Haute Ms. Product Review

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This play left me a little green - and I LOVED it!

Chicago Shakespeare Theater helped my family make an amazing memory!

Their production of Shrek The Musical was incredible. From the cast to the special effects my whole family was transported into an incredible experience that just blew us away!  James Earl Jones' son plays Donkey and his comedic timing was just...brilliant.  I have to say I didn't know what to expect but this would have blown me away if it was a Broadway production.

Fiona was played by three women in three stages of her life and each one of them was not only dead on but matched a congruous pitch and vocal style that was spot on.  The children in the show were so incredibly professional and talented. 

It was a 75 minute show which was great for toddlers and the older kids alike, no intermission, perfect! They had these great Shrek & Fiona ears for the kids which were just too cute for words and the actors came out to say hi to the kids after the show which was amazing!  Get your tickets today - you will cherish the memory for years to come!

http://www.chicagoshakes.com/main.taf?p=2,96

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It's squishy and freezy and a I like it aka Happy Feet

To say that it is hard for me to sit still is an understatement.  Running after the worlds fastest toddler and keeping my business thriving is a full time gig that requires very tall shoes.  Even though I have a Stiletto Friendly Chiropractor (love him up at www.chicagoinh.com) my little feet are always my biggest supporters and the last thing on my mind.  TheraPED made me SIT DOWN and love my paws and I couldn 't be happier.

These strappy wonders slip in-between long cramped up toes and wrap the sore bits and balls of feet in icy goodness or soft warmth...whateva your pleasure!  I am not a big fan of cold but after the initial shock of freezing the crap out of my feet my aches and pains have started to run away faster than my Little Ms. It's a perfect treat after a long afternoon at a street festival or when you are done trudging through the snow.  MMMMMMMMMMommy likey!

**Warning- DO NOT let your husband try these.  Not only do his toes look awful sticking through the little holes, you plain old won't get to use them ever cause he will be glued to the couch with his TheraPeds in the air.

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I paint my nails like a drunk 4 year old...but this helps

I have been 'practicing' painting my nails for round about 25 years now. I am always mystified when I see women bang out an awesome coat in 2 mins, I've never even made it out of the salon without having to get a touch up.  Let's just say that my talents definitely lie elsewhere!  

Enter Liquid Palisides.  It's this cool rubbery purpley stuff that you paint around your nail.  Huh, I always just slopped it on there and then waited for it to rub off.  So, in true hot mess vs. Haute Ms. fashion I completely flubbed up and got it in all kinds of wonky places but the intention was there.  I can see how this would be great for when your lovely little girls want to paint your nails - cause that turns out about as well as me doing my own.

So you paint it around the skin and cuticle and then paint away - when the nail polish is almost dry peel off the purpley rubber and voi-ola! You got pretty fingers and toes!  It's super cute for french manicures and some of the more crazy nails.  But you gotta play with it a bit.  Or if you are like me you can take it to the nail people and have them look at you like you are a nut bag.  Either works.

http://www.kiesque.com/

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Nature's Flavours Product Review

Let it be known that I am not a baker.  You want the world best tortilla soup? I’m on it. You need dinner slightly burnt? I’m your girl.  You want me to whip up a cake for your something or other? Yeah, you go down Addison, turn right on Western and there’s a store called Mariano’s.  My mother, on the other hand, was your top pick in her tiny town if you wanted your wedding cake whipped up, needed a Smurfette cake in the 80s (which, of course, one must have for a successful 4th birthday) and only cursed at me for 4 solid hours while she made the Abbey Road Fondant cake I so desperately wanted for my baby shower.

When I was a Little Ms. I was an allergy vexed young lady which included everything from daily injections to having to pick out all of the red M&Ms from every bag.  If we had a product like Nature’s Flavours Natural Food Coloring I might have lived a more adventurous, or at the least more colorful, life.  Their line of pesticide-free, synthetic-free, chemical-free, BPA-free 100% recycled packaging food coloring (whew! I feel like I just ordered a Starbucks coffee with all those adjectives) is at least a decade’s supply of food coloring with none of the guilt.

All of their natural colors are free of artificial ingredients or additives and are kosher, vegan, and gluten free.  They are specially formulated as replacements for artificial colors and dyes, many of which have been linked with diseases and learning disorders.  They are perfectly suited to many diverse applications, from baking to ice cream, beverages to snow cones.  All of the natural colors are created from the earth, featuring the robust palette Mother Nature has provided.  Fruits, flowers, seeds, and vegetables are all used to impart their distinctive and vibrant hues to our colors. 

