I've Moved!

HOLLA TO MY FAVORITE LADIES!

Takin' a mini break here from my blog-cation to announce to you something so exciting, something I've been working on the past few months and have been dying to share with you.

Drumroll, please.

ANNOUNCING: My brand-spankin' new site....

www.theaveragegirlsguide.com!

Not only do I absolutely lurrrrrvvveee the new site, I'm totally over-the-moon thrilled that I now have a navigation bar so you can way more easily access past posts and specific topics that interest you.

Now, a monster huge request.

Pretty, pretty, pretty please:

Update your RSS reader to http://feeds.feedburner.com/theaveragegirlsguide, re-follow me on Google Friend Connect (check the right side of the new site) and/or subscribe to my email (also on the right-hand side of the new column) so you can get your daily dose of TAGG!

I'm beyond grateful to those of you who have decided to follow me over the past nearly 11 months (eek, blogiversary is around the corner!) and I'd be so appreciative if you'd follow me there.

Plus, I'm going to have a few pretty awesome giveaways on the near horizon exclusive to followers.

PS: head to the new site to tell me how you like it!!!

Truth: There's a Lot on My Plate

I've been discussing with someone lately the challenges of balancing it all.

Is it even possible and what, if anything, should be sacrificed?

Work. Husband. Family. Friends. House. Life. Baby. 

These are not just words. They're my world (and many of yours, too, right?).

I'm participating again in Shell's Pour Your Heart Out blog crawl (my past discussions: weight, loneliness)because this is something that's been weighing on me and I have a feeling many of you.

That's what The Average Girl's Guide is; yet, it's fashion and food and fun and all that, but it's also this real deal stuff no one likes to address but everyone thinks.

That's what this blog is here for.... to get the dialogue going.

We'll all the same at the end of the day. Never forget that.

  

Fact: a totally awesome girlfriend (who seems to have it all!) said that she's frequently discussing the challenges of balancing it all with her gal pals. And, for those debating a baby... can it work? Can I still have my life?

Wheh, that's a lot to answer.

You're talking to a girl who in the past two years has had a baby, a life-altering illness, lost/left her job, started a new PR company AND started a blog, all while dealing with a million other random things. Oh, and with my husband still loving me at the end of it!

I wonder sometimes...

Am I doing the right thing?

Working on a blog post at night instead of spending time with my husband?

Sending my daughter to "school" (ie daycare) while building a career?

Taking good enough care of myself and staying healthy?

Caring for my family, many of whom have had more health issues than I'd like to count?

My answer?

Yes... Usually. Always? Doubtful. But... that's OK, I think.

I wish I had more time for it all, and I wish I could procrastinate a little less (damn you lure of Twitter and Facebook), but I couldn't imagine giving up this blog,
the friendships its afforded me and the creative outlet its provided when I needed it most.
I couldn't give up my career, and the desire to build a business.
I am confident that when my daughter is old enough to know, she will be so proud of her mommy.

So for those of you debating a baby?
Ask any mom: you make the time and you don't even realize it.
Except for daily the moments when I really wish she'd stop crying for a few minutes in the morning so I could sleep longer, I can't remember what I did with the moments of the day that didn't include her.

But what about my family and friends. Could I spend more time with them?
Yes. Especially fam. While I still want more time to spend with friends I realize my grandparents won't be with us forever. I'm so, so fortunate that I still have all four and that they live close. I need to visit more.
I need to travel more to see my mom (even though I just wish she'd move close already)!
I need to try to take better care of my dad, even if he frustrates me to no end.

Oh and me?
Yeah, I need to focus on me, on making the doctor appointments I need to (ya I look pretty "average" but this gal has a few pretty sucky issues you can't see in pics; more on another day), getting the sleep I need, exercising and most importantly, spending quality time with my husband and daughter whenever possible.

So while I don't do this perfectly. I'm trying. And, that's all you can do, too.
Do you feel overwhelmed with everything sometimes like me? I wonder how I can be superwoman.
I realize it does take a village and you cannot be too afraid to ask (or pay!) for help.
I have someone clean our house (usually every two weeks, sometimes more. best. investment. ever.), we hire babysitters so we can go out just the two of us or with couples and have her come early so we can get ready in peace. I'm hiring a full-time associate for my business (woohoo, HUGE step). And...

