If you ask anyone close to me, they’ll tell you that my number one must-have accessory is a pair of nice shoes.  When I was younger, I was more concerned with style than comfort.  I’d walk in 2 or 3 inch heels all day only to come home and soak them because I preferred fashion over function.  As a nurse and a mom, I’m on my feet all day.  Comfort is a necessity these days.  But I also don’t want to look frumpy.  I want it all!

I recently attended BlogHer in Chicago and sported some super comfy shoes, provided by Kuru Footwear.  When I initially saw their women’s footwear line, I wasn’t certain that they’d be right for a conference.  When you look at their product selection on the site, the entire line appears to be very casual.  However, they looked so comfy that I had to try them out.  So I chose the Draft Soft Shell shoes in jet black/pink.  Now I know they look cute on the site but they are even more adorable in person.  I received so many compliments at the conference.  I wore them during the day to the sessions and reserved my sandals for the evenings.  They’re definitely stylish enough to wear with business casual attire but I didn’t want to wear them with my dresses.

I can’t reiterate how important comfort is when purchasing shoes.  Many people wear the wrong shoes for years and end up with foot problems that require medical attention or even surgery.  If you’ve ever been to BlogHer (or any big conference for that matter), then you know that there is a lot of walking.  I could never walk around in any heel all day (especially being pregnant), and flip flops or sandals are horrible for your feet.  Here is a little description about the shoe from the site:

The Draft is a supreme comfort shoe that fits like a slipper and features water shedding soft shell uppers. The perfect shoe for aprés-sport, running to the coffee shop, a quick errand, or simply lounging around the campfire.

I walked around in these all 3 days at the conference and never once experience any discomfort.  It’s a little strange getting used to the fact that there is no backing to the shoe, but it’s not discomfort.  By the end of the weekend I didn’t even notice it.  Kuru’s tagline is the “World’s Most Anatomical Active Footwear.”  If you want to know all about how and why they were designed that way, check out their video.  The shoe provides excellent support and while all I was doing was walking in them, I imagine they could be used for other activities as well.

The shoes retail for approximately $90 and can be purchased directly from the site.  Right now you’ll save 15% off when you use the code “RockinMamma15.”

If you read my blog, then you know I can’t don’t know how prefer to let the hubby cook.  Well, with his frequent business travels, I often resort to ordering out (since it’s so much more convenient).  As our second little baby brews, I’m starting to think about how we can cut costs.  The most obvious way is to minimize the amount of times we eat out each week is for me to cook (novel idea isn’t it?).  Well, thanks to Mom Central and Frigidaire, I’ve had no excuse not to cook.  That is because I have been using two of their  appliances from the brand new Gallery Line…the Frigidaire Gallery 30″ Freestanding Gas Range and Over-the-Range Microwave, both in stainless steel.

I want to start by stating that I was chosen by Mom Central and the PR company representing Frigidaire to test out these 2 appliances, and they were provided to me at no cost.  My goal is to give you a thorough review of each appliance…what’s good, and what needs work…in order to help you make the right decision for your family.

My husband and I love the aesthetics of stainless steel.  The only downside is that it’s difficult to clean.  And that goes for these appliances as well.  I don’t think the brand would matter…stainless steel requires extra care that black or white appliances don’t require.  The other thing about stainless steel is that they require special cleaning agents (but this is true of all types of stainless steel appliances).  The appliances overall look sleek and professional.  They’re the type of appliances I’d see in a model home (meaning they look that nice).  One thing to consider with regards to the microwave.  It’s big!  It’s actually bigger than our old one.  So be sure to measure the space above your oven when considering an Over-the-Range microwave.  The great thing about putting the microwave over the oven is that it saves a ton of counter space (which we are seriously lacking).

The cooktop has this center burner with an option for a griddle and I’ve never seen this option before. I’m still trying to figure out what to do with it (thankfully, I will have more time and posts to figure it out!) The other chic and sleek aspect about the cooktop is that the grates are cast iron (can you say…WOW?).  The small downside is that I’m still trying to figure out how to clean them without getting fuzzies from our paper towels (oops…green fail) all over them!  Again…I must read the manual!

Each of the burners are sized differently according to how much heat they emit.  In other words, some are better for simmering and some are better for boiling (and quickly at that).  I tried one of the quick boil burners to boil water for pasta the other day.  I had aspirations of timing how long it would take and then my toddler distracted me.  All I know is that I went to check the water at some point, thinking it had maybe been enough time and it was boiling.  My husband has mastered the art of cooking multiple dishes at one time and loves the different burners for this purpose. I, on the other hand, am just trying to master the art of cooking an edible meal.

