Pinterest Nail FAIL

I love my neighborhood "chop shop." I love the gel manis and spa pedis and the free 5-minute neck massages. I even have gotten over being insulted when they tell me I need "callus remover" or my lip waxed. But the one thing they just can't get right? The Pinterest mani. You know, the amazing unique manis we all see all over Pinterest?

I went in today with half picked off 3 week old red polish and apparently visions of sugar plums dancing in my head. Half asleep from 10 days in the car and feeling oddly festive, I told the girl I wanted to do red and white stripes on my ring fingers - ala a candy cane! Whee! Fun! When they asked if I wanted a little sparkle to go with it, I thought "Sure! Even more FUN!"

Yea. 

Not so much. 

Of course I immediately had to go to lunch with all the KD Gala people, including Lucas' amazing KD doctor. I actually made a point to not talk with my hands. Which is near impossible for me. 

But looking on the bright side, I found a FABULOUS new toe nail polish!

Needless to say a color change is in my future. 

Holiday Insanity? Prepping for a 10-Day Family Road Trip

What happens when 2 bloggers and their 2 kids hop into a 2013 Cadillac SRX Crossover?

Yeah... I'm not so sure. 

Sometimes I wonder about my sanity. On top of work, my blog, the gala I'm helping with and the impending holidays, we decided it would be a good idea to take a 10-day roadtrip out to Omaha, NE to see Jason's family for Thanksgiving. While Jason grew up with road trips and actually sees them as relaxing all I think is "OMG STUCK IN THE CAR WITH THE KIDS FOR HOURS ON END!" as I start to hyperventilate. 

The key to a road-trip is obviously to make the driving as fun as possible and I have to say I'm very excited to be making the drive in the SRX, on loan to us from GMC West for the trip. With the entertainment system in the car, plus all our various iDevices, I'm hoping the trip flies by in a series of naps, movies and photo stops. But the complusive planner in me is stressing, which is why I thought I would share my (non-expert!) list on prepping for a road-trip.

1) Plan out the route - but don't set it in stone

The last time we made this trip we were re-routed a few times by weather. Instead of going up and over the Rocky Mountains as planned, we ended up taking a southern route though New Mexico and Kansas. While stressful at the time, we saw parts of the country that we never even expected to see. But we also lost money on hotels paid for in advance. Luckily with all the apps out there we will never really be stranded without a room for the night, so while we are making reservations, we are not paying for anything up front.

2) Packing smaller "hotel bags"

While I plan on taking the big ticket items out of the car at night (ie: computer bags, iPads), it's nice to not have to take everything out of the car. We pack smaller "trip bags" with just the things we need for the on-the-road part of the trip so we don't have to unpack and repack each day of the drive.

3) Mapping it out with the kids

While the getting out to Omaha, NE part of the trip will be the direct route, coming back we decided to take an extra 2 days and let the kids chose where to stop - well, to an extent. While they wanted to see the Grand Canyon, after looking at the map we realized that probably would be too much of a non-direct haul, so we decided to stop in Moab, UT and see Arches National Park. 

And the 2nd stop that the kids wanted? Vegas, Baby. I guess it stems from us always saying how fun Sin City is... but even though we won't be partying it up, we are staying on the strip and going to show them some of the tamer sights the city has to offer. 

But you know the trip wouldn't be as much fun with out Jason and I broadcasting our every move. So yes, we will be tweeting, blogging, instagraming and updating statuses along the way. 

Follow along with us at #SRXRoadTrip - tell us where to eat, what sights to see and if there is someplace we need to stop.

Adorable App Alert! Alexandra Rain SME: Friends to the Rescue

This is Zoe, age 5. 

She likes cake pops, Boo the Dog, Barbie, Disney "Tween"Comedies, knee socks, Top 40 Pop songs, sparkly shoes and dressing up. When you ask her to get dressed in the morning she actually sings while pulling clothes out of her closet, spinning around and looking at herself in the mirror. 

She has a style all her own, one that I allow her to own (to a point) and encourage her to WERK IT. 

She can also use an iPod/iPad like it's nobodies business. 

Ladies and Gentleman, THIS is what the graduating classes of the 2020s look like. 

That's why I was SO excited to be introduced to the app Alexandra Rain SME: Friends to the Rescue. 

Alexandra Rain teaches girls to be who they are! The Alexandra Rain App is the first in a series of digital books demonstrating the importance of character, strength, courage and love. She is a typical little girl who enjoys playing dress-up and has a fun fashion style. Most importantly, she focuses on her inner beauty and is always kind to others. 

