Natural Fruit Pops

Lose the unnecessary calories from store bought Popsicles with these super simple homemade ice pops.

In the grips of hell...

Let me preface this whole post firstly by saying I am the mother of two successfully potty trained children.  The world of potty training was at my hands! I had the literature and know how to determine when would be a good time and emerged victorious. Easy and tear free...until I met my third child.

I took note when she would come up and say,"I poo-pooed change me", or physically took off her Huggies pull-up and threw it in the garbage on her own without me even asking. 

I prided myself in the fact that she was so  smart and only 2 years old. The potty chair had always been there. A fixed specimen that moved locations gracefully from bathroom to living room..to basically wherever she wanted. Yes this third child was demanding. "Don't you want to be a big girl!" I would retort?, "Don't you want to be just like your sisters?". "Don't you want like a giant cookie, candy bar or triple layer cake!!!" (screw the 1 piece of M&M's candies. I was going big!)

Tieks by Gavrieli

So I finally did it, I bought myself a pair of Tieks by Gavrieli.  Facebook has been harassing me for months now with adverts for these cute ballet flats.  They are supposed to be made from the finest Italian leather and constructed with the highest quality materials.  I just like the way that they looked to be honest and they were featured as one of Oprah's favorite things.

Juicing for Kids

Out of my three daughters I have one who eats nothing.....literally nothing. She is a nibbler, and if you can get her to try something she takes one nibble and then that's it. I have stressed myself over the fact that she won't grow and that she will wither away, but toddlers are surprising and they grow like weeds. 

Beauty Protector Ultimate Hair Oil

Had to gush about this amazing product for a minute! This is another great find from Birchbox, specifically it came in my February box. Beauty Protector, which is Birchbox's best selling brand, Protect & Oil Argan Hair Serum.



 It's is not what your thinking.  You will not look like a Grecian salad after applying. It is super soft and instantly smooths and shines hair.  The first thing I love about this product is the smell. I have read reviews that say it's scent is vanilla-ish, however I instantly think of cotton candy. Regardless, it's an amazing smell! 

I have tried it on both on wet and dry hair and have been impressed with the outcome. It takes dry ends and softens them. Your hair glistens and is more manageable. The sample size I had lasted forever so a little goes a long way. On wet hair work this product through your hair just as you would a gel or mousse. On dry hair run it through just your tips. It protects against UV rays and heat damage. Believe me I have oily hair and this product does not want to make you run to the shower. It leaves hair looking healthy and clean.

It is available to Birchbox customers only for $24.95, so get on board. Subscriptions are not as expensive as you think and Birchbox has great full size beauty product offers for their customers.

Not only have I placed an order for more, I am also getting these beauties! Beauty Protector Shampoo/Conditioner/Detangler combo. I am particularly excited about this for the Detangler. I have been using Detangler on all 3 of my girls, but have not found a "natural" product that works. I love to spray on Detangler after the pool and before they take their baths. This makes my job easier. The reviews say the smell of these products are enough to buy them! Who doesn't love a good long lasting hair smell.

Love and Tulips,

Nicole from Alpharetta

New Beauy Test Tube-We Review the January Tube

Super Pretty Hot Pink packaging-I couldn't wait to open it!

I'm totally in LOVE.... L. O. V. E.  Both Nicole and I are totally obsessed with subscription boxes.  We have been doing our own thing with Tulips Apothecary, filling orders for boxes with other companies and we finally decided, we need a reward!  You probably read Nicole's previous review of Birchbox, but I have a better one.  I won the Beauty Box lottery!!

New Beauty Test Tube Box

New Beauty Test Tube is a monthly subscription and comes with a quarterly magazine subscription.  It is $29.99 a tube and totally worth it.  My box arrived in all of it's hot pink glory, how could you not get excited for that?  In it, I received the actual test tube filled with products, a small travel pouch filled with a few more travel sized products and a paper pamphlet explaining everything including where I could purchase.

This is the pamphlet that explained everything in the Test Tube. 

The pamphlet not only explained all the products, but it told you a little about each company and what professionals thought of each item.  That is one of the best things about New Beauty.  They are all about professionals rating the products rather than advertising money.

These are the products that came in the Test Tube

This is the actual Test Tube and most of the products came packaged inside.

Votivo full size candle in Red Currant.  I love all candles, this one is perfect right in the bathroom.  I have it on my vanity and it smells amazing without even being lit.

Biosilk Volumizing Therapy Texturizing Powder.  I am not a huge fan of dry shampoo, but this one did what it said it would do.  I would use this one because it leaves your hair shiny which most dry shampoos do not do.  I did not however, like that after a few hours my roots felt a bit gooey. 

Pantene Expert Collection Pro V Advanced + Keratin Repair.  Loved the shampoo, it left my hair super soft and I didn't need to use my straightener after I used the blow dryer.  I am stuck on my It's a 10 hair mask as a conditioner so it's really hard for me to like any other conditioner.

Mally Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Eyeliner.  This is the best, my second favorite in the Tube.  I received a full sized liner, the color is a very vibrant navy blue and it stayed put all day long.  It looks great with brown eyes.  I will be purchasing this again and likely exploring other Mally products.

Moroccanoil Body Butter.  One word...OMG!  This stuff is from the God's and considering I make my own body lotion, that is saying a lot.  It smells amazing and glides on without feeling greasy or heavy.  I just finished the small 1.6 ounce container and I am literally crying.  I have already ordered a full sized version.

Revlon Age Defying Wrinkle Remedy Line Filler.  It goes on smoothly when applied to surface wrinkles.  I have been using around my eyes and between my brows.  It seems to smooth out the skin but if you are dry, this may not work.   I am always skeptical of these topical wrinkle remedies, so you will have to try it yourself as I am not sold.

June Jacobs Papaya Purifying Enzyme Masque.  I have not tried this one yet, but there are good on line reviews and it is an all natural product, so right up my alley.

This is the Beauty To-Go pouch.  It contained Hydroxatone 90 Second Wrinkle Reducer and Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Glow Pads neither of which I have tried.  The one I liked is Lumene Time Freeze Firming Day Cream.  I have been using it for the last week and I really like it.  It is all natural and leaves no greasy residue.  It has kept my skin soft even though it is winter and it is not heavy.  There is an SPF of 15 as well.  The only con for this one is that it has no fragrance in it so it doesn't smell bad but it's not like other products that have a heavy fragrance.

I couldn't be more happy with my purchase!  I also can't wait for the February box to arrive.

Love and Tulips,

Amanda from Irvine

In Style Essentials-Finally a Blouse that fits!

I am a girl that loves a uniform.  Not like a mail man or a bus driver, but a go to outfit.  I have one for the summer and one for the winter.  I use accessories to keep on trend, but usually never stray too far.

 For summer, it's a tank top and jeans.  Flip flops for day and heels for night.

How cute are they!  You can't go wrong with this look, simple and sexy.

 
 

For winter, it's a button down and jeans.  Ballet flats for day and boots for night.

She is seriously gorgeous

 (I also may have a small obsession with Jennifer Aniston's style... can you tell?)

My biggest issue with this look is that a button down is almost impossible to find that fits me correctly.  They are either way too tight in the bust and the buttons pull, pop or just don't button at all.  Or, it fits my bust and everything else is huge and baggy, which makes a girl with big boobs just look fat.

Thankfully, my problems are solved.  In Style magazine has created In Style Essentials.  It's a line of three specially designed button down blouses that are sized by your bra size rather than traditional sizing methods.  They are only available on-line, so I ordered one and I absolutely love it!!