A couple of weeks ago I received my welcome package from Glamour Magazine! YEAH!! I am so happy to have been chosen as a MOMBASSADOR for Glamour. What does this mean? First of all it means lots of fun for myself and my circle of influence. We will get VIP access to Glamour events and offers and I we will be the first to know whats going on in home, health and family, as well as fashion and beauty.
I wanted to share what I received from GLAMOUR with everyone! A GLAMOUR tote bag filled with goodies! A flip video camera, Glambassador cards with my personal information(to hand out), Glambassador paper and pens, and 6 Target gift cards to hand out to girlfriends so that they can try Maybelline products!

Thanks GLAMOUR for choosing me as a GLAMBASSADOR!

Angel

Over the past 5 days I have been anxiously checking email and Facebook to check on my dear friends trip to Ethiopa to see her son. This is the first child for “M” and “G” and I couldn’t be more excited for them both!
“M” texted all of us as she was holding her son for the 1st time, saying that it felt that her heart was going to burst! This feeling is no different for any 1st time mother, no matter HOW you become that childs mother. Every child is a blessing and I can’t wait to meet this little guy once he comes home to Chicago!

So after years of trekking to the grocery store, I decided to try Peapod grocery delivery service. I tried them not out of being lazy but out of need! I have 2 girls ages 6 and 4 and am currently 8 months pregnant…so you see what I mean?

The ordering process was quite simple, I went online and signed up for an account and then walked down each “virtual” isle of food. There are specials and sale items as well as local items which I love! I was able to get some local Chicago favorites…Maggiano’s and Carson’s ribs to name a couple. Upon completing my order and checking out, I was given a $20 credit as a first time user and also I chose a delivery time for the next time that gave me $2 off. They give you a 5 to 6 hour window for delivery but you can check the day of your delivery for a definite time. The morning of my delivery I was given from 6:08pm to 8:08 pm, my driver arrived at 6:30. He asked if I’d like the groceries in the kitchen, went over my receipt and said he’d see me soon. They do take coupons , you give them to the driver and they will be deducted before they process your payment. I ordered a variety of items just to try it out. I did make the mistake of not looking at the size of the coffee creamer and Pirates Booty that I ordered, I received 2 tiny bottles of creamer and 6 individual bags of Pirates Booty instead of one large bag. I will be more careful the next time when ordering. The Market Day meats I ordered, were frozen upon arrival as described and the fruit I ordered was better than I could’ve gotten at our local grocery store. They even gave you a choice of ordering yellow or green bananas.

Overall, I LOVE Peapod and will be ordering again in a week or so, it was so nice to grocery shop in the comfort of my home . Definitely a thumbs UP! Oh and the delivery charge is $6.95….

www.peapod.com

On monday my friend and I made a quick trip to the city with our 4 year olds. We ended up finding to great places that I wanted to write about.

The 1st place we visited was Chicago Kids Bookstore located on Southport in Lakeview. The girls were excited to run in as there are books, toys, clothing and more. While we were there they were about to have story time for infants. There were cozy places for the girls to sit as well as large stuffed animals(horses, dogs, etc…) for them to sit on. It is a whimsical yet educational environment as after all it is a Bookstore 1st and foremost.

After visiting the book store we headed down the street a block or so to Candyality and let me tell you, good luck getting your kids out! The have candy from the days when we were young, as well as chocolates by the pound and every other candy you can imagine. We were greeted warmly by the owner who showed the girls around and gave them the golden rule of “not putting our hands in the candy bins and only using the scoopers”. There is a cooler in the front full of frozen treats, movie style popcorn, t-shirts and gift items available. My daughter picked up a little gift bag of treats for her daddy that said “SOME SUGAR FOR MY DADDY!” how cute is that? I ended up spending $19 on candy but so enjoyed my bag of chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate covered peanuts on the way home!

If you are in Chicago, these are both great places to visit with your Kids and are local favorites (not touristy spots). Just click on the names of the places above to visit their websites.

So my husband turned 40 a few weeks back. He didn’t want a party or anything out of the ordinary for his birthday. (or so I thought!) 2 days before his birthday he told me that he wanted to skydive and to make the reservation. I was excited for him yet nervous at the same time as we have 2 small children and are expecting a 3rd. I made the reservation and the whole family trekked about an hour away to see him jump out of a plane, midlife crisis you ask? I don’t have a clue!

We watched as a plane went up and people started jumping out, my husband was busy having some kind of training before he jumped tandem. His jump went fine and he did say that he was a little nervous as they stood on the edge waiting to jump (or be pushed) out! He made it, no broken limbs and tons of pictures and a video to commemorate his experience. Afterwards he got his ear pierced and that was it…HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

For the last 2 days women and men walked (a marathon and a half)to raise awareness and money for Breast Cancer Research.
For my family our connection with the walk started 3 years ago but began in our hearts years before. My husband and I have done 5k walks since our 1st daughter was born, who is now going to be turning 7. We told ourselves that we would always participate in creating more awareness after counting more that 10 family and friends who had bee touched by the disease. Three years ago we began participating in the AVON walk. The first year I walked and my husband volunteered as medical crew. We were both amazed at what happened during those two days. We vowed to participate in the AVON walk every year! Our 2nd year, my husband volunteered as medical crew and I was told that I could only walk 2 miles a day for medical reasons. I was devistated but stayed around to cheer on our team as well as 12 staff members from my daughters school who decided to walk! This year, I am happily in my 8th month of pregnancy, but was told not to walk under any circumstances….so my hubby, 2 girls and I trekked to the walk to Cheer on our Team!! The same emotions were there as everyone crossed the finish line, doing something that they thought was impossible. Achieving something that will change their lives forever as it did mine!

Next year, I WILL WALK…and raise AWARENESS once again