So what does a non-baker do with food coloring if she ain’t bakin’ no cakes?  She’s amusing the crap out of her toddler!  My Little Ms. loves to go squish!  So, while I am twittering away at the stove I make her a mound of organically colored instant mashed potatoes.  She can squish and slap and squeal and I can run a bath for when she is done.  It’s something I wouldn’t have done in a million years with regular dyes but this is so much fun.  It will also be a blast at Thanksgiving, which in the Haute Ms. household is a festive event that we celebrate Suess style, making green mashed taters, purple deviled eggs and brown gravy.  Yes, the gravy stays brown, you can’t dye it, don’t try, and plus it’s gravy – it’s too good to mess with and doesn’t look as fun when it turns greenish-black.

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Made by Dad book review - AWESOME and stuff

Book review – Made by Dad – 67 blue prints for making cool stuff.

This book is just amazing! It’s like a boy scout manual met a Martha Stewart Crafting book and made babies. Lots of babies.  Now, I will admit that you gotta have stuff to do it.  Lots of stuff that Dad types typically have.  Blow torches, several kinds of glue, and possibly some artistic talent.  But if you can squeak out just a little effort…ok, a lot of planning and effort, you too can make a ton of cool stuff. 

I know that we, as mommies, are always hoping that our husbands can engage with the kids in a deeper way.  That is code for something that doesn’t involve video games.  This book is a sure shot way to give them lots of QT with out a lot of you having to do anything (except possibly clean up afterwards!).  Best Father’s Day gift –eva!

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Celadon Road Green Gator is bath goodness with a heart!

To say that I was horrified to find out how dangerous the Johnson & Johnson products are is to put it lightly.  Are we to be impressed that they are removing the FORMALDEHYDE from their products in 2012?!?!

I won't touch anything from them with a 10 ft pole so when I got a chance to review the Celadon Road products I was excited.  

(thanks to ahensnest.com for the photo)

The Green Gator line is a total crunchy bath experience that is good for my girl and for my sanity!  It has this delicious lavender scent that is soft and not a lavender whack in the face like others.  The bubble bath is a favorite of course and everything from the bar soap to the body wash/shampoo are as gentle as they can be.

It all comes in recycled packaging as well so you can put that on your Karmic Brownie Point List (I am still looking to offset my part in the diaper s-will-destroy-the-earth debacle).  

This is a direct sales company which means that you will need to work with a local consultant to get the goods but hey, you can help a local business owner and get great stuff - WHY NOT?!?

They range from 6 - 30 bucks per product

www.celadonroad.com 

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Note to self… (via Buzzfeed)

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It's time to go SportySpice!

The truth is, I only wear a tshirt when I am sick, a sweatshirt when it's 10 below (and under my fur) and sweat pants when I am trying to nonverbally tell my husband that nothing is going to happen - EVER! 

But I gotta tell you, this vintage team shirt company is totally fab.  My bestie, Laura, loves them sports.  She fantasy teams and googles sports players and everything so I thought it was super cute to get her a vintage Tshirt that was a little different.  Who knew that the White Sox used to be Stockings??!?  

You gotta check em out.  They have a great selection and the quality is just fabulous! http://www.prepsportswear.com  

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The best sunscreen I have seen!

It's no secret.  I is white. Super white. Frog Belly White.  The truth is, Lily was actually BORN tanner that I am.  So sunscreen is a way of life that is totally reinforced by my esthetics degree.  YOU MUST WEAR SUNSCREEN.

I grew up in Vegas in the 80s and 90s and even though we knew not to coat in crisco and lay on the roof we certainly didn't know about crazy stuff like sun-retardent clothing and I had skin cancer by the time I was 20.  My daughter will not be exposed! 

Noodle and Boo must have heard my inner monologue because they put together an amazing line of products that are just as good as it gets.  

Their Sunblock is awesome and chalked full of zinc oxide, which reflects the sun from the skin as opposed to altering the way it filters through. Mui Importanto!

Packaging pretty, smell fabulous...get ready for a tube of bliss!

NEW Noodle & Boo Play Day Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen ($18)

A lightweight, non oily and water resistant baby sunscreen for broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection

Fortified with aloe and Vitamin E, this baby sunscreen goes on effortlessly and dries quickly

SPF 50 for protection against UVA and UVB rays

Nurtures and moisturizes while providing maximum SPF protection

Dermatologist and Pediatrician tested formula is mild enough for daily use on babies 6 months or older with sensitive skin

Hypoallergenic and clinically tested for sensitive skin

  The Noodle & Boo Play Day Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen is available at Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, Von Maur and NoodleandBoo.com 

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It is time to organize! Baby food and Bottles get stacked!