I'm taking a blog-cation.
Consider this your last post for about a week. (I'll miss you!!!) Will tell you what I'm up to when I return, except to say that not blogging (and trying to stay away from social media when possible) to give me more time to do all the things I haven't been doing.
Maybe I'll even read a book (I recently bought two -- The Help and Tina Fey's Bossypants).
Picture me like this....

Wishing you SUPER-WOMEN a sparkly Fourth of July.

Quick Bites: Strawberry Pie

We're all about sweets here!

However, we all know that if we ate every sweet we'd like we might not have the figures we want.

I discovered this recipe while on Weight Watchers ages ago.

It's an oldy but a goody that seems totally perfect with 4th of July around the corner.

Less than 60 calories per slice, and just four slices for the whole pie so the whole thing ain't so bad!

My husband llurrrrrvvvveeessss this Strawberry Pie.

In fact for his birthday last week he said all he wanted was strawberry pie.

I sense that had to be a slight exaggeration but man, that's saying something.

I made it a week late (last night) because my strawberries got moldy... twice. Boo.

(ps: it wasn't until this picture that I noticed I bought 'strawberry banana' instead of 'strawberry' Jello-O. Oops!)

Recipe below is the Weight Watchers version but All Recipes has the regular version (which still isn't too bad for you). Oh, and they're pie picture is way cuter than mine. After you make this once consider mixing up the fruit and pudding flavors. Enjoy!

{ingredients}

I small package (1.1. oz) sugar-free Cook and Serve vanilla pudding

2 cups water

1 small package (.3 oz) sugar-free strawberry Jell-O

4 cups sliced strawberries (a little less than a carton)

Cool Whip, lots of Cool Whip!

{directions}

In a medium saucepan, stirtogether water and pudding mix. Heat to a boil.

Remove from heat and immediately add the Jell-O.

Stir until dissolved (be sure to remove any lumps).

Set the pan aside and let the mixture cool to room temperature (important it's not at all hot).

Meanwhile, place strawberries in the bottom of a deep-dish pie plate. Use the biggest pieces for the "crust."

Soooo pretty!

Pour cooled pudding mixture over the strawberries. Refrigerate until chilled. Let is set well before slicing.

Dollop on some cool whip, be it over the whole slice of just the edge.

And, sorry for this awful iPhone pic (and my poor slicing skills)....

Laundry Survival

I can't be the only person who feels like laundry sometimes takes over their lives right, right?

It can be all consuming. I thought it was intense pre-baby girl, but boy I had no idea.

There's just so much.

And, it doesn't help that we have a two-story house with the W&D on ground one and all the bedrooms on the second. Not convenient for a procrastinator/lazy laundry gal like myself.



So when I get down to it, I want to be sure I'm doing it correctly... and as efficiently as possible..

I always use All Free & Clear detergent so there's no perfumes, and it's safe for those with sensitive skin and allergies. I've been using it since day one with baby girl and she's also a fan.

{Moms: no need to spend the big bucks on Dreft if you ask me; so similar, half the price.}

TIPS TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR LAUNDRY TIME

{pre-treating and washing}

- Keep a stain remover (I love Shout) near your laundry basket. This way you can pre-treat right away and most are fine to leave on clothes at least 5-7 days before washing.

(want to really get it into the fibers with the stain remover? Use an old toothbrush!)
- For bright loads, I've toss in a Shout Color Catcher sheet to prevent color transfer. I've only used it a handful of times but so far, I'm very impressed. HATE when that happens to something I love.

- Use cold-water wash for most items, just no need for hot water.

- Do not overuse detergent; the power-packed ones are specifically designed to use minimal amounts.

- I know it's tempting to stuff clothes in the washer for one less wash, but doing so doesn't effectively clean them. Boo.

- Don't leave clothes in the washer too long; they'll get that icky mildew smell (truth: I'm guilty!).
Re-wash  if this happens.

{drying}

- I'm a huge fan fan of drying on the "low heat" cycle; significantly cuts down on shrinking clothes and unnecessary wear and tear.

- Untangle clothes when moving them from the washer to the dryer.

- Don't use more than one dryer sheet per load; most are even fine if you break them in half!

- Don't keep turning it on to keep the wrinkles out of clothes. Wait until you're ready to fold.

- I now leave a chair by the dryer and fold as the clothes come out; amazingly helpful.

- And, I mentioned this on Facebook: get Downy Wrinkle Releaser to get rid of any wrinkles that you didn't realize you had. I leave it near my closet for convenient access.

photos: via real simple

{additional tips, tricks & resources}

How to clean the top 5 kiddie disasters

Taking care of our delicates (you know what I'm talking about)

The when-to-wash-it handbook

Week in Outfits: How Many is Too Many?