As soon as the installation team had our shiny new appliances in place, my thoughts went to safety.  We bought oven locks for our old oven (which weren’t as childproof as they claimed to be).  Just as I was about to go to out and purchase some new ones, my husband (the investigator that he is) had already found that the oven has a LOCK built into it.  Seriously?  That is the one feature I’m most impressed with at this point.  Frigidaire has really considered families with children in this design feature.

There are a ton of features that I plan on telling you about.  Like how the oven preheats in 5 minutes (no lie!) or how it cleans itself (a feature I haven’t tried out yet).  Stay tuned!

And the microwave?  All I know is that it heats food in a flash and beeps LOUDLY and repetitively when the food is done!  I must investigate how to change that beeping to something a little more subdued (particularly so I don’t wake my sleeping toddler!).  I can’t wait to explore some of the one-touch options.

I’ll be posting regularly on these two appliances…giving you the ins and outs!  By the time I’m done, you’ll feel like they’re in your kitchen!

Whew…I’m exhausted.  I’ve been home for over about 24 hours, and to be honest, I’ve been a little distracted with my sweet little boy who I missed terribly.  So much so that I ended up bawling on Saturday night at BowlHer as I was talking to a rep from Pepperidge Farm (I am so sorry and I can’t remember your name!).  But those tears of homesickness and remorse over leaving my little boy were replaced with tears of joy when the announcement came that I had won a Toshiba laptop from 5 Minutes for Mom and Toshiba.  Can you say SQUEE? I’ve never won anything like that and it was a little surreal.

I have a lot to share…both good and bad (but mostly good because I try to be positive that way).  I doubt I’ll get it all written in one post.  Maybe it will take 3 or 5.  I just don’t know.  All I know is that this year was different.  Since I had attended last year, I thought I knew what to expect.  I thought I was a BlogHer pro.  Boy was I wrong.  All I have to say is that I’ve learned a lot this year.  Many changes to come (good, of course!).

I’ll start with day one today and post over the next week.  But before I do, I want to thank my sponsors once again.  I hope that I promoted them appropriately and tactfully.  I definitely did not want to be annoying and believed that I promoted them with both tact and professionalism. I will be posting my thoughts about the brands that helped make BlogHer a possibility for me in the next week.

Going to BlogHer this year was difficult in every imaginable way.  My husband had planned on coming with me so that we wouldn’t have to leave my little boy with the grandparents, but ended up having to work at the last minute.  We also didn’t expect that I would be pregnant at this point.  Or that I would have been so sick for the first 3 + months.  Up until about a month ago, I wasn’t even certain I’d be going because of how sick I was.  You may remember I was initially planning on carpooling.  My OB thought that was a bad idea, seeing that I’m 4 months pregnant and high-risk. Oh…and did I mention that Chicago is half-way across the country?  So yes…going to BlogHer was a struggle…financially, emotionally, physically, geographically… But then I remembered last year.  I remembered the friendships that were solidified in person and the networking that resulted in relationships, and I decided that it was worth it to me to go.

Blame it on pregnancy hormones if you’d like but I almost didn’t go through security at LAX on Thursday morning. When my little boy looked at me with tears in his eyes, his arms outstretched, and cried out to me not to leave, it was heart wrenching.  With tears streaming down my face my mother made me get on that plane because she wanted me to go and “have a good time.”  I would have stayed that day had it not been for her.  So mom, I owe my first born thank you, to you.

I went through security, joked with the workers about not needing a pat down in my pregnant state (apparently that is an available alternative to metal detectors for pregnant women), and went to meet Liz, Steph, and all of the other LA bloggers on the #partyplane.  I have to say THANK YOU to Southwest and @SouthwestAir for putting up with us accomdating us (oh, and for getting us there and back safely!).  I also want to thank Megan for arranging a LIMO from O’Hare to the Sheraton (which is gorgeous by the way).  It was awesome cramming 20 bloggers into one limo.  But back to the plane ride.  It was wonderful meeting so many funny, smart, and talented bloggers who are all right here in LA/OC.  Why does it take a blogging conference half-way across the country for us to meet?  Jennifer is so smart and I have to apologize to her formally for bombarding her with “green” questions.  She finally gave me her book to read since I left my copy at home (was that a hint? LOL!).  I also had an opportunity to chat with Heather and her husband on the plane.  We talked about pregnancy and well…life.  She has this quiet spirit about her, yet she’s not shy.  It was a joy talking to her.  And Liz?  She’s so down to earth it’s refreshing.  And we clicked in seconds.  Steph truly is the kind of friend you want to stick around forever.  She’s kind and gracious and giving…and super smart!  And Kim?  She’s just a riot!  And an incredible writer (read her blog!)  I met so many people just on the plane which really helped ease my nervousness about traveling alone (something I rarely ever do).