I...am not a 'domestic goddess'.  My mother and I have butted heads our entire lives about how things should be organized, cleaned and let me tell ya, now that I am 30 those conversations have not disappeared. 

But this is so cool that we both agree, we couldn't live without it!  PRK products has this amazing baby bottle organizer that allows us to live a little longer between loads of dishes and stack more bottles. Safe, clean, easy!

It fits all of the newer bottles like tommee tippee, aventi and more!

There’s nothing worse than knocking over and contaminating a bottle or sippy cup during feeding time. Here are features of our Universal Baby Bottle and Sippy Cup Organizer:

Stores up to 12 bottles or sippy cups

Loads horizontally and uses gravity to dispense bottles one at a time

Takes up less of a footprint in your kitchen cabinet

Compatible with over 30 of the best baby bottles and sippy cup brands

Adjustable, so you won’t have to buy a new product when your baby outgrows a bottle

Dishwasher Safe

Can be used as baby bottle storage in the refrigerator or freezer

The baby bottle holder comes with basket to hold accessories

Unit expands to three different sizes, accommodating bottles up to 7.25 inches tall

Unit stands 10 inches tall and is 11 inches deep

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The new coolest thing ever - Monkey Mat

We have all seen the world go crazy with sanitation.  You have a little cover for your shopping cart, a thingy for the high chair, a doodlydoo for the changing table, and it's all great stuff.  But what about the play??

Enter the Monkey Mat! It's the coolest doodad ever... It's a piece of parachute material with weights in each corner, loops in the middle for toys and it's own bag that it folds back into. Voila! 

I used it on a trip to my girlfriends and let me tell you, I used it every leg of the trip.  At the airport I was able to lay it down and let her stretch out on the floor.  At my friends house I was able to lay it own and keep her off of the floor and cat hair (I should note that my friend is the CLEANEST person on earth so it was no reflection on her whatsoever), if we hadn't been in Minnesota where there was snow snow and snow I would have used it outside.  

A total snap to unpack and repack - this is a NO BRAINER! LOVE IT!

www.monkeymat.com

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Wear this not that! Baby K'tan

In all of my struggles with my back I am always looking for ways to keep Lily close to my body and since she loves to do just about everything with me I had find something -fast!! I really do love the idea of attachment parenting, though admittedly I haven’t read all the books and probably never will. Lets call my style Mommy and Me parenting. We do everything together when ever I possibly can sand I give her as much touch and skin time as I possibly can but she won’t be breast-feeding when she’s four. So of course baby wearing sounded great. I kind of think of it as ‘Baby as accessory’! Luckily she so damn cute that she goes with every outfit and always makes me look skinnier which is a bonus! We started with the pouch style which seemed to be a great idea except it seemed to hurt her poor little legs when I put her in it. Scratch that. From there we went straight to the most expensive Baby Bjorne that we could find with back support up the wazoo. It worked fabulously but not really ideal for public transit. I was always having to shuffle the bulky thing around and it just feel huge amongst the litany of other baby items that I had to tote with me in and out of the city.

Then, like a gift from baby Jesus, came the Baby K’tan. It’s beautifully simple in its design. A couple of loops made out of super breathable jersey knit that easily slips around you and then you can slide yer peanut right in there and it packs up into this tiny little bag. It has one tie that goes around e waist that is supposed to give back support but it was near what the Bjorne does. But, with that being said it doesn’t hurt my back either as long as I don’t wear it all day long. It does stretch a little bit with wear so make sure that you get it a little smaller than you think you should. It’s also super easy to throw in the wash, a feature that none of the other items offered.

In short (and no, that’s not a height joke) this is a fabulous piece for you to grab and go, though if you are going to be out all day long it may not be the best pick. Overall it’s easy, affordable and totally convenient and it always me to be the most fashionable mommy on the runway, er, supermarket aisle. Eh, same diff!

Buy it here!!! http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Ktan-Carrier-Black-Small/dp/B000UYFULU

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So mommy chic! Chew Beads rule!!!