This adorable interactive book is perfect for the modern girls of today. It blends important life lessons with music and fashion. And the follow along "karakoe narration" helps young readers with word recognition, while the interactive pages keep little fingers busy. Zoe loved getting "Alex" dressed for the story, and of course, singing along to Alex's new song. But the best part? Alex thinks her mom "totally rocks."  

I personally think this is an adorable app for the little fashionistas in your life. Additionally, it's now officially "Zoe Approved."

And to celebrate the launch of the app, I am helping to give away 1 of 10 purple sparkly Daisy Rock Guitars! Download the app today and enter to win one of these adorable guitars. 

Use the entry form below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

And if you are on Twitter, join the #AlexandraRain Twitter Party fun on Wednesday, November 14th at 10:00am for your chance at over $1000 in prizes. 

ROCK ON GIRLS!

For more information on the Alexandra Rain app and story please visit:

• Alexandra Rain website  http://alexandrarain.com
  
  
• Twitter:  @Alexandra_Rain
  
  
• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AlexandraRainSeries

*disclosure: This is a sponsored post and I was given the app in addition to being compensated. All thoughts are my own.

Thankful

This week, on top of everything else, I had this obsession to put together and "Thanksgiving Tree." Pretty much a tree with leaves that say what we are thankful for. Since a few people asked, I thought I would share the final outcome....

Of course, I ended up with a "thankful wreath" as well... 

And when Zoë wrote that she's thankful for "family," my heart melted

ETA:

I totally forgot about the "sign" I bought early in October at TJ MAXX. Love that I thought so far in advance.

3 Tips to Choosing YOUR Perfect Holidays Cards on Shutterfly

Last week on Facebook, I made an announcement to my friends and family that almost left a tear in my eye. 

I hate to inform you, my Holiday card will NOT be the first you receive one you receive this season.

You have no idea what this means to me. Usually by now I have my finished cards in hand, labels printed and stamps bought, just waiting for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to hit the post office. But this year, the day before Thanksgiving will find us half way across the country, visiting with Jason's family in Nebraska. And the weeks leading up our trip (a 10-day road trip, BTW) swamped with shows, school things and OH YEA - the Kawaksai Disease Foundation Gala. So, I "let it go." {breathe in... breathe out}

Yes, it's killing me. 

But just because I won't be sending them out "on time" (to me!) doesn't mean I'm not LOOKING. Because you KNOW that the moment I get home and upload my 5000 pictures from the Sony NEX F3 (my Sony Moms product for November) of my kids in all kinds of cool places like The Rocky Mountains and Moab, UT, I will have those cards out before you can say "Jingle All The Way..."

And since I obsess, I thought I would give you a few HipMamaB tips to think about when you are choosing your perfect Holiday Cards.

 
cards shown include: Modern Squares, Best of Wishes and Definitely Naughty. 

1) Personality

What is your family's overall personality? Are you a classic family? Preppy? Modern? Whimsical? Silly? What do you want people to immediately think when they open your card? Then find a card template that matches what you want your card to say about you. 

Also is there a color that best represents your family? Ours is {duh} turquoise... so cards that have that primary color in them are definitely more "us."

cards shown include: What Fun, Double the Merriment and Wishing Holly Jolly

2) Picture(s)

Are you planning your card around a picture or your picture around your card? There is no right or wrong answer to this one. You may have had special pictures taken specifically for your cards or you may have taken an amazing vacation that you want to share. You may want to stage a photo for a specific card you like, or you may have multiple pictures you want to use. And once you have your images in hand, play around and make a few different cards to see which card works best!

card: Frames of Happiness

3) Fonts

It's the marketing person in me, but I strongly believe in you are what your typeface is. Yes, I'm the person that spends 25 minutes going through font lists when creating documents and photo collages, and flat out refuse to even walk into shops and spas that use Papyrus or Curlz in their logos. 

Fonts say a lot about your style, and can card from timeless to tacky in .2 seconds. Even if YOU are not really a font person, step out of that box and think about final impact on typeface with a card. So don't go playing around with them. Chose a card with a font that speaks to you and just fill in your name and walk away. That is the beauty of card sites like Shutterfly!

Those are the things I think about when creating my annual card. And NO, I would never think of going digital. It's part of the spirit to get the mail and display all your cards - so don't even think about taking me off your list.

If you are more on top of things than I am this year, until November 14th Shutterfly is offering 40% off cards with the promo code: HOLIDAY

*disclosure: This is a sponsored post from Shutterfly.com.