Landing at Midway was a bit overwhelming.  I’m from LA so I’m used to large, international airports.  But seriously, the only word to describe my experience there was chaos. Thankfully we had a limo waiting for us so I didn’t have to hail a taxi or catch the train to the city.  The President was in town so what should have been no more than a 30 minute drive, ended up taking almost 2 hours.  But we had lots of fun chatting (all 20+ of us).  The result was that those of us who had aspirations of attending the Swiffer Social Luxe Lounge did not make it.  That’s ok…I’m reliving the experience through their amazing photo stream on Flickr.  I did, however, have a chance to catch up with some of the Mom Central team for a chat.  It’s always nice to put names with faces.  Their get-together was relaxed and small enough to actually converse.  Some of the parties I attended were so packed with people that it was impossible to connect, let alone hear anyone speak.

I was invited to a Crocs party to preview their new line, so with Liz and her roomie in tow, we ventured via cab to the store (that was closed for the party…how cool is that?).  As a nurse, I wear Crocs for work on the unit.  If you’re thinking that Crocs are limited to the clog-style they launched with, I’ve got a surprise for you.  From casual flip-flops to dressy heels, and everything in between, Crocs‘ new line will change your opinion on the company.  Check out some of the pictures I took at THE largest Crocs store ever:

Next up, a much needed and appreciated dinner with the crew from Team Mom at Phil Stefani’s 437 Rush.  It was wonderful meeting Stephanie and Marie from Team Mom.  I think one the best things about BlogHer (which I mentioned last year), is meeting the people you’ve worked with and connected with over the past year in person.  I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Nicole, Angela (who is also pregnant with her second!), Christine, Mariana, Vanessa, (her and her sister are from France!), CanCan (in her lovely dress), and Deb (if I missed you my sincere apologies).  Thank you girls for making sure I the baby had enough calamari!  We were sent home with some kid’s products from Safeway’s new line entitled Eating Right (more to come when I actually receive it since I had to ship it home to myself).  We had high hopes of attending the Room 704 party but I was exhausted and there were way too many people so I went back to the room. And I learned from my roomie about the “swag” and I was more than ok not going or getting it.

Despite the fact that it was a long day it was very rewarding.  I was able to meet so many incredible people and overall we just had a great time.  I definitely overdid it.  But more to come on subsequent posts.

Things I learned today for next year (provided we can venture across the country):

1.  Don’t over commit/overbook/over schedule.  Unless you have a twin!

2. Wear comfortable shoes. I packed a pair of heels for the evenings, put them on for 5 minutes, then stuffed them back in my suitcase where they still remain.

3.  Get in a day before the conference (to rest!).  It was very stressful trying to get to events I had RSVP’d for. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone.

I’ve taken a few days off to rest and spend time with my son.  It was very difficult leaving him and he and I have needed a few days to get back to our routine.  If you have emailed me, I promise I’ll respond just as soon as I am able.  Tons more to come. I also have some exciting ideas on the horizon which I’ll share just as soon as they’re starting to come together.  Oh…and winners?  I haven’t forgotten you!

My son loves his milk.  I actually have to work to get him to drink other liquids because he would drink milk all day if I let him.  For some parents, getting their children to drink milk is a struggle. And according to a study conducted by the national Milk Council (source Mom Central), more than 1000 moms across the U.S. reported fruit drinks and slushies among their children’s top summertime drinks (Wow!).

While I don’t have a problem with getting my son to drink milk, 84% of moms (source Mom Central) are looking for healthy beverage alternatives.  Milk is a great beverage to incorporate into snack time.  One eight-ounce serving provides necessary nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D, and other essential nutrients.

The Why Milk? campaign was designed to help parents and children realize the importance of drinking milk.  The website provides healthy tips, recipes and snack ideas to get kids excited about drinking milk during summer. My favorite part of the site is the recipe section.  Each of the recipes includes milk and the individual recipes include how much milk you’ll get per serving.

Profuse thanks to Mom Central for sharing this info!

