Mommy Makeup Essentials

Got this video from my good friend :) She's always on top of the makeup report. This one is a goody for moms on the go - Lord knows I know how it is to rush. Pre- baby days you could spend hours getting ready. Nowadays sometimes you have 10 minutes to glam yourself up. Enjoy!

Bye Bye Baby

Gabriel Viggo Cayetano Leano

9 months

There's my little baby, proving that he's not a baby anymore. Gabe is so determined to walk and see the world. Its so amazing to be able to see your child's personality already. I'm not worried about him, Gabe is very strong minded and goes for what he wants so I know the future is his. As a mom though, its so tough knowing that he'll want to leave and do bigger and better things. I want to just hold onto him forever.

At this stage Gabe is crawling all over the place. He just learned to climb the stairs which was exciting - but scary. He doesn't know how to go down quite yet. He's eating A LOT - he's still on his rice cereal and his baby food. I haven't taken the jump to feeding him from my plate yet. Maybe in a month or so. He's copying us more and more. His new tricks of the week are clapping his hands and pointing to the light in the room. He's such a smiley baby. He smiles and laughs all the time. I'm calling it now - he's going to be such a flirt. Again, I'm not happy about this. lol. He's got 4 teeth now. 2 on the bottom and 2 on top. His grin is absolutely adorable.

He is at the stage where stranger anxiety is kicking in. I have to admit, i like it when he looks for me. hehehe. But of course, its also tough leaving him.

We're still teaching him sign language. He hasn't fully grasped it yet, but i think now that he's mimicking us a little more, he might understand sign language soon.

Gabe's sleeping has gotten a lot better. He sleeps through the night now. My only regret is he still needs a bottle before he sleeps. I have a feeling weaning him off will be an issue. We'll see. I'll save that for another post when the time comes.

My favorite toy for him at this point is this little gumball machine toy from fischer price. I got it for him from a garage sale awhile back. It spits out little plastic balls when you press the lever down. Gabe pressed the lever once by accident and ever since then he knew how to play with it. I guess it just amazes me how babies can now comprehend cause and effect, and how they now have minds of their own.

I could watch him for hours, watching what he does, how he does it, why he does it. I'm so lucky to be able to work from home and share all his firsts with him.

To my baby Gabe, you are such a joy to your daddy and I. You amaze us everyday. We love you. mwah.

Ring in the New Year

I am in loooove with the cocktail ring selection that Forever21 has this season. I have to admit i usually don't shop for jewelry at Forever21- their pieces exude mass production and a slightly cheap look. But if you look at their current selection, it's on point and perfect for the warm weather clothing that i'm praying to take out soon - i'm definitely tired of the winter. Can't you just picture carrying your baby around or even typing an email on your blackberry with your freshly manicured fingers with a fabulous oversize cocktail ring? All of them just under $6. Yikes!

I couldn't resist this one so i bought it already. Picture white tunic, straw fedora, walking the beaches of the Philippines with this ring:

Framed Oval Ring

And here are a few other's that caught my eye.

Oversized Faceted Ring

Oval Textured Ring

Textured Stone Ring

Dramtic Cocktail ring

Sunburst Ring

Pieces of New York

Last time I came home to NJ, i reserved a lot of my time for family. Mainly because both of my sisters were here and we're never ALL together at the same time. This trip, I made it a point to catch up with a lot friends i haven't seen in awhile. This week, I spent a whole day in NYC and caught up with friends and colleagues of my past. It was a great day to say the least. Amidst a long, snow-filled winter, my day in the city was sunny, bright and 65 degrees. Who could ask for anything more? I roamed the city streets at my own pace, walking in and out of shops along 8th Ave. I sat down at a corner Starbucks and drank my tall caramel macchiato while sitting along the window facing ledge - people watching.

I had a great lunch catching up with my girlfriend who i haven't seen in literally 4 years. we wandered through the brick walled building of Chelsea Market. Imagine stalls of various foods, fresh cut flowers for sale, stores selling cute knick knacks, organic stores selling home made jams and honey.

My next stop was Billy's an adorable, small bakery with CUPCAKES!!

After sharing a cupcake and taking a little coffee break with one of my fab friends we started our trek to soho.

Along our walk we couldn't help but stare at the Catherine Malandrino window. We couldn't resist the temptation and we walked inside. Beautiful clothing, beautiful designs, hefty pricetag....

We stopped my the Marc Jacobs store - loved all their accessories, their bags, jewelry, rainboots. Right across the way was BookMarc - their bookstore. This was my heaven. As much as I love accessories, i don't know why, but nothing is as beautiful as a large, colorful, coffee table book. This store had everything from The Louis Vuitton book, the YSL book, everything for all the major designers. I want!! My only problem now is, since Gabe can reach on top of the coffee table, he has access to all my books, so i'm going to have to temporarily put them away. So for now, no new books for me :(

I loved visting Tommy, Zara, Forever21, Intermix, Apple, as well as small indie boutiques. After basking in the sun, walking, and shopping in the west village and soho, i ended my day eating falafels and baklava in the park benches of Washington Square Park, by NYU.

I love my friends, I love my life. Life is good.

Rice to Riches

One of my most favorite dessert places in NYC - Rice to Riches. Its been so long since I've had rice pudding so I was craving these delicious bowls of goodness. Everyday there are about 20 different flavors of rice pudding. You can mix and match, add toppings, and customize as you please. Tiramisu is always a staple for me. My new flavor of the day was cheesecake rice pudding...it tasted as good as it sounds. The store is cute with its retro colored decor. Witty signs adorned the walls and ceilings helping ease the guilt you feel for eating all those carbs.
The minute i put that spoonful in my mouth - i was happy. Guilt did not even cross my mind :)

Happy Valentine's Day

Greetings from NYC! Have a beautiful Valentine's day!! Looking forward to spending the day with my wonderful husband and with my sister and brother in law. I know my parents are enjoying theirs seeing baby Gabe's smile in person. It feels great to be home.

The Color of Spring

A splash of color means spring is in the air. If any of you have roamed the halls of the mall lately, you would've gathered that the color of the season is coral - a subtle shade of orange. I love coral (especially coral colored jewelry) so I'm happy to introduce it into my wardrobe this season.

I've gradually used it, either as a fun summer nailpolish color or as my pashmina/scarf for fall. But now its time to make it a statement. Here are some great coral ideas for spring/summer. Time to get out of this winter rut and plan our fab summer outfits mama's!

essie nailpolish - available at ulta.com

Chanel bag in coral

Beautiful dress available on asos.com

why not use coral as a pop color for your walls? apartmenttherapy.com

Aldo shoes - "Starace"

And of course, my ode to mammas and mamma's to be - why not look as fab as Paula Patton in this stunning coral evening gown.

Baby Talk

Gabriel Viggo - 38 weeks

We just came back from a wonderful, relaxing trip to Florida. Our small vacation home there can be described as shabby chic. Much of the decor was left from the previous owners so a lot of the vintage looking lamp fixtures, cabinetry, and finishes exude history.

We had a great time watching my parents play with Gabe. Its amazing how much joy he brings them. Of course its no surprise since we love every minute with him, but watching our parents play with him and interact with him makes it extra special.

One morning as I drank my coffee in our sunroom, i read a magazine i stumbled across called, "Working Mother." It had a great article about children and learning to talk. It said that from age 0-36 months babies should be listening to at least 30,000 words a day - A DAY! I already thought i spoke to him a lot. So, the article advised that we speak to our babies as much as we can, since they're brain can soak in so much. While cooking, talking about all the ingredients we're using. While doing chores, explain what we're doing, why we're doing it. Even though they can't talk back, hold conversations with them. Read at least one book a day to our children.

Reading to Gabe is one of my absolute favorite pastimes. He loves reading books. He'll sit in my lap, look at the colorful pictures, look at me while I read and snuggle. Not only is it helping his development but its filling my quota of baby hugs for the day :) I have no clue if this is why, but i read to Gabe every night while he was in my belly - so its been a ritual for quite some time now. Maybe that's why he loves it. Who knows - i hope his love for reading contiues throughout his life.

Gabe's favorite book

"Bunnies are for Kissing"

by: Allia Zobel Nolan

Happy Friday

image from www.weheartit.com

Its a been dark and gloomy these past few days in atlanta. Its those type of days where you just want to drink you coffee, and snuggle up in your warm cozy blanket and catch up with your favorite characters in your paperbacks that have been piling up. But of course, this isn't possible in mommy-ville. Rainy days means placing a slew of the baby's toys all over the floor and playing with him all day long to keep him occupied. I love those types of rainy days instead. I could watch him smile and laugh forever.

Although its rainy, we still have a bright weekend ahead that we're all looking forward to. My parents are flying in tomorrow and we're driving to our vacation house in Florda. I'm looking forward to spending time with my parents and watching them play with Gabriel. He's their first grandchild so of course he brings them so much joy. Having them around means.....date for Wil and I :)

We're planning to head to Orlando to visit Universal Studios! umm..hello - Harry Potter World!!! Can't wait.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend doing something that brings you joy.

Style Icon: Melania Trump

Melania Trump is stunning.

Its as simple as that. I was even lucky enough to spot her in person, years ago, with Donald in front of 601 by chelsea piers and she was just as beautiful in person. Watching her effortless elegance makes you want to live a life that requires sheath dresses, chignons, and diamond studded bracelets and chandelier earrings all day, everyday.

I watched her on QVC late the other night - i admit it, i was a nerd.

I don't normally watch QVC but i put it into my calendar to watch her - i didn't want to forget! Being a jewelry aficionado, i wanted to make sure to catch her line and i wasn't disappointed. If i didn't already have my michael kors watches that I can't live without, i would've snagged her timepieces in a heartbeat.

The roman numeraled face channeled a hint of cartier.

I couldn't help but be mesmerized by her emerald cut cocktail rings, her diamond simulated necklace with aquamarine teardrops - my absolute love was her diamond cluster earrings. If you know me, you know i'm more of a button earring girl - and these were fab enough to make a statement but small enough to wear everyday.

I think part of the reason I have a secret crush on Melania is not only for the reasons above, but because she's a fellow mommy.

Even with baby Barron by her side, she still looks like a million bucks - no pun intended. She's definitely one of my style icons on the more conservative, classy elegant side of the scale.