Archive for CanCan

dENiZEN Jeans from Levis

July 30, 2011 CanCan, Children's fashion, Mom stuff, Reviews, Videos 2 comments

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The dENiZEN™ brand (from Levis) has a new line of jeans available exclusively at Target® stores and on Target.com.

I was sent a pair through Team Mom and I did a vlog including a Jeans Cam where you can see a butt shot, side butt, and check how dENiZEN measures up in the Ninja Kick Test and Deep Squat Test.

At “Live in dENiZEN™jeans” at www.facebook.com/denizenamerica, you can share stories about where you go in your favorite jeans.

dENiZEN™ fans who ‘like’ the Facebook page will receive a special thank you in the form of rebates, gift cards and even free pairs of dENiZEN™ jeans. Woohoo!

dENiZEN has Women’s sizes are available from 2-18 in different cuts including Mid-Rise Boot Cut, Mid-Rise Straight.

I got the Totally Shaping Mid-Rise Boot Cut with high stretch denim and a built in tummy control panel for a body slimming and shaping effect.

Prices for dENiZEN™ jeans range from $17.99 to $29.99.

Learn more at www.denizen.com, and Target.com/denizen

I was provided a pair of jeans by dENiZEN through Team Mom.

What I Wore Wednesday: Felt Flower Flair

July 26, 2011 CanCan, Mom stuff, Reviews, Videos 4 comments

Photo on 2011 07 24 at 11 01 3

This is what I wore to go somewhere a little fancy pants. There is a felt flower clip I put on my headband from a shop called Coco Penny online. I have been wearing it with all kinds of combos, in my hair and as a brooch too! I’m crazy!

They said you can have 15% off with coupon code COCOBLOGS.

The headband is sparkly. It came from…the lost and found at the elementary school where I teach. BaZinga!

Necklace: Kenneth Jay Lane, Sweater: Old Navy, Dress: Victoria’s Secret like 12 years ago, Belt: Banana Republic but I don’t think it looks that good on me, what is your vote?Photo on 2011 07 24 at 11 01 2Photo on 2011 07 24 at 11 00 2

Shoes by Frye. I think they are called the Maya pumps.Photo on 2011 07 24 at 11 00

This is me playing dress-up in Express. They were having 40% off clearance. I bought this stripey tank and saggy bewb sweater.IMG 2072

I felt like maybe I was doing it wrong. I like it though. Summer sweaters are kind of intriguing.IMG 2073

Hair flower is from Children’s Place. Little tip, fancy headbands for girls will probably fit your big fat grown up head, too!

For more What I Wore Wednesday, you can usually visit The Pleated Poppy blog, but today I find it not updated. She might be on vaycay.

WW: What I Wore: Patriotic Edition

July 5, 2011 CanCan, Children's fashion, Pictures 6 comments

I actually went to a bonafide social event on the 4th of July with real peers and friends my own age, so I wore clean clothes and fancy shoes.

AND I totally contributed these strawberry cake rolls with Red Vines stuck in them, an original idea I conceived and pitched as “firecrackers”.

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I made my friend Jessica take these photos in her daughter’s playroom with my iPod touch. I made sure to cover all of the traditional blogger photo poses.

IMG 1922From US Weekly I learned that you are supposed to put one leg forward to make it look long, and lean toward the camera to elongate the neck. So long legs and long necks are tres hawtness.

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Then this one is the “I’m so fragile yet unaffected” hipster pose where I am pretending that I did not make my friend take the photo in the first place.

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This one? Was an attempt at the pidgeon-toed, looking up at some unknown, yet inspirational object:

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These clothes are:

Stripey dress (yeah it is a super short hootchie dress I have to wear with leggings, but in this cause I tucked it in) is from a random hootchie girl shop in Laos. It was like $12.

Sailor Shorts by French Connection, purchased from Bluefly.com

FRYE Women’s Maya Vintage Stud Pump, purchased from Amazon.com

Wool motorcycle sweater, I forget the brand, something with the name New York in it. I bought it from Swirl.

And I also continued the nautical theme with the kids:

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Those were actually supposed to be “wear on your birthday party” shirts, but their dad found them and brought them as the only option to change into after a swimming situation. At least they looked cute.