Tomorrow morning, I leave for Chicago with a plane full of Los Angeles bloggers bound for the largest women’s blogging conference ever.  As I sit here, typing this, my little boy lies sleeping next to me.  He’s been sick…nothing major…nothing we needed to take him in for…just not feeling well.  And my excitement is clouded just a bit since I am leaving him for 3 days.  Three days…it’s just a brief moment in time.  But leaving my son is heartbreaking.  He has always traveled with me. I don’t remember being away from him for this long. So while there are parties to attend, PR personal to engage with, and new and old friends to meet…I may seem just a bit distracted.  After all, I’m first and foremost a mom.

Just a few housekeeping items…  Giveaway winners will be chosen next week.  Be sure to watch your inbox!  Review and giveaway postings will be light this weekend and very much BlogHer oriented.  For all the latest happenings, be sure to follow me on Twitter.  And I apologize in advance if I’m a little slow responding to emails.

I’m very much looking forward to meeting many of you who will be attending!  Please catch up with me if you’d like.

This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for stopping by.  The winner is Donna L.  Congrats!

I have a very active 2 year old who doesn’t like to be indoors.  How convenient, particularly when I’ve been sick for many, many weeks (I’ll update you on how I’ve been feeling in another post).  To be honest, I haven’t felt much like doing anything until recently, but staying in would not have been fair to my little boy.  Thankfully, we’ve been able to utilize the preschool in the mornings which gives me time to rest and prepare for the afternoon with him.  Many of our afternoons have been spent outside, since it’s the time when I usually feel the best.  And most recently we’ve been playing with this:

That, is a Skitter ride on toy car…and my son goes giddy over it.  Oh…and he calls it his “bike.”  It’s so cute I can’t discourage it!  This self-propelled ride on toy, designed for children 2 years old and above, is a fun way to get children moving.  It comes assembled and does not require batteries.  Can you say mom-friendly? The way it works is that the child puts his/her feet on the footpads and uses his/her upper and core body while moving the steering wheel back and forth.  It doesn’t require a ton of coordination, but my son is still mastering the concept (he tends to use it in it’s more organic form as a conventional ride on toy that he pushes with his feet).

I like the fact that my son can use it both inside and outside.  It’s a little big for him (since he’s only two) but he’s definitely better at it than he was a few weeks ago.  The Skitter received Dr. Toy’s Best Products award and moms (including me!) love that it promotes the development of coordination and strength.  For a ride on toy, I find it a bit pricey at $69.95 but it’s on sale at this time for $55.95.  When you consider how much use your child (or children) will get out of it, it’s worth checking out.

Win It! One of you will win a Skitter in the color of your choice!  Simply head on over to the site and take a look around. Come back here and leave me a comment with something you learned.  Comments will close on August 4, 2009 at 10 PM PST.  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

Want an extra entry? Do any or all of the following and receive an extra entry for each one.

Be sure to leave me a separate comment for each additional entry.

Add the “Spring In For Summer Fun” banner to your sidebar and leave me a comment (be sure to visit the main party post for more details on extra entries)

Follow me on Twitter AND tweet about the contest. Be sure to use the hashtag #SummerEvent

Enter Tanya and Amanda’s giveaways

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Blog about this giveaway. It doesn’t have to be a separate post. Just include a blurb about it when you blog about other giveaways.

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This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for stopping by.  The winner is Katherine.  Congrats!

I NEED JUICE!  That is what I hear from my toddler several times a day.  In fact, he is now getting to the point where he tells me exactly what kind of juice he “needs.”  Getting him to drink water is a chore involves bribing process.  And it’s usually the result of his insatiable thirst that he gives in.  When I asked my pediatrician how to get my son to drink more water and less juice, he said something very profound…Just don’t have juice as an option in the house.

So what’s so bad about juice anyway?  That was my question.  Particularly when there are organic, 100% fruit juice options available.  Then I read this article and started reading labels.  It doesn’t take a nutritionist to tell you that eating a piece of fruit far outweighs a glass of juice.  But giving a child juice can actually be harmful and has been linked to obesity.

I recently had an opportunity to test out Wateroos.  They look like little juice boxes but they contain flavored or unflavored water.  Now I’m not into deception (meaning, I didn’t tell my son this was juice), but this really is a fantastic idea.  Without sugar, sweeteners, or artificial ingredients, I felt pretty comfortable having my son try these out (I tried them first, of course).  They come in 3 flavors (plus the unflavored variety) and my son liked the grape the best (I couldn’t agree more).  He initially thought it was juice but I corrected him.

So how do they taste?  Have you ever squeezed a lemon or a lime into water?  While the water doesn’t taste like lemonade, it does have that lemon essence.  That’s how the flavored Wateroos tasted.  I guess my only question is, what the company means when they say the water is flavored with “natural flavors.”  This is actually somewhat answered on their FAQs page, but I always like to know exactly what is in a food product when possible.  I saw these in the kid’s section at Whole Foods today and I’m pretty confident in their standards for products that are allowed to be sold at the store.

If you’re struggling to get your child to drink water, this is definitely a healthy alternative to watered-down juice.  Wateroos are available in unflavored, apple, berry, and grape flavors and are available for purchase online and at retailers nationwide.

Win It! One of you will win 2 six-packs of Wateroos, a Wateroos lunch cooler, and 2 Wateroos drink box holders.  Simply head on over to the site and take a look around.  Come back here and leave me a comment with a flavor you’d like to try.  Comments will close on August 4, 2009 at 10 PM PST.  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

Want an extra entry? Do any or all of the following and receive an extra entry for each one.

Be sure to leave me a separate comment for each additional entry.

Add the “Spring In For Summer Fun” banner to your sidebar and leave me a comment (be sure to visit the main party post for more details on extra entries)

Follow me on Twitter AND tweet about the contest. Be sure to use the hashtag #SummerEvent

Enter Tanya and Amanda’s giveaways

Subscribe to my feed via email or reader.

Blog about this giveaway. It doesn’t have to be a separate post. Just include a blurb about it when you blog about other giveaways.

Place my button on your site. If you have difficulty, please let me know.

Click on one of the very cute buttons below and digg, stumble, fav, etc. Just let me know what you did in the comments!

Before this baby makes it’s appearance, we have a couple of trips planned this summer.  Our biggest trip involves traveling to Minnesota for a General Mills event and then heading down to the southeast to spend some time with hubby’s family.  In other words, we’ll be traveling by plane a lot!  Our son is now at an age where he needs his own seat, and thanks to CARES, he can travel safely without lugging his car seat onto the plane.

As a nurse, I’m super careful about germs.  I carry antibacterial hand wash with me at all times and avoid instances where we as a family could be exposed.  If you’ve ever been on a long flight, then you’re familiar with the pillow and blanket airlines provide to a limited number of passengers (in other words, get on the plane quickly before they’re all gone).  I think it’s very convenient not to have to carry with pillows on an airplane, but with an item as personal as this, I’m a little wary of who’s used it before me.

Travel With Me is a new company dedicated to offering products specifically designed for the health conscious traveler (that’s me!). Thanks to Parent Reviewers, we received a few Jetheads Airplane Travel Pillowcases to review.  I haven’t done the research, but according to the site, airlines rarely change pillowcases in between flights.  And since some airlines have little turnaround time in between flights, I believe it.

For $5.95, you can purchase a pack of two disposable pillowcases and rest assured that you and your family are germ-free.  The pillowcases are made of a soft, non-woven fabric but they’re still disposable and not as comfy as your own pillowcase.  Nonetheless, I like the fact that they’re compactly packaged and I don’t have to keep up with a pillowcase (I can just toss it after the flight).

Profuse thanks to Parent Reviewers for this review opportunity!

In less than one week I’ll be at THE largest women’s blogging conference ever…BlogHer!  This year is expected to be even bigger and better than last year.  There are parties to attend (oh the parties), bloggers to meet and reconnect with, and company representatives to engage with.  Last year, I had no trouble figuring out what to wear.  I try to stay up to date with current fashion trends.  However, this year, I’m pregnant with my second child.  Four months by the end of BlogHer to be exact and I’m already sporting the bump.  So, what to wear has become more of a concern this year.

Thanks to several amazing companies, I will be wearing some of the latest in maternity fashion, jewelry, and shoes.  Here is a little preview of what I’m wearing.  But please come back for my detailed reviews after BlogHer.

Japanese Weekend

Bengaline Maternity Crop Pant with Maternity Nursing Top

Maternity Dress with Tuck Sash

Maggie Maternity

Summer Sleeveless Maxi Dress

Pearl Necklace with Sculpted Sterling Silver Roses Clasp

Kuru Footwear

Draft Soft Shell

I know it’s not Wordless Wednesday or Thankful Thurday but I wanted to share pictures of the great time we had Fourth of July weekend lounging around.