Feel like partying?

This year I decided to join the Ultimate Blog Party thrown by 5 Minutes for Mom. I don't think I've ever done a Carnival before, but this time I decided to jump in. There are so many amazing bloggers in the blogosphere, there's no way I'll find them all without participating in one of these events!! I don't like to feel like I'm missing out, and this seemed like a great chance to find new blogging friends!

So if you are visiting from 5 Minutes for Mom, welcome!

My name is Elisa. I'm 32, happily married and a mother of two. These are my daughters, Sarah and Stella. Sarah is 9 and Stella is 2 and half.

We currently live in the NYC suburbs, but I'm originally from Italy and my husband Sascha is from Switzerland. We'll be returning to Switzerland this summer, after 3 fantastic years here on the East Coast.

I started blogging in April 2007, after a somewhat trying post-transatlantic-move first year, and decided to shamelessly share my lack of proficiency for the domestic life. Along with that, I also share some of the other things I enjoy while not cleaning, like fashion tidbits, shopping tips and sales, local (and not) events, cool spots in the blogosphere, and of course some adventures in parenting.

I have found many fantastic blogs in the past year, and I am looking forward to visiting yours. Thank you for passing by, I hope you enjoy your visit! See you at 5 Minutes for Mom :-)

P.S. If you are not visiting from 5 Minutes for Mom, head on over to the Ultimate Blog Party page and join in! You will have the chance to find new fantastic blogs and win some prizes! I'm hoping to win one of these:
- Core Fitness for Mom DVD from Busy Mommy
- $50 gift certificate to Target Stores from Shoot-Me-Now
- Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD and The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook from Pudget: Losing Weight On A Budget

If not, there's a number of other cool things I'd love to win, like 11, 15, 21, 22, 50, 101.

I'm also offering a prize – go see the list to know what it is!

Family Event Alert: Disney on Ice

I know, not one of my normal event alerts, but this sounds like fun! If there was one closer to me I'd definitely take the girls!

What: Disney on Ice tour: Like the musical numbers one can enjoy at Disneyland, these shows feature the most popular Disney characters, only the stories are choreographed to be performed on ice skates.

My daughters both love Disney characters and had a blast at Disneyland, so I'm a little disappointed I won't be able to take them to any of the shows... If you are lucky enough to live where the performances will be, I wouldn't miss it! It sounds like a really fun show for the whole family.

When and Where:
Houston
Disney On Ice presents Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey
April 15-April 19

Dallas/Ft Worth
Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnie's Magical Journey
March 18-March 29

Sunrise/Miami
Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy
March 26-April 5

Toronto
Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy
March 18-March 22

Kansas City
Disney On Ice presents Mickey & Minnie's Magical Journey
April 1-April 5

Denver
Disney On Ice presents a Disneyland® Adventure
March 12-March 15

Phoenix
Disney On Ice presents a Disneyland® Adventure
April 9-April 12

Chicago/Rosemont
Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic
Sept 8-Sept 13

Price of ticket: Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code "MOM" at the Disney On Ice website or on TicketMaster.

Offer good on all performances, minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each. Offer not valid on Gold Circle Seating, Front Row and VIP seating or combinable with other offers. Other restrictions may apply.

Event alert: Shecky's Girls Night Out, Spring -Summer '09

What: Shopping, browsing emerging designers (up to 75% off), free drinks, games, complementary beauty treatments, ogling cute bartenders (isn't that one of the fun things to go on a Girl's Night Out?)

Where: Philadelphia, Dallas, Boston, Houston, New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Miami, Atalanta, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas.

When: The first one, in Philadeplhia, will take place on February 24th-26th. You can see all the dates here.

My "local" GNO, in New York, is scheduled for Wednesday-Saturday, March 11th-14th, 2009, 5pm-10pm

Place (NYC): la.venue & Terminal Stores
608 W. 28th St. (11th & 12th Aves.)

Price of ticket: general admission is FREE (!!) for Shecky's insiders (i.e. subscribers to Shecky's newsletter), $30 if you want to get Shecky's Deluxe goodie bag.

More info here.

See my review of last Summer edition here.

I'm a Shecky's Insider, and since I'm adopting a carpe diem policy from now until I leave, I might just pop in to check out the merchandise and enjoy few cocktails. Are you coming along?