Get more Wordless Wednesday at Project Alicia, Better in Bulk, Dear Crissy, Five Minutes For Mom, Live and Love…Out Loud,Parenting By Dummies, Seven Clown Circus, Supermom, The Divine Miss Mommy, andAngry Julie. And dig What I Wore Wednesday at The Pleated Poppy!

Plum Organics #Cleverphotos

June 30, 2011 CanCan, Pictures, Travel with children 2 comments

“Thanks to Plum Organics for sponsoring my post about fun kid photos and the stories behind them. Enter Plum’s “Babies for Yum Caption Contest” on Facebook and you could win a $100 gift card or Plum goodies.”

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My youngest son, 3-year-old Deeds, was in my school class this year. Deeds had to share me with 16 other demanding 3-year-olds. Deeds was not always a model student. It was a stretching time for both of us.

Now that summer is here, I’m looking forward to being just plain “Mama” to Deeds, not “Ms. Candice”.

This picture is from our date to the botanical gardens this week. After dropping Jojo off at Garden Camp, we spent a leisurely hour wandering the forest, enjoying the scenery in the Japanese garden, watching koi swim in the giant pond, and turtles lazily sunning themselves on rocks.

Deeds ate a box of raisins, told me where to sit, decided what we would look at, and how long we would look at it.

It was relaxing and nice; I loved the feeling of being able to enjoy time with my son and not having to worry about keeping a thousand plates spinning at once.

During dinner, Deeds told everyone how we walked on the brown bridge and a red bridge, we saw turtles in the sun, and that Mama went the wrong way and we had to go back (I took us down a path that led to a locked gate that said an alarm would sound if we touched it.)

I think the day made an impression on him, and it was like a vacation from nagging for me. I got lots of cute pictures of him, too!

We saw a $200 Fairy house:

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Walked on diamonds:

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Enjoyed seeing a big bronze “bum bum”:

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I hope that Deeds and I can have more dates this summer. I don’t want his formative memories of me to be a stressed out, barking mom.

I want to be the mom who stops to take pictures of bronze bum bums, hangs out on the garden swing, and doesn’t rush him to finish his raisin box because the mosquitos are out.

I’m thinking of taking him on a train trip to New Orleans. Am I crazy?

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Maybe I am, actually.

Here’s hoping I stay on the “cool” side of “Crazy Mom”.

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Stylin’ At BlogHer ’11

June 30, 2011 CanCan, Pictures One comment

When I went to BlogHer Chicago in 2009, I totally got freaky excited and hooked myself up with new clothes and shoes for the conference.

Does everyone need to go out and buy new clothes and shoes to attend a blogging conference?

No, but at the time I was nursing a baby and livin’ it up with a preschooler…in short, I rarely had a reason to dress up, and so when the excuse came to get all purdy and hang out with other grown up ladies, you better believe I grabbed that bull by the horns.

Now I’m getting ready to attend BlogHer ’11 in San Diego, and I am one of twelve bloggers who gets a TOP SECRET STYLE SESSION (remember when I wrote about that?). You won’t be able to miss me after that (just look for the totally hot blogger chick).

Yesterday I learned about the Naturalizer “Shoe to the Rescue” contest…the chance to win a BlogHer ticket sponsorship from Naturalizer.
The Naturalizer sponsorship includes the cost of your BlogHer Conference Pass, three pairs of shoes from the fall line (the Violette, the Kiril, and the Alarm) to wear while at the event, and one full run of the Violette (30 pairs in full and half sizes 4 – 11) to give out to attendees that you spot who are in need of a “shoe rescue.” Shoes iaec0207609
What excites me about this sponsorship is being able to Shoe Rescue other BlogHer attendees!

We are bloggers. We spend a lot of time in a dark room in front of a computer. Some of us are kind of new to the whole “going out in public to events” scene…and frankly, it shows.

But I want you to know that I am on your side. If I spot you hobblin’, or wearing aerobics shoes with a skirt (um) I will SHOE RESCUE you before you can say OH MY BUNIONS!

