Monthly Archives: October 2013

Fashion Love: 4 Favorite Booties For Fall/Winter

October 30, 2013Fashion & Style, Style Guidebooties, ShoesAlicia

I got my fall/winter clothes down from the attic a few days ago and while I’m happy to have warm clothes to wear again, I’m not thrilled with my options. My fall and winter clothes consist of skinny jeans, corduroys, and black GAP and Old Navy sweaters. That’s right, I’ll be wearing skinny jeans with a black sweater everyday for the next few months if I don’t go shopping. So, considering that I probably won’t go shopping soon mostly because of the 10-15 extra pounds I need to lose before I buy new clothes, I thought of ways I can add some excitement to my winter outfit.

I’ve been thinking about what I can do to add some interest to my skinny jeans and black sweater outfit until I allow myself to buy new winter clothes. A few ideas I’ve come up with are to find a couple of statement necklaces. I love big necklaces that scream ‘look at me’ but haven’t taken the time to really look for one so you can expect to see a post about statement necklaces very soon. 🙂

Earrings and scarves are two other things I’ve thought of trying. I hesitate to wear earrings that are substantial enough to be considered part of an outfit because my ears are very sensitive. I am going to put more effort into finding lightweight, larger than tiny, cute earrings.

I am a casual kind of girl so I don’t worry too much about what I wear but as I’m getting older and I feel like my identity is less and less about me than it is about being a mom, I’m searching for ways to stand out a bit again. Not stand out in the ‘I want all the attention’ sense, because I don’t, but in the way that I feel like I’m not just throwing on a pair of jeans and a sweater and heading out the door. I want to look cute.. like I put effort into what I’m wearing.

One more thing that I think will make a big difference with my winter wardrobe is shoes. I own 12 pairs of shoes and none of them are ‘winter’ shoes. I have 3 pairs of ballet flats; all of which need to be replaced, 4 pairs of flats, mostly Merrells which are really comfortable but not the shoes to wear when trying to add something to an outfit via shoes, one pair of black pumps, a pair of black Naturalizer flats, and the rest of my shoes are sandals and flip-flops. I have a couple of UGG boots but while I love them and wear them around the house, I don’t wear them out of the house because they are too big.. they were hand me downs from my sister who wears a size or two larger than I do. Speaking of UGGs, I LOVE the Neevah UGG booties – number 4 in the photo below. I would be more likely to wear them in Chocolate than the Charcoal color below, but Charcoal might not be so bad with my ‘winter outfit’, would it?

1 – Valerie Shearling Lined Booties at Shopbop.com – $428.00

2 – Horrigan Wrap Strap Booties at Shopbop.com – $298.00

3 – ‘Macri’ Bootie at Nordstrom.com – $295.00

4 – ‘Neevah’ Bootie (Women) by UGG Australia at Nordstrom.com – $149.95

3 Spooky SIGG Water Bottles For Trick-or-Treating and Beyond!

October 29, 2013Giftshalloween, SIGG, water bottleAlicia

We love SIGG bottles. Between everyday use, sports practices and games, camping trips, road trips, and special occasions like Halloween, we use SIGG bottles almost every day.

We were packing up for our trip to the pumpkin patch today and Madelyn couldn’t leave without her new GLO Monster Sigg bottle!

Did you know that SIGG’s aluminum bottles come in various designs and sizes?

I am a fan of my plain large pink SIGG bottle, my husband has a large black SIGG bottle, and my son has an old SIGG bottle that has ninjas all over it. My daughter has a few favorites of her own. She got the Little Witch SIGG bottle last year and this year she got the GLO Monster bottle. Her newest SIGG bottle is the GLO Monster Lime bottle which she can add her own monsters to the monster world on the bottle. The print, along with the kids bottle cap glow in the dark.
The 0.4-liter SIGG Monster GLO aluminum water bottle has a highly resistant lining, making it almost unbreakable!

The flip top on SIGG’s kids bottle prevents them from leaking and is easy to open for little hands to flip open. I can’t tell you how many times the kids have had water bottles with a twist top leak in my car because the twist top didn’t have a cover. The twist is fabulous but even better when it has a cover.

The GLO Monster Lime SIGG bottle’s flip top even glows!

SIGG offers kids BPA and Phthalate free reusable water bottles making taking water to school, sporting events, and yes.. trick-or-treating, fun and safe! SIGG bottles are ecologically sound, reusable and ultimately easily recycled.

What we love about SIGG kid’s water bottles:

Flip-top – prevents leaking and easy to open
BPA and Phthalate free
Washable
Bright, colorful designs
Some have glow tops!
Regular ice cubes from our dispenser fit the opening
Twist top locks to water/drink does not come out

Madelyn’s Favorite SIGG Water Bottles

SIGG water bottles for kids range from price, starting at $20.99. You’ll find lots of other festive, cute, and spooky water bottles in the kid’s area on the SIGG website.

I received a SIGG bottle for purposes of this review. All opinions are my own.

Spooky Tunes: A Disney Halloween, an Exclusive Playlist on Rdio

October 29, 2013Disney, Holidaydisney, halloween, MusicAlicia

We’re heading to the pumpkin patch when the kids get home from school today and what better way to get them in the mood.. the Halloween mood, than by listening to spooky music?

Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Tigger are among your favorite characters who make A Disney Halloween come alive. Inside this exclusive playlist on Rdio, you’ll find nearly an hour of highlights from classic spooky collections such as Disney Villains: Simply Sinister Songs and composer Danny Elfman from The Nightmare Before Christmas (which celebrates its 20th anniversary this month), plus archival scary sounds and more.

Make way for the Heffalumps and Woozles, too!

Press play and enjoy one of Disney’s favorite holidays of the year: Halloween!