Into the wild

Today was a lovely day. And if that sounds sappy, please consider that my Saturdays are usually spent running errands and cleaning. Instead, let's revisit what happened today:

Good stuff:
- I went to the movies with my daughter Sarah.
- I bought a cute pair of boots on sale.
- We went to see the Holiday Boat Parade at Stamford Harbor.
- I got a great adjustment at my weekly chiro visit, which got rid of my backache.

Not-so-good stuff:
After the great adjustment I found out that the stupid insurance company kept my lovely chiro waiting for 5 months before ultimately declining coverage for the last 5 months of treatment. If it wasn't for the fact that I try to keep this blog PG13, I would share a few colorful adjectives that go with said insurance company in my head.

Still, you can't make one thing ruin your entire day, so I choose to look more closely at the first list (which is longer, anyway).

My favorite part of the day was definitely spending time with Sarah. We never get to do stuff, just the two of us. Today Stella stayed home with daddy so Sarah and I could enjoy some time together, and we went to see Madagascar 2. We are huge fans of Madagascar, so I was just as excited as she was – in fact, I even attached some Madagascar character dog tags to my bag, while Sarah refused to go out wearing them, concerned that she might look ridiculous. I obviously had no such concerns.

We loved the movie – it reminded me a bit of Shrek, the way the humor appealed sometimes to the kids, other times to adults, and most often to both. Sarah of course had a better idea than I did about the movie before we even entered the theater, since she has seen the preview and played the game several times already.

Yes, she played the game before watching the movie. Originally I had planned on going to the movies first and giving her the game after, but she had a stellar couple of weeks at school, getting three good grades in a row; and then, the day before Thanksgiving, she went through her very messy room and re-organized and worked until it was perfectly tidy. So come on, she deserved a reward – hence the Madagascar 2: Return to Africa Wii game!
And she really loves it. All weekend she has used her TV time/PC time to play the game, and is still super-excited about it. I think it's perfect for her age. It consists mostly of mini-games, which I think are better to keep children interested; and of course being a Wii game, it isn't exactly stationary :-)

It contains lots of action but no violence, and because it revolves around cartoon characters it keeps those watching entertained as well – Stella seems to think so at least! She just sits and watches her sister play, and laughs and laughs. I tell you, I don't know many things that can keep them BOTH entertained for a while, and anything that accomplishes that is a plus in my book ;-)

If you got this far despite not knowing what the heck I am talking about because you have never seen Madagascar, I gotta tell you, I am truly flattered that you find me this interesting, but really – you need to get off the pc and go rent Madagascar. Go on. Especially if you are a New Yorker. Just go. I know very well it's a cartoon, thank you very much – but don't let that stop you. Otherwise I'll send Gloria to sit on you.

And if you don't get that, it's because you haven't seen the movie yet ;-)

Nonsequitur (or just random, if you prefer)

Boy, was I crabby yesterday. Not totally over it, gotta say. Hey, it happens. Today of course the flu came back, and of course despite it being Sunday I couldn't stay home and sleep it off, instead I went to run some errands in the morning and then to a birthday party in the afternoon. It was lovely. Except for the screaming children and the annoying music. The cake did make it much more bearable, though. I tell you, chocolate cake cures all ills (especially the bad mood variety).
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Just finished Julie & Julia. Didn't really like it. But maybe you will. Come get it before I leave it on a park bench ;-)
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Read an interview on Entertainment Weekly with Robert Pattinson, the actor cast to play Edward in the much-anticipated Twilight movie. Apparently when the choice was first made public, there was an uproar from fans, who complained he wasn't good-looking enough or something. I though he was cute already in the Harry Potter movie, so I don't really get the problem – but then again, I haven't read the books. Anyway... I thought the interview made him sound like a bit of a twit. I wonder if that was the goal of the interviewer/EW correspondent or whatever, or if he really is like that. But then again, he is 17. Been there, seen (and dated) that. 90% of 17 years old boys are stupid at least some of the time, so we shoulnd't expect famous ones to be any different, right? It would be de facto discrimination, politically incorrect and all kinds of other bad stuff ;-)
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I haven't been doing so well on my 100-Day Challenge Goals. I think I need a buddy. Or a coach. Someone to boss me around and tell me to get off my butt and get cranking on my goals. Because really, I can still make progress, even though the 100 days are now down to 45. Hey, 6 weeks is the perfect length of time for a makeover! And the makeover shows, they concentrate on houses and appearance, right? Well, actually I am ok with my general appearance, I would just like it to be less... round, I guess :-) The period approaching the Holiday Season is probably not the best time to start a new fitness/weight loss plan, but hey, there's no time like the present right? So... would you like to be the one bossing me around?
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I have been thinking of changing my blog template and layout. I'd hire someone, except: a. I am a control freak and I may just drive that someone crazy; b. the best designers charge hefty sums for their work; c. I get bored fairly quickly and I'd hate to get bored quickly of something I was charged a hefty sum for. Much better to get bored of something I wen totally batty to make myself.

Tips? Input? All welcome (though I can't promise I'll listen). In fact, would you do me a favor and vote in the following poll? I know, I am a loser, posting polls about this stuff. My excuse if that I am feverish (barely) and out of it (often). Just vote, will ya? Come on, who doesn't like to tell people what to do? And now I am actually asking for it. You know you want to :-)

Online Surveys & Market Research

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Lucky Shops... oh yes she does!

On Friday, as planned, I met my friend PJ and we made our way to Lucky Shops. Contrary to what you might expect however, I didn't show up really early, bracing myself for several hours of marathon shopping. After being warned by a friend who had attended last year's event that most of the merchandise would be "cheaper than usual, but still pretty expensive" I had decided to follow my organizing-freak instinct and had already planned (almost scheduled) my purchases for the approaching holiday season; so I was going mainly in an investigative capacity, so to speak, and using the fact that I had won the tickets as excuse to have a girl's night out. Of course I am only human, and I'm a girl, so I left ample room for the possibility that I'd find something I simply must have (and could afford), and I took a credit card with me anyway.

We showed up a little before 5 p.m. (closing time was 7 p.m.) and started making our rounds. Here's a summary.

Lines & crowds: Doors opened at 10 a.m., but as I said we didn't show up until a little before 5 p.m., so I can't testify to the lines and crowds before then. But I can tell you that I was VERY impressed with the venue (Metropolitan Pavillion, in Chelsea) - it was airy, well-organized; the bar, the ottomans, everything perfectly placed so as to be easily accessible but not in the way, not to disturb the flow of shoppers. Impressive.

Cocktails/drinks and food: Beer, cocktails - including a delicious one with tangerine juice - bottles of Coke and Diet Coke free for the taking, as well as the newest iced coffee drinks by POM. Miniature Larabar fruit-nut bars, 100-Calorie Packs of Ritz crackers and Cheese Nips.


Gift bags: No giftbags, really - unless you count the miniature shopping tote from Shop Rock & Roll containing a Chevy notebook and a sample of Benefit "That Gal", which you got after taking a survey at the Chevy Maliboutique.
Other freebies:
- full-size Garnier Nutritioniste products (Skin Renew face moisturizer and Nutri-Pure Gel Cleanser), and skin consultation at the Garnier Nutritioniste booth;
- a sample of Benefit You Rebel tinted moisturizer and free shipping on the next purchase at the Benefit online store (use code LUCKYYOU) valid through tomorrow, November 11;
- a 25% online discount from Lizzie Scheck Jewelry using code LSJ25;
- a free silver Nintendo DS pocker mirror, exactly like the pink one I got at Shecky's Girls Night Out;
- free consultation with stylist Danna Weiss.

Merchandise and discounts: lovely clothes, jewellery and shoes, for the most part. Mostly designer. Prices were discounted, some even affordable, but not cheap. Example:
- Foley + Corinna city clutch, $220 (retail price $440)
- Chloe suede wedge boots originally priced at $1,150, 50% off at LuckyShops
- MINT by Jodi Arnold top, $138 (retail price $308)
- And these gorgeous Kate Spade peep-toe pumps, $135 (retail price $328), which I definitely would have bought if it wasn't for the fact that I have 3 brand-new pairs of peep-toe pumps that I have yet to wear, just sitting prettily in my dresser.


A few highlights:
- Shoes, bags and accessories from (as in: worn on) Project Runway.


- Conscious Jewelry by Danna Weiss: gorgeous necklaces. Thick gold-plated chains with perfectly shaped and polished crystals and gems, each related to a specific chakra. Designer Dana Weiss describes her line as "metaphisically designed and eco-conscious" and recommends choosing your pieces carefully, based on what you are drawn to the most, because that is the stone covering the area where you need to restore balance. This may sound ridiculous, but after following the instructions and putting on the chosen stone, I believe there is something to this.

- The Denim Bar was definitely brilliant. Several brands, all priced under $100 (discounted) and a Singer station where you could get your newly purchased denims hemmed for free. Smart thinking, Lucky!