You see, just yesterday I was tweeting about how BlogHer makes me want to shop for sexy shoes, even though LAST BlogHer ’11, I did have some uncomfortable shoes amongst my selections.

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You want to know something? I ALSO brought along some sexy silver Naturalizer sandals; when I was shopping at DSW, I saw them and was actually surprised that Naturalizer makes hot shoes now. I always kind of associated them with comfortable and “practical” (aka “old people style”) shoes.

I have BIG plans of being fashionable AND functional at BlogHer 2011 in San Diego…just check out the smokin’ hot shoes Naturalizer has in their current line:

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I LOVE these Alarm pumps…I think they have a vintage look, Bettie Page-inspired! You know if they are Naturalizer, you can actually walk (and not hobble) in them! Vah-vah-voom, can I wear these with a swim suit?

Just joking, I think they would look cute with my sailor outfit. Can’t you picture me laying on my stomach with my ankles crossed, giving the camera a pouty look in these hot leopard pumps and the sailor clothes?
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I also love these:

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They look all…French.

And look at these saucy thangs:

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They would look great with this:

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This opportunity was presented to me by Naturalizer and the Brown Shoe Company, through MyBlogSpark, and this post serves as my entry to win a sponsorship for my attendance at the 2011 BlogHer Conference.

Check out Naturalizer on Twitter and Like Naturalizer on Facebook!

Share This With Your Readers!

June 5, 2011 CanCan 13 comments

I get several emails each week with “information to share with your readers!”. This is information that usually involves exciting things like a special on an expensive hotel room in a random place in the world, something amazeBallZ a celeb is doing, has worn, or will do, or fah-BOOO local events in places where I don’t live. But glad to know about that new park in SomeOtherState, USA!

I’m sorry to hold out on you guys like this. Maybe my readers DO want to know all of this tedious information! I mean I just delete it becase it is a waste of my time and there is no reciprocation involved for me posting, but…are you mad at me?

This is a real article I was sent to share with you. Except I changed the names to make it more awesome.

Celebrity Baby Scoop CanCan Takes A Look At 10 Random Pregnant Celebrities Ladies Who You Don’t Know

From THE CHILDREN’S LIBRARIAN to THE WAITRESS AT SIZZLER, Hollywood SOME RANDOM PLACE LIKE TULSA is in the midst of a baby boom and the mommies-to-be are absolutely glowing!

CANCAN has put together a look at ten of your favorite pregnant NORMAL LADIES – including THE LUNCH LADY, YOUR BOSS’S DAUGHTER,  A Cashier At A Gas Station, Your Catholic Bestie, A Former Highschool Classmate You Sort Of Knew, That Ridiculously Perfect Neighbor, and The One Who Works Upstairs You Don’t Know Her Name But You Always Smile In Passing - complete with quotes from the proud expecting ladies.

First time mommies-to-be include THE LUNCH LADY who recently touted, “I’ve had such a great time being pregnant that you’re probably going to see me more pregnant than not in the next few years because I’m really digging it.”

YOUR BOSS’S DAUGHTER, another member of the first-time mommy club, adjusted her eating habits after becoming pregnant. She explains, “I actually went back to being vegetarian when I became pregnant, just because I felt like I wanted that stuff. I was listening to my body to have eggs and dairy and that sort of stuff. I know there are people who do stay vegan, but I think you have to be careful, watch your iron levels and your B12 levels and supplement those if there are things you might be low in in your diet.”

The veteran moms club includes A Cashier At A Gas Station who is more ready for her second bundle of joy, saying “This time I’m actually set up. Whereas before with (JACOB, or maybe EMMA) I didn’t even have a nursery. I didn’t really have a house until I was seven months pregnant. This time it feels like I actually got to paint a nursery. I actually have a color in a room! This is a totally different pregnancy, completely. It couldn’t be more opposite.”

Self-proclaimed “baby machine” Your Catholic Bestie is expecting her third child in July and recently joked, “[I'm due in] two more months … in dog years, so that’s 25. Honestly, because it’s my third, I feel like I’ve been pregnant for like six years, seriously.”

…

Wasn’t that informative and amazeballz?

I want to write some exciting information about my life as well, maