Mommin' It Up!

May 1, 2014April 30, 2014

And we’re OFF!

By the time you read this, Emily and I will be on a jet plane or on the ground in Atlanta for Mom 2.0 Summit!!!! We’re so excited to be speaking this year!

As usual, I have trouble being a grown-up, so thank God I have Emily to guide my travels (and my travel shopping list.)

Seriously, is she the best or WHAT? I’d be wandering around the airport crying without her.

We are looking forward to seeing some wonderful blogging friends, making new ones, wearing fancy Lands’ End clothes, and taking LOTS AND LOTS OF SELFIES!

So I hope you’re ready for THIS x 100!!

Watch our Facebook page for updates on our adventures! And check back tomorrow for a great post on motherhood. xoxo!!

October 24, 2013October 23, 2013

The Inside Scoop on Pampers – How are they better?

Last week I got a real treat – a much-needed break from reality and a couple of days with some great bloggers at Pampers headquarters in Cincinnati. I’m thrilled to announce that I am a new member of the Pampers Baby Board, a group of online influencers who have the ear of the scientists and marketing gurus behind Procter & Gamble’s biggest brand.

I was really excited about this trip for a few reasons. 1) It was in Cincinnati, so not far from home – just a quick hour-long car ride, and Pampers sent a car for me! 2) I loooove Pampers. As a coupon lady I generally buy whatever diaper I can get the best coupon deal on, but Pampers have always been my favorite, and when my babies were under size 3, they wore nothing but Pampers Swaddlers, the BEST diaper ever created. 3) I was looking forward to meeting some bloggy friends I’d never met in real life like Ellen and Vera, and to making new friends as well.

All my expectations were met by this trip! It was fabulous! And being spoiled for a couple days was awfully nice. I’d had a rough couple weeks at home, and I needed a wee break.

But anyway, on to the good stuff!

Pampers diapers have recently been re-designed and they are now up to 3x dryer! As a mom of a baby who gets rashy easily, I was very happy to hear this. And what makes me even happier? Now Pampers Swaddlers are available in sizes 3-5 as well!!! YEEEAAHHH! I am a little over-excited about this, but seriously. I am always so sad when my babes grow out of Swaddlers. Now I can run out and get Jonah a pack of size 4 Swaddlers and know that he’ll stay dryer, wet through less at night, and have fewer rashes. (The only bad thing about this? It makes me want to potty train him LESS than I already do. I have been putting that off and Jonah is not excited about it either. Sigh.)

While we were at Pampers, we got to see some neat science-y demonstrations to show us how Pampers diapers and wipes hold up against the competition. They were super-cool! I really cannot believe how much research goes into creating these products.

pampers experiment 2 — We saw Pampers Cruisers absorb & distribute liquid way faster than the competition.

Wipes demo — Pampers wipes on the left – very strong!!

The coolest thing I saw while at Pampers, which we couldn’t take pictures of because it’s super-secret, was seeing a Pampers Cruiser diaper made by HAND. We watched in awe as two employees crafted a diaper by hand in the lab. You’d never know it wasn’t off the assembly line! The lab where they did this was so cool – they are always building prototypes to keep improving Pampers. The staff was SO passionate about what they do, too. As a matter of fact, all the employees, no matter what their job at Pampers, impressed our group with how much they cared about their jobs, loved their jobs, and wanted to be the very best. It made us all feel really good about continuing to purchase Pampers.

Another cool thing we saw was 3-D imaging from MRI and CT scans of a mannequin wearing a Pampers diaper. We could see liquid going into it, being absorbed, and then being locked away from baby’s skin in an outer layer. It was so cool! Plus we got to wear super-cool 3D glasses, sooo…

I only included this picture because Emily loves seeing my image so, so much.

Of course, in addition to learning all about Pampers and what goes into their diapers and wipes, we also had a lot of fun! We rode around Cincinnati in this party bus, complete with pole.

We got treated to a hairstyle session at the Cincy Style Bar:

And we had some great fun in restaurants – eating and even cooking our own desserts! My awesome team didn’t win the dessert-making competiton, but we had fun talkin’ smack!

The last thing I’ll say about Pampers that really impressed me was how many women they employ not just in marketing but in science – and how flexible they are with working moms. Almost every female employee we talked with had been part-time for a few years or so when necessary, and them came back to full-time when they were ready. We heard over and over how great Pampers is to their employees.

I had a great time on my trip and I can’t wait until the next Pampers event. I’ve got a fun surprise from Pampers coming up soon, so stay tuned for that! Thanks, Pampers!