- The Botkier booth was a thing of beauty. Lots of gorgeous bags and shoes in different sizes, models, colors and materials. When even a nylon bag feels and looks so rich and luxurious and you find yourself preferring it to more expensive leather handbags, you know that's a label to go for.


As closing time approached, the deals started popping up. A few we noticed:
- Siegerson Morrison flats for $30
- Rafe New York peep-toe flats for $30
- Gucci sunglasses for $90
- knee-high Dr.Martens patent combat boots for $60

That, of course meant that just as we were trying on shoes, the event ended and we were left to watch the booth attendants add more styles to the shelves for those same low prices, in preparation for Saturday's "Shop-a-thon" (Lucky's words, not mine).



Which is pretty smart when you think about it, because PJ and I were actually tempted to purchase a Saturday ticket and return the day after, to do some actual shopping. But since we were exhausted after only 2 hours and we had taken it pretty easy, we figured we woulnd't enjoy the "last man standing"-like atmosphere that was probably going to characterize the Saturday Shop-a-thon, so we decided to let it go - PJ had scored a lovely pair of leather pumps

A word of caution: if you ever plan on attending any such events and do a day of marathon-shopping, don't stop until you get home. Don't even sit. If you do, you might end up falling asleep, surrounded by your shopping bags, in an inappropriate place where you might be filmed and/or photographed. Don't believe me? Scroll down.



Told you ;-)


P.S. Didn't make it to LuckyShops? Don't be sad. Bluefly is now making the fabulous clothes and accessories from LuckyShops availalble online!

I'll take the chocolate clouds, please

photo by Ana June

I was on the train yesterday, on my way home from a lovely brunch with Jax and PJ, and there was a girl in front of me who was having a fairly loud conversation on her cell phone. Among other things she shared with her friend (and many other people on the train) was how she visited the M&M store for the very first time. "I thought I had died and gone to heaven" she said. Hmmm. I have been there (the M&Ms store, not heaven) and... really? Heaven?
Don't get me wrong, I get the feeling, and I get that there are triggers for that feeling, even when expressed by using such trite choice of words. A fabulous shoe sale? Yes. A peaceful couple of hours to do yoga, read a book, sip a cup of tea and chill? Yes. The heavenly chocolate-chocolate mousse cake with vanilla icing we got for Sarah's birthday? Most definitely YES. The M&M store? No. Really not. Of course it's a matter of taste, I realize that. Which made me think of what "heaven"* would mean to different people.

Now, of course the idea of heaven is highly subjective. For some it's naked maidens and rivers of honey and milk. For some it's viking warriors. For some it's choirs of angels. There's tons of ideas and opinions about heaven. Wouldn't it be great to create your own custom-made heaven experience?

My heaven would be half-Sephora, half Whole Foods – there would be luscious makeup AND luscious food everywhere. There would be lots of music, all fitting my mood and taste – which of course would mean that there'd be no country whatsoever (except maybe some vintage Jewel), no jazz and positively no Christian rock – sort of like a virtual iPod. There would be chocolate-covered clouds – but not everywhere, because you wouldn't want to get your clothes dirty (although unlike other places, my heaven wouldn't have an all-white dress code). And there would be no cars, everyone would walk everywhere. And it would always be late spring, sunny but not too hot. Also, I would be naturally thin in heaven – despite the chocolate-covered clouds.

So now, unless you are afraid of joining me in the "those who will soon be struck down by a lightening bolt" club, feel free to share your idea of heaven.


* only as it applies to the above trite expression, not literally.

Note: this post is not meant to offend or trivialize anyone's religious beliefs. It's all in jest :-)

Event Alert: Intuition's "Life is Beautiful"

What is it? An event organized by Intuition and Linea Pelle. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Intuition is hosting this "shop for a cause" event where 25% of the proceeds will be donated to breast cancer research for a cure.

Enjoy champagne and cupcakes while shopping, receive a special goodie bag and enter to win a special edition Linea Pelle handbag!

Where is it? Intuition,
10581 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA

When is it? Thursday, October 30 at 6-9pm.

RSVP at info@shopintuition.com

Here Comes the Sun!

Today was the Here Comes the Sun yoga festival in NYC. And of course the weather was miserable! Rain, dark clouds, kind of depressing. But since I had already bought my ticket I was determined to go, if only to get out of the house and get some (well-deserved, if I say so myself) Me Time. Not to mention that I figured that the rain would scare a lot of people off and I'd have a better chance to win one of the giveaway prizes ;-)

I am really glad I decided to go, because I had a really fun day!

The event was still in Central Park of course, but this time it was in a different spot: Wollman Rink, which turned out to be a perfect spot considering the weather, since there was also an indoor space with tables and benches.

When I got there, there was absolutely no line (promising? or scary?) and I checked in really quickly. The space was almost empty, but it filled out a bit more in the following couple of hours.

It was barely drizzling, but the sky and (the weather forecast) didn't promise well. So everything was under tents, including the yoga spaces - which is great, but it reduced the available space quite a bit.



I learned last year that at Here Comes the Sun you can't do everything, because there are a lot of things going on at once, all day long, in different spots:

- Main Stage: yoga classes non-stop, some lead by Sara Ivanhoe.

- Peace of Mind Mecca: complementary astrology and tarot card readings, henna tattoos, YogaWorks giveaways, special offers and gift cards.

- Workout with Wii: a tent to try out the new balance board, whether you want to do yoga or play one of the fun games. Also a Wii giveaway (crossing my fingers).

- Pilates Corner: mat Pilates, intro to Pilates, Pilates/Yoga Hybrid classes.

- Beginners Yoga corner: intro to yoga, intro to vinyasa, intro to gentle yoga.

- Goddess of Beauty and Light: L'Oreal booth, with complementary skincare consultations, mini facials and makeovers; also giveaways and more freebies.

- Point of Enlightenment: health and wellness talks and mini-seminars, book readings.

- Josie's Restaurant: delicious food.

- Taste of the Sun: free food samples (and when I say "samples" I mean "full size portions") of almonds, frozen yogurt, cookies, crackers, cereal bars and SkinnyGirl cupcakes and cookies.

What I did:

- I started out by visiting the L'Oreal booth for a bit of pampering, and got a skincare consultation and a dose of crazy. The girl doing my skincare consultation was several kinds of obnoxious, which could have spoiled what was meant to be a relaxing moment but instead changed it into a sort of stand-up comedy.

- I then moved on to the makeup section, where makeup artist Tasha did a fantastic job. I'm not into L'Oreal but I have to admit that their Bare Naturale line has some really amazing products. I got a list of what she used on me - turns out I no longer need to go crazy looking for foundation because I should just use a little concealer and all-over glow. She also gave me a full-size Bare Naturale Mascara.


- I got a henna tattoo. Sandhya and I got off to a good start: I sat down and she said "You are wearing Satya Jewellery!" which kind of startled me because I thought Satya was a relatively well-kept secret (just me and a few thousand people in New York) but she apparently works with them and designed their new logo and stuff. I professed my love for Satya and she gave me a unique tattoo (that's right, noone else got it!): a lotus flower, which represents renewal, transformation and new beginnings. And it's really pretty.

- Had some lunch from Josie's booth. My pick: Chicken veggie mini-wraps with wasabi dip and Rejuvenating Iced Tea (cranberry, hibiscus, ginger & rose hip tea). Yum.

- I made the rounds to get all the freebies (except a yoga mat, which I didn't get because I already had one).

- I got a hug from Sarah Ivanhoe. She actually hugged me! I am totally celebrity-struck. Where's a friend with a camera when you need one?? For those who don't know her, Sara Ivanhoe is a fantastic yoga teacher - my absolute favorite, in fact (sorry, Rainbeau Mars and Bryan Kest - girl's gotta pick).

- I went to hear Ariane De Boivoisin speak. She has a new book out, The first 30 days. I heard her speak at last year's festival and once again I was amazed at how inspiring she is. Strong, good-looking, self-assured... I got a copy of the book for myself and a copy for my friend V.

- Bethenny, the SkinnyGirl, makes amazing baked goods, looks fantastic and is incredibly funny. She did a demonstration on making smoothies and talked the whole time and people didn't want to leave - except Delta Goodrem started singing and we couldn't hear anything anymore (girl's got quite a pair of lungs on her!). Bethenny is really fun - and as it turns out, she is one of The Real Housewives of New York City - found that out on the way home, reading my complementary copy of Page Six.

- Entered all the giveaways: 6-months subscriptions to YogaWorks, Wii Fit, Luxury Yoga mats, L'Oreal Luxury skin care gift baskets, spa gift certificates for Oasis Spa.

I left shortly after 3pm, but not before shooting a 30-second movie of Delta Goodrem amazing voice:


If you want to see more photos of the festival, so to my Flickr photostream.