20+ Fabulous Long Sweaters To Go With Leggings

October 25, 2013Clothes - mom & dad, Fashion & Style, Style Guideleggings, long sweaters, pinterest, sweatersAlicia

I’m addicted to long sweaters right now. Well, really anything that will go with a pair of leggings because leggings are my new favorite piece of clothing. They are comfortable, come in lots of colors, and versatile. I don’t wear them 24/7, just 23/7. Just kidding. I wear leggings 2 or 3 days a week and I even wear them out of the house. Did you see my work from home outfit post? I’ve learned that there are tops that look good with leggings and tops that don’t. For example, a very short or tight top, doesn’t look good with leggings. In my opinion, leggings should be worn just as you would wear tights. This applies to little girls too. I am not a fan of seeing little girls wear a cute pair of leggings paired with a tight t-shirt. Not cute.

I’ve been posting a lot of ‘fashion finds’ posts lately because I really do love clothes and accessories but I feel a little awkward about not posting selfies when I show you my favorite fashion finds. Right now I have a bit more of a belly than I would like (maybe that’s where the addiction to leggings and long sweaters comes in to play) and I am not confident enough to post selfies just yet. I hope to lose 10-15 pounds in the next few months and may share a few outfit selfies once I lost those few extra pounds but until then I’ll just show you the fashion finds that I love on gorgeous models! 🙂

Here are a few cute and very comfortable looking long sweaters that I love!

Do you have a favorite sweater that looks great with a pair of leggings? Do you have a pinterest board of some of your favorite sweater finds? Share with us in the comments below.

Car Review: 2014 GMC Acadia Crossover SUV – Denali Trim

October 24, 2013Car Reviews, Safety, TechnologyCar Review, Crossover, GMC Acadia Denali, SUVAlicia

For a superior luxury crossover, the 2014 GMC Acadia Denali is well defined crossover SUV that carries all the creature features you look for and more. With impressive styling, solid performance and handling, as well as incredible safety innovations, the 2014 Acadia Denali will easily win over your heart and the hearts of your husband and kids too.

The 2014 Acadia’s Superb Body Styling

Sporting a bold, sleek exterior and eye-catching curves and lines, the 2014 GMC Acadia Denali will definitely turn heads. Plus, she’s looking even better with some great updates such as a newly designed front chrome grille, 20” aluminum wheels and stylish front and back lighting featuring HED xenon high-intensity discharge headlamps and projector halogen fog lamps. Brilliant chrome accents, bold front and rear fascias and nicely-designed exhaust outlets add contemporary touches, creating a distinct and classic crossover.

You’ll really appreciate the dual heated mirrors that tilt and reverse to give you excellent curb view when backing up. During our recent trip to Tybee Island and Savannah, we had to squeeze into some tight parallel parking spaces and the finely adjustable side mirrors came in very handy.

The 2014 Acadia Denali SUV also comes with a tilt-sliding dual SkyScape 2-panel power sunroof for an inspiring view of the sky while you drive and privacy glass to keep your little world private. The kids loved looking out the sunroofs during our road trip whether it was daylight or dark.

The Well-Designed Cabin

Along with the newest technologies, such as the smart slide seating system and Color Touch radio, there are so many goodies that make every driving experience so pleasurable. I particularly enjoyed the stunning leather-wrapped steering wheel with Mahogany wood trim along with remote keyless entry and climate control. The kids kept comfortable at their desired temperature in the middle row while my husband kept his side of the front around 77 degrees and I, at a cool 68 degrees.

The cabin of the 2014 GMC Acadia Denali SUV is, needless to say, comfortable, quiet and filled with so many conveniences. Better than ever, you’ll love the beautiful leather seating that easily allows you to stretch your legs. Enjoy the multi-power front seats that are heated or cooled to your liking. I kept my seat heated for the majority of our drive to and from Tybee Island while my husband kept his seat cooled. The heated seat helps tense muscles on long drives, especially those during which children are involved. 🙂

With a total of three rows of seats, you can still fit your cargo with 24 cu. feet left over, or use the handy rear cargo area storage system to keep organized. For those times when you need even more room for your stuff, GMC already figured that out: just fold down both rear seats and, presto, you have an incredible 116 cu. feet of storage room.

Color Touch Radio and IntelliLink

The Acadia Denali carries an impressive high resolution, customizable color touchscreen with responsive touch controls and features infotainment and the optional IntelliLink. With IntelliLink, you can enjoy Bluetooth connectivity, SmartPhone integration, Stream Pandora, Stitcher Internet Radio and HD Radio. You also get a 3 month, free trial of SiriusXM 7 satellite radio that features voice command, navigation with multiple map views, complete traffic updates and more. Enjoy the premium Bose 10-speaker audio system that will keep everyone entertained for hours.

Safety Features

The 2014 GMC Acadia has an incredible amount of safety features to give and everyone with you the peace of mind you need in any weather condition. With high crash test scores by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the 2014 Acadia Denali will keep you and your loved ones safe and sound. Plenty of safety features you’ll appreciate include a rear vision camera to give you a clear view of what’s behind you. There’s also stabilitrak, which works alongside the vehicle’s braking system and traction control for safe driving in all weather conditions. Side Blind Zone Alert and Cross-Traffic Technology are intelligent engineering features that employ a radar to detect unseen cars or a possible collision and sound a warning.

Head-Up Display is another an exciting innovation included in the GMC Acadia Denali. This feature known as HUD projects information you select right up onto your windshield so you can keep a close eye on the road and stay informed while you drive. For road trips, this in an invaluable innovation you’ll really prize. At first I was concerned that the head-up display would be distracting but after being on the highway for an hour I depended on it and found it to be invaluable. I loved not having to take my eyes off the road to see how fast I was driving or what my next navigation step was.