Thursday, October 1st, 2009
Dressing for days when I don’t have a brain

I’m wearing a new dress today and I think it could be my favourite thing in my closet right now. I’m going to Cirque du Soleil tonight with my hubby and some people from his work, so I wanted to look kind of cool but I also didn’t want to be over-dressed for a day at the office. I scoured the web in my pre-shop (something I always do because I don’t like to waste time once I’m in the mall) and wasn’t too excited with the options I came up with. I was even less excited after I tried a few of them on! But then, I walked into Jacob and I found it. So simple, so easy and so NOT expensive! $49? Really, that’s it?

I’m wearing it today with black tights and scrunchy suede boots. I’m so comfy, I feel like I’m wearing pajamas, but I’ve already planned other ways to wear it:

1. With stirrup tights and ballet flats

2. With skinny jeans and ballet flats or maybe my boots

3. Belted, with a white blouse under it and my black leggings

Posted by Natalie, Todaysparent.com
on Thursday, October 1st, 2009 at 5:34:28 PM
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Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Tina the Town and Country

On the day I found out I was pregnant with my third child, Peyton, I had a bit of a meltdown. It was so unexpected, so soon after my son's birth (I was still on maternity leave!) and Oh my God! How would I ever fit three car seats in my station wagon? Did this mean...? Yes, it did. We had to start shopping for a minivan.
Now I'll admit it, I'm a vain person. I mean, I may not be cool but I’d really like my car to be. Right? Wrong. Not anymore, anyway! Three kids in carseats is minivan city. That’s when we bought Tina (we name all our cars, do you?).
Once I came to terms with the fact that no other driver on the road would ever think I was cool enough to check out at a stoplight again, the benefits of my minivan lifestyle started to take hold.
1. I can go shopping at Ikea, buy what ever I want (assuming I can actually afford it) and take it home right away.
2. I have a little movie theatre in my van. On long (7 hour) trips to the cottage, after we’re all I-Spyed out, I can stick in Dora the Explorer in and the screaming will stop. At least for a little while.
3. My van doors open and close by themselves. I can open the doors from a distance and the kids can jump into the safety of the van. So even if I’m bogged down with grocery bags, they're not running loose in a parking lot.
4. Leather seats are easy to clean. No amount of sour milk, vomit or sticky fingers can get me down.
5. Stow-and-go seats mean we can pick up other kids, grandmas etc. on a moment's notice and we don't have to go home to pick up the extra seat. Also, we can leave it down 90 percent of the time so we can climb in to do up seatbelts. The dog likes this too since we always leave a seat down for him, which gives him lots of room to sleep and drool.
6. Our built in GPS and the little compass thing above my rear-view mirror mean I’ll never get lost again. Well, they will, once I figure out how to use them.

7. One thing I do know how to use is Blue Tooth. I hit a button, say “CALL HOME” and the voice is piped through the stereo system and I don’t have to fumble around looking for my cell phone. This is also cool because it kind of makes me feel like Micheal Knight on Night Rider and Tina is instantly transformed into Kit.

8. One day, when I have the energy, I might decide to go parking with my husband — and think of all the room we'll have to fool around in.

OK. So that last one might never happen.

Posted by Dana Dougherty Reinke
on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 at 8:39:01 AM
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Monday, September 28th, 2009
What's for dinner?

I'll tell you what's for dinner, something from the amazing new cookbook, Bite Me: A Stomach-Satisfying, Visually-Gratifying, Fresh-Mouthed Cookbook. I was lucky enough to attend a press event with the authors recently and was treated to a few of their delicious recipes. My favourite, by far, was the french toast with caramelized rice krispies — but I'm dying to try the rustic spaghetti with meatballs and to relive the magic that was their chocolate cake. With amazing and kitchy food styling and photography and energetic writing, this is one cookbook I'll be consulting over and over again. Now, if I could just find someone to cook all this stuff for me!

Posted by Dana Dougherty Reinke
on Monday, September 28th, 2009 at 9:45:59 AM
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Monday, September 21st, 2009
Timesaver

Ah, I love a good 2-in-1 — I'm always on the lookout for some way to save steps on my beauty routine. Just like a man, a good 2-in-1 is hard to find, but I did it. And unlike a man, this one actually cleans! Olay Regenerist Eye Make-Up Remover plus Anti Wrinkle Treatment is a lovely creamy formula that you smooth on and wipe off. It removes dirt, makeup and even mascara but leaves behind Olay moisturizers that brighten the tired skin around my eyes.
SO tired. Very little sleep at my house last night. I think I need a bigger bed.

P.S. Given that I get very little sleep, I'm on the prowl for a new concealer that will banish bags and take years off my tired skin. Any suggestions?

Posted by Dana Dougherty Reinke
on Monday, September 21st, 2009 at 11:45:58 AM
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Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
Mr. Dafoe, I'm ready for my close up

Tonight I'm going to see My Son, My Son What Have ye Done at the Toronto Film Festival. Just me, Willem Dafoe and hundreds of other people at the Elgin Theatre.
I don't really have a crush on him but he is relatively famous and mildly cute. You never know, it's possible that he might see me across a crowded theatre and sweep me off to Hollywood to be a movie star, or something -- well, okay it's not really possible, since already my hubby and 3 kids are complicating the scene and it's only a fantasy at this point, but whatever... The point is it could happen. And do you know why? Because my teeth look amazing!
I've been using Crest Whitestrips Advance Seal ($49.99 at the drugstore) for the past 14 days and my teeth are movie star white. I've used Whitestrips before and they were kind of slippy and slidey and I've never really finished them. This time was easier because the seal is so much better, I hardly noticed them and I could even drink water while I wore them.  Me likey.
After a few days of wearing them, I started to notice a lot of sensitivity, something that's pretty common with all whitening products. I picked up some sensitive formula toothpaste though and that cleared up almost immediately. Thank heavens. Because if it hadn't I wouldn' have stuck it out and I wouldn't look this hot right now!
 

Posted by Dana Dougherty Reinke
on Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 at 3:02:02 PM
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