On week three I've already become a bit of a "failure."

While I mentioned the desire to show you my daily outfits, it's become pretty challenging. I know there are bloggers who do this with great success but they post their outfits daily and honestly, this gal just doesn't have the time to do so. At the same time, some feedback has shared that the one big long outfit post recap is challenging to look at and...

I miss being able to show you specific details of an outfit without making this post a mile long.

What's a blogger to do?

Truth: I'm not sure! Haha. I'm just going to mix it up: this week you'll see about five outfits while other weeks might be one or even a post dedicated to how I've worn one piece a few different ways

(I do enjoy re-wearing; note my Gap neutral wedges! They're everywhere!). 

We'll just see what happens so this blog makes both of us happy.

Speaking of which, this week will be a bit abbreviated in terms of posts: more on that on Wednesday.

Wishing you lovely ladies the most wonderful week!

Saturday

{gym / lunch / errands / too lazy to change from my workout gear}

top/bra: lululemon "no limits tank" - no longer online but available in store; obsessed / pants: victoria's secret / watch: swatch / sneaks: asics / hair: braids!!

Sunday

{father's day lunch at our digs}

striped top: american eagle / jean capris: old navy / wedges: nine west  / necklace: forever 21 / watch: michael kors

Monday

{client meeting / errands / misc.}

dress: loft / white cardy: old navy / wedges: gap / bow necklace: tiffany & co.

funny sidenote: this is a 2009 loft dress; went to a baby shower soon after buying and I swear that no less than FOUR women were wearing this exact dress. coincidentally or not, I haven't worn it since.

Thursday

{more client meetings / work}

cardy & white tee: gap / skirt: inc / wedges: gap / necklace: american eagle / leather wrap: baublebar

Friday

{filmed tv segment with wpbf (yay!) / client meetings / lunch meeting}

dress and wedges: gap / necklace: banana republic / bracelets: baublebar and american eagle

The Perfect Combination

Feeling like I could use a little dessert right now so clearly I can't stop thinking about my perfect pairing:

peanut butter + chocolate!

Mmmmm.

A traditional fave is the perfect peanut butter cookie with the hershey kiss smack dab in the middle. Easy peasy and when just slightly undercooked, destined for success (ask my gram; she's the best at them!).

Wishing I could walk downstairs right now to a plate full of all one of these and a big glass o' milk.
Here's to dreamin'....

peanut butter stuffed chocolate cookies

peanut butter chocolate squares

chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing

Yellow... Not So Mellow

My nails are yellow.

And, not because I have jaundice, but because I actually painted them like this.

Really. I thought I'd be all fashionable and cool, but I learned a valuable lesson:

all looks are not for all people.

This one is for me! Haha.

color: mellow yellow /
ignore the awful at-home mani.

It looks way cuter and less jarring yellow close up, I think, than it does looking at it here.
"School bus" yellow, my bro said.  I don't think that was a compliment, right?

I was hoping for a chic Chanel Mimosa look-alike after seeing Jennifer from The Looks for Less show off similar colors in a recent Manicure Monday.  While I was still on the fence, I yearned for the bright color after a tweet exchange with Dianna from The Budget Babe I was convinced this was for me.

Negative.

Do not despair however. I totally think yellow nails could work on some. Particularly if you are darker skinned than I (doesn't take much; ha). If nail polish isn't for you,

check out these sunshine-soaked accessories to get you in the mood...

Anything you're totally loving??

o'neill crystal cove in dandelion, $27.20 (reg. $34)

Wear with anything! Love the pop of color; these are thisclose to the same look as a million pricier options.

dooney & burke large slim wristlet, $58.75 (reg. $75)

Use this wristlet as a handy pouch to store make-up, coupons, anything during the day and pull it out for "emergency" happy hour situations. comes in five colors.

much love illy, large yellow rose ring, $11.50

Talk about a steal on a statement maker! She also has adorable yellow rose earrings for just $6ish!

Bonus: the gal who makes these is aweosme.

old navy, tie-dyed infinity scarf, $14.94

Don't be shy about pairing this with a pattern. If you're not there yet, opt for a solid color.... maybe in a contrasting color (purple, blue, etc) to add depth to your look.

What do you think about the color yellow?
Any favorite yellow items in your closet?