Fashionable? Yup. Nontoxic? Totes. Makes baby happy? Uh huh. I love love love my Chew Beads! We all know that baby is going to grab, tug, chew, mangle and otherwise destroy what ever jewelry you will be wearing so this is an easy way to give them something wonderful, and its fabulous for you too! I like the flat beads a little better than the rounds, they just have a total chicness about them. I keep this lovelies on my list of stuff to buy when I have the extra pocket change and I just keep adding to my collection. Oh, and if you weren't ready to go buy 10 already, you can throw them in the dishwasher!!!!! BUY EM HERE http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=chewbeads&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=15000563129&hvpos=1s1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6447967071360183746&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&ref=pd_sl_3iwkpufyv6_e

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Ooh baby, you got some moves!! Magic Moves Wand

Cute cute cute! This fun Ame colorful wand had a class full of toddlers up and groovin and they stayed ENGAGED. It's true, real kids, doing something that doesn't involve a tv or gamer controls. I know, I never thought it could happen myself but it did.

So the secret sauce here is that this fabulous toy yells out fun stuff for the kids to perform and wiggle around to while lighting up and just being generally awesome. I can see this going over HUGE at a daycare and it is just a fabulous stocking stuffer. I didn't even have to put batteries in it..gotta love that!!!!

Best price is about 16 bucks!!! http://www.clevershoppers.com/index.phpmain_page=product_info&products_id=82374&utm_source=googlemerchant&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=google_product&gclid=CKX1ktibpbQCFSOnPAodKQQA3Q

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And daddy goes vrrroooom! Super Mario Mini Remote Control Kart

Let it be known that boys, be they ten or fourty, will just plain freak out when it comes to a remote control car of any type. Big or teeny, shiny metal or perfectly plastic, it matters not. So when we opened up this adorable mini remote control car I could see my husby visibly playing out in his mind all of the fun he was going to have running this car around the house chasing dogs and making the kids squeal! He patiently waited as I fumbled with the agony that is modern pacakaging and filled up all the battery slots. Not even thinking to read the directions I had a really tough time with it at first. It wouldn't go straight at all but the husby fixed it with a tiny screw driver and made it all better via some mechanism on the bottom of the car. After that there was no stopping this little kart that can! It is very cool that you can plug the remote into the car to charge though it does seem to lose its charge very quickly. For me this would be more of a stocking stuffer than a big gift but its cool all the same!!! http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys/Super-Mario-Brothers-1-24-Scale-Remote-Control-Mario-Kart-Toy/6344989/product.html?cid=202290&kid=9553000357392&track=pspla&adtype=pla&kw=%7Bkeyword%7D

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They're Heeeeeerrreee! Little Aliens Cook Book

Such a cute book! The kids were so excited to open this brightly colored and photo heavy collection of super fun and creepy recipes! Some of them called for odd bits like a gummy human but for the most part you can find the ingredients in your pantry. I immeadiately started mentally planning to use this for a sleep over when the kids could put together and theme and make cooking the activity for the evening. There we some recipes that were just very general recipes with cute names, such a sliders that were called flying saucers, but hey, if it gets the kids excited why the heck not? Overall I think it is awesome and would make a great gifts and it really is stuff that you couldn't easily find on the internet.

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The coolest bottle on the street!

What the WHAT?

This bottle ROCKS MY FREAKIN SOCKS!  I started Lily on formula at about three months, just to kind of supplement the breast milk because I simply could not breast feed her every 45 minutes and still run the business and get life done.  We were always rushing around to prep bottles when ever we were out of the house, filling up little baggies of formula, tossing in bottles of water and empty bottles and just generally not having any room left in the bag for necessities like my wallet and 6 traveling lipsticks.

And then in walked short, green and gorgeous!  This bottle has a compartment in the bottom that you can fill with 2-3 scoops of formula.  It’s in this fabulous water tight compartment in the bottom.  You just stick it on the bottom of the bottle and then screw the o-ring around the bottom of the whole thing and Voi-ola! you can then fill the top part with water (I have the 4 .oz and the 6 oz. bottles) and toss it in the diaper bag.  When you go to mix the baby juice you simply push on the bottom of the bottle and it pushes up on the top of the formula compartment making it release the formula into the water, and I have convinced myself that the lid floating around in there helps to mix the formula so that there are no clumpies left but whether it does or not I have no idea.  I even love the nipples that come with these.  They appear to have some areo-dynamic design to it that helps my sweet girl not leak from the sides of her mouth like she does with her Tommy Tippees.

Gramma loves it, I love it, Lily loves it and now it’s my new go to gift for expecting mothers! • Easy to use • Easy to clean • Makes life a WHOLE lot easier • Less baby face leaking

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