May 8, 2013May 7, 2013

Jenny’s Lands’ End Loves from the Mom 2.0 Summit

Yesterday Emily got to show off her lovely Lands’ End looks from our time at last week’s Mom 2.0 Summit 2013, and today it’s my turn! Yay! I promise we’ll eventually post about what we actually did there and all the stuff we learned and cool people we met. Eventually. But for now…more fabulous clothes and accessories! I know Em is going to love this post because it will include So! Many! Pictures! OF ME!! Here goes:

Thursday I hit the airport bright & early (our flight left at 6:25 a.m., OUCH!) in this cute and comfortable ensemble. The sleeveless pattern tee was so soft, in my absolute favorite fabric, cotton modal. I paired it with a matching cardigan cause I’m always cold on airplanes. The slim leg jeans I wore with this outfit are awesome; so comfortable and they dress up or down really easily. I cuffed mine for a more casual look. On my feet I wore my favorite casual shoe, the Gatas canvas slip-on. I still have two pair from last year and they are in great shape and so comfy! The linen and leather tote bag I carried was perfect for travel. It fit my iPad, my precious makeup bags, my wallet, and all my essentials with room to spare!

Thursday night the conference opened with an Endless Summer Beach Party! Woohoo! I chose a Lands’ End Canvas sundress that was perfect for the occasion.

I absolutely loved the dress, it was so comfortable and flowing. Not to mention cute!

I accessorized with this belt, also from the Canvas line. I loved the way it looked with the dress! I wore the beach earrings and multi-strand beach bracelet which also matched perfectly, and these simple but fashionable leather Tia t-strap sandals on my feet.

On to Friday! During the day, I wore this pink stretch pique empire waist dress. I L-O-V-E it. It might be my favorite, I felt so good in it. And, it has pockets! So convenient when one is being handed business cards all day!

The Cara espadrille shoes I wore with it just made my day every time I looked down!

I took a risk with the dark blue beaded cluster bracelet and necklace, but I absolutely loved the way they looked! I’m so glad I chose them.

Friday night we had a big party to attend – a CVS ExtraCare party! Can you believe it? Y’all know how I LOVE CVS! But I digress…I went more casual and fun for this party.

I adore the slim leg white jeans. So comfortable and crisp – I’m going to wear them all summer long! I went with a black heritage rib tank from the Lands’ End Canvas line, and these adoooorable leopard-print Bianca ballet flats, which made the whole outfit! My gold coin necklace, bracelet, and earrings really made this outfit stand out, too.

Saturday we were up ready for another great day at the Summit. I was feeling great in this black & white floral shirred linen sheath dress.

This dress was SO comfortable, and it also had pockets! I love the shirring at the neckline (which is hard to see in the photo), which is so elegant and flattering.

The black Parker knotted espadrilles I wore on my feet were the most comfortable heel I have EVER worn. I want them in every color! I didn’t want to take them off. And the pearl cluster necklace and bracelet? My favorite accessories of all. I felt like such a lady in those. They are just so beautiful and I know I’ll wear them again and again.

The conference culminated in a fabulous Kentucky Derby Garden Party thanks to Whirlpool. For which I knew I wanted something bright and floral! This floral pique sleeveless dress did the trick.

This dress, like the others, was so darn comfortable I could’ve worn it for two days straight. And again, with the pockets! It was so nice to just put my room key and business cards in my pocket when heading to the party. I also am in deep, fashionable love with the Ashby nude patent-leather pumps Emily and I both wore that night. I wish I’d gotten a better picture of them – they are so, so chic. I wore a triple set of Lands’ End pearls from last year’s Mom 2.0 around my neck, and since it was a GARDEN party, a big, beautiful flower in my hair from the client I work with through my job, Girls Crochet Headbands.

Sunday, we were anxious to get home to our families but sad to leave the idyllic beach setting and the lack of having to clean up after ourselves at the Ritz-Carlton! But at least we got to travel home in style!

A loooong day of travel called for some pieces from my beloved Lands’ End Starfish line. I tried their new Starfish slim leg pant and I ADORE them. They are so comfy and the slim leg is super-flattering! I paired them with my (have I mentioned??) FAVORITE cotton modal short-sleeve scoop tee and matching scarf. To keep warm on the plane I chose the Starfish elbow-sleeve terry cardigan which is *adorbs* as well as super-comfy. And speaking of comfy, these cute flower flip-flops were so cushy and did my feet a lot of good! Sadly, it appears they are no longer available (clearly I must’ve sold them out with my trendiness, right?)

Finally, I must mention my super cute and functional striped tote I carried all throughout the conference.

Don’t you love it? It was perfect for holding my iPad, conference schedule, snacks, water bottles, and all the goodies from sponsor booths we picked up all day long. I know I will get great use out of it for years.

I am so privileged to have all these wonderful outfits to remind me of the great weekend spent at Mom 2.0 2013! Emily and I were beyond proud to represent Lands’ End – it’s really what I live in ALL year long. Hope you find something you liked amongst our outfits! Which was your favorite?