Mmmmmm.....Yummie Tummie

Hey, did you know your belly gets stretched out when you are pregnant?

Of course I'm being facetious but seriously, words cannot convey how shocked, horrified, and disappointed I was when 24 hours after I gave birth to an almost eight pound baby that I had only lost four pounds and still looked pregnant. That made NO SENSE.

And weeks later, just as I was absorbing the fact that I was going to have to actually do something to lose all this weight, I also noticed that I had formed this completely unsexy belly pouch that kinda ruined my shape. Even after losing all the weight, I pretty much had a double waist no matter what I wore and my silhouette resembled a double burger with cheese. Not the look I was striving for.

Now I know I'm supposed to not really care about these things but I like fitting into my clothing and proper fitting clothes, regardless of size, just looks better. That's a fact.

So how could I turn a double cheeseburger into something less lumpy looking? I could work out an hour each day and dedicate all that time to my abs OR I could get a foundation garment.

Guess which option I went for? Oh yes, foundation garments are where it's at.

Recently Yummie Tummie sent me a tank to try out and I have to say that it worked better than I thought it would. It doesn't restrict my belly, instead it smooths it out. My double burger loses a patty and my bulge is contained in comfort (by the way I know this may be hard to believe but that's not me in the image above, it's a model who really doesn't need a Yummie Tummie product yet she sure does look good wearing it).

The long style smoothed out my shape and unlike other girdle-like garments I've tried, it doesn't do that completely annoying roll up action when I'm moving around. It stays put and stays smooth. It also washes well and looks normal under clothing.

Yummie Tummie does what it sets out to do and if that saves me from having to do all those ab crunches, they get a thumbs up in my books.

The Boys Are Back

Anyone who knows me, knows I love attending TIFF movies. Parenthood has definitely scaled back my once 15-films-in-nine-days habit so these days any chance I get to grab a show it's a done deal.

This year it was The Boys Are Back tickets that landed on my lap and let's just say I was excited by the prospect of a Clive Owen movie. Clive Owen not only stars in this movie, he is also executive producer.

Based on the movies I've seen of his, The Boys Are Back is a departure for Clive Owen. In this story, Clive plays a sports journalist name Joe whose wife dies and he is left to raise his two sons. The two actors who portray the children almost steal the show but I have a hard time not falling for Joe and his parenting methods which he coins as "free range parenting”.

I can relate to that.

Joe faces many different challenges trying to balance grief, parenting, and his career -- some more believable than others. Though some of the decisions made by Joe are questionable, watching this parent tackle these situations makes for an interesting story.  Overall it's an honest movie that tackles a heavy situation with humorous and bitter-sweet scenes. Not a surprise since it's the same director as Shine, Scott Hicks, and producer of Billy Elliot, Greg Brenman.

This movie hits theatres September 25th and it's your chance to see Clive Owen channelling his parenting side -- albeit with somewhat feral results.

Fossil Fighters for Nintendo DS

Full Disclosure: Nintendo sent us a copy to try with no obligation for review.

My girl loves all things dinosaurs. It's not unusual to meet them in a bubble bath, at a tea party, or in the most fun place of all: the sandbox. She buries her collection in her personal desert and we spend a lot of time digging around for triceratops, T-Rex, iguanodon, and other friends who's names I can't spell.

For the days that we can't go dinosaur hunting in the box, we now can turn to the Nintendo DS. Fossil Fighters for the Nintendo DS lets players build a collection of more than a hundred dinosaurs, called "vivosaurs". The player builds a team of vivosaurs by digging out the fossils using a hammer to virtually chip, drill, and brush away the bits of rock to reveal the remains. The better attention to detail and care spent on the fossil, the more powerful and stronger the vivosaur will be for the team.

Once the player has started a team of vivosaurs, they can use their characters tin a role-playing storyline where there is lots of adventures and areas to be explored. And just like many of our favourite Nintendo DS games, players can connect wirelessly with friends to battle or trade fossils.

So we're off to dig some fossils and build our team. You in?

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair and more

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair

As you know from my last Drugstore Cowgirl post, I tried Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair (my spa in a bottle) and as you may know from my recent motherbumper post, I went to BlogHer 09. As luck would have it the Estée Lauder people knew many of the BlogHer reviewers would be attending and invited us to try some more products at the local Macy's.

The Estée Lauder invitation couldn't have been more timely. I was one of the hosts of The People's Party later that evening and this year at BlogHer I decided I was going to get dressed up. As much as I brush aside the girly side of life most days, I'm not going to deny that I really enjoy it when getting the opportunity to be fancy presents itself.

This was one of those nights and thanks to Estée Lauder, I also had properly applied make-up to finish my look. During our trip to Macy's, I had my make-up applied by someone who knew what they were doing (because I surely don't - no kidding) and was able try some of the Estée Lauder line. I really loved the base Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher (want, covet, and my favorite tried product by far) which made my skin all smooth, and also liked the DayWear Plus Moisturizer which was felt light on my combo skin. Then she applied a whole range of make-up that included foundation, blush, lipstick, eye shadow, liner, and TurboLash Mascara which -- get this -- has a vibrating brush. This is more make-up I have worn since my wedding but don't get me wrong, I was very pleased with the end result (I cannot lie: it was really nice to get the compliments on the eyes and lipstick.)

 

Photo: by IzzyMom

While we were visiting Macy's had the opportunity to meet members of the Estée Lauder team and learn more about Estée's background in the business. As a woman trying to break into the cosmetic industry, Estée had to fight for everything, including every bit of attention and every single square inch of product shelf space in stores. Despite the obstacles, she was persistent, innovative, really believed in her product, and became one of the women trailblazers in that industry. Her products have stood the test of time, in fact the Advanced Night Repair product has had only a few minor changes since being introduction twenty-five years ago. Plus those changes are a direct result of the increase in environmental effects on the skin.

The team also shared the basic science behind the Advanced Night Repair fluid which helps synchronize the skins sleep genes to increase repair of damaged DNA. I'm impressed I actually remembered that much detail but I think it had to do with their obvious enthusiasm. The members of the Estée Lauder team are very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and it's wonderful to meet people who are proud of their product. And for the record, they have every right to feel that way, because their products are solid.

To read what other bloggers had to say about Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair, check out the roundup over at BlogHer.

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair: A Spa in a Bottle

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair

In less than a month I will be turning forty years old. I distinctly remember being around my daughter's age and going to the store to pick out a card and gift for my mother who was turning forty and hearing suggestions of gag gifts with sayings like "Over The Hill" or "Lordy, Lordy, Look Who's Forty" on comic tombstones that mocked the intended recipient. Forty seemed to be one-foot-in-the grave territory and my mother did not look old so why did everyone seem to tell her she was? She certainly didn't look old to me because she danced a stellar Le Freak and took excellent care of her skin.

My mother taught me to never skimp on skin care. Always wash off dirt and make-up before going to bed each night, change the pillow cases often, wear sunglasses all year round, and moisturize, moisturize, and then moisturize some more (with reputable products of course). All of that still applies today, but I have some extra factors my mother didn't need to take into consideration: I live in the big and dirty city and the sun is much stronger than it was decades ago.

Those environmental factors need a bit more attention than just cleanser, toner, and moisturizer so I felt it was a sign when I was invited to try Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair skin product. I like to call it a spa in a bottle because it has that spa-scent I love and my skin feels spoiled after application. Basically, I use it every night between cleaning and moisturizing and this simple extra step makes my skin feel smooth and tight (but not like my skin is too dry; more like it fits correctly). While sleeping, the formula helps repair the skin by preventing damage caused by the environment and also locks in moisture in addition to all sorts of other scientific fancy sounding stuff.

Now I'm not sure I look any younger in the weeks since I've started using Advanced Night Repair, but my skin certainly feels better for it. It's cleaner and definitely smoother so, by those factors alone, I do feel younger. And that will help me laugh while shooting eye-daggers at the first person who makes an over-the-hill comment on my birthday. Because I know they are wrong.

For more reviews of Advanced Night Repair go to the BlogHer Reviewers Experience round up page.

Attention US Readers: Estée Lauder invites you to  AMERICAS NIGHT TO REPAIR. On Thursday, July 23, 5-9PM, visit any Estée Lauder Counter and get a free 10-day supply of New Advanced Night Repair, no purchase necessary (while supplies last). I know I'll be at the counter while attending BlogHer Chicago, maybe I'll see you there.

The Legendary Starfy for the Nintendo DS

I'm a sucker for platform games with cute characters and totally get why The Legendary Starfy game has been a hit in Japan for years. Starfy is a cute little star that needs help moving through the obstacles course situations filled with crazy enemies. So why is everyone out to get poor Starfy? Because he is trying to solve the mystery behind a kidnapping and somebody doesn't want him to figure it out.

To help Starfy solve the mystery he has a team of friends that help him out plus this Star Spin ability that is like a mini-hulk burst against enemies and obstacles. And Starfy learns new trick (like Shooting Star attack and Air Jump -- both cool and useful) once stages are completed. Starfy also has some cool tricks that make him stand out from other characters: the ability to transform into any of four different, powerful forms: Monstar, Starpedo, Starfright, and Roostar.

This game would be a good fit for fans of Kirby, Donkey Kong, and yes, my beloved Mario. This is a totally fun little platform game that allows up to four different people to play on the Nintendo DS and there are also mini-games available for shorter play. Rated E for everyone.

Personal Trainer: Walking for the Nintendo DS

The Personal Trainer series has a new skill and this time it's WALKING! Yes, I know you already probably know how to walk but Personal Trainer Walking has a little gizmo maps your life rhythm on your DS.

The little doohickey goes in a purse or pocket and it measures movement through out the day. It collects data (for up to four different people) and then compiles it into interesting personalized facts about daily activity levels. Plus it allows each user to set walking goals and records up to five years of data (that's a lot of walking!!).

A cool little feature is this program uses Mii characters you can create or import existing Mii's it from the Wii console. A suggestion for use that I thought was cool, was to use one on the dog (the Trainer comes with two units) to track walking levels. As a cat owner though, I have to say it's no good on cats. My cat apparently walks only about twenty feet a day between food bowl and naps save for his daily outburst of psycho kitty around 11pm each evening. Cats are pretty sedentary.

Anyhow, the little device uploads to the DS to track progress and set goals which gives me a wonderful sense of accomplishment. There is also a Walk the World feature that draws pictures on the Earth using the total number of steps taken so maybe I really do walk from Toronto to Ottawa daily. Well probably not unless I'm chasing my daughter on the particular day.

Cool little fitness program that's easy to use and I gotta say I like it :)