I used to visit back in California. Every time I'd go, I'd use a plumeria-scented body scrub and just revel in all it's delicious glory until well into the next day. This body wash has a similar amazing scent that I absolutely adore. It's island-like. This is Dove's premium line.

Body wash + loofah = heaven

Dove's Visible Care Body Wash is made with their NutriumMoisture technology... simply translating to mean that you can skip out on having to moisturize post-shower, which is a big plus for me. I usually apply lotion or body oil, especially in the summer, but I've found that I didn't need to after using this product... and I can say that after about a week of its use, my skin feels considerably softer.

This new line has 3 options to choose from in case you're hitting up the grocery store and need to make yourself all beautiful and spit-up free, too:
- Dove VisibleCare Toning Creme Body Wash
- Renewing Body Wash
- Softening Body Wash (that'd be the one I have)

Visit Dove^® VisibleCare^® to get a coupon for $1 off! 

I got to try out a new body wash and encourage y'all to enter to win a spa day. I think that sounds amazing, personally. Follow the link below to enter the sweepstakes for a chance at one of two $500 spa gift cards! Which of the new Dove body washes would you like to try?

Enter to win one of two $500 Spafinder gift certificates!

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COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Follow this link, and provide your email address and your response to the Promotion prompt
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This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 7/18/2012 - 8/22/2012
Be sure to visit the Dove^® VisibleCare™ Crème Body Wash brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

A Review: The Rules of Inheritance

I was lucky enough to snag two book reviews for BlogHer this month! You all know I have definitely needed the distractions and the two I chose to read were definitely up my alley. This particular book is a memoir. I just love memoirs. There is something absolutely captivating about reading through someone's life and the journey they experienced to get where they are as the writer of their own life story. When I was fresh into my grief journey after losing Andrew, I read both Elizabeth Edward's memoir, Resilience, and Elizabeth McCracken's memoir about losing her baby and picking up the pieces again to find joy in her life.

Memoirs are rich. They provide so much insight and allow you to carry on the shoulder of the person as they re-evaluate and contemplate their heavy life decisions while inviting you in to celebrate in their victories. Like any good story, there is almost always tragedy and struggle-- and this particular memoir written by Claire Bidwell Smith is no different. Girlfriend experiences tons of grief. She loses her mom and dad to cancer and is left to deal with the grief as a single individual with very little family left to support her. I was immediately drawn to this memoir based on the description about her funneling back and forth in the land of grief while still living. The stages of grief are present and mentioned as her story moves in and out of the five stages.

The story of Claire's life is written in pieces throughout the memoir as she travels back and forth between specific points in her life and back to the land of knee-deep. Grief can sometimes make a person irrational, as I know firsthand. It can make you do things or say things that aren't always with best intentions or thought. She battled through her fair share of relationship struggles and alcohol abuse. She was honest about these accounts, as damaging as they were. I found so much of her story relate-able as I've obviously been rocked to my very core in losing my son. So many of her thoughts have been at one point or another, my thoughts too.

It will be months and months, possibly even years, before this isn't the first thing I think about when I wake up. (In speaking of her mother's death.) Boy can I relate to that.

She disappeared the night my mother died and I was never going to see her again (talking about herself). Losing someone you love can change you. It forms you into a new person.

I've learned quickly, though, that this is a conversation stopper (speaking of death). Unless the person I'm talking to has been through something equally terrible or sad, they don't know what to say.


There's something incredibly lonely about grieving. It's like living in a country where no one speaks the same language as you. When you come across someone who does, you feel as though you could talk for hours. Hello my BLM blogger friends!

...the single most powerful healing mechanism I've found is simple presence. The opportunity for a person to feel seen and heard in the middle of one of the loneliest experiences in their life can have a profound effect. Something I wish more strangers understood. I don't want answers or explanations that justify my son's death.

Claire's memoir was quite powerful and incredibly heartbreaking. In many ways, every love story is. You may shed a few tears, but I do recommend Claire's memoir. In her words: When I talk to grieving people, it's like looking at a negative image-- the deeper the grief, the more evidence of love I see.

It's not that loss goes away. It's just that you learn to live with it. I'm still working on that one, Claire.

I was compensated for this BlogHer Club book review, but all opinions expressed are my own. If you'd like to check out discussions on BlogHer about the book, go here. I'll be discussing there.

A Review: The Weird Sisters

Upon reading the initial synopsis of this book, I carried forward cautiously in my interest to read it because of the connection to Shakespeare. The characters often speak in form as the three "weird" sisters were raised by a Shakespearean professor. While well versed and often used as one-liners in the novel, it was not overused as I assumed it would be. That was definitely a big positive. The main plot is that three women find themselves in the midst of their own crises as they all find their way back home in Barnwell, a small town in Ohio. Each one is battling their own beast while "tending" to the needs of their mother, who is undergoing cancer treatment. While never very connected as sisters, they manage to find their ways into one anothers' lives again and rekindle their sisterhood and friendship.

At about the halfway mark, I questioned how invested I was in each of these characters- Bean, Cordy, Rose, the professor father, the ill-stricken mother, and auxiliary characters that help unfold the story. Ultimately, I was swaying on the end of wanting to know more and wanting to continue, though I wouldn't say I was wholeheartedly invested in any of their lives. It's hard to invest yourself in characters that seem to have more flaws than good in them. Each of the three women has a deep-rooted issue that seems to find its way into the family circle throughout the book.

My friend Jen sent me a text message as I was 2/3 through the book and said, "It gets better. It ends well." She was absolutely right. While I can't say I'd want to befriend any of the characters in real life, I was pleased that they saw the err of their ways and came together in the end for good. Each one underwent a transformation of the heart and really started to live.

Would I recommend it? Sure. It's a quick read with an unpredictable plot. Did I enjoy the parts of deception and adultery? Meh. But in the end, life is somewhat resolved and the three "weird" sisters live harmoniously.

I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review but all opinions expressed are my own. If you'd like to read more about this book through the BlogHer network, check this out. The real question is... Can you ever get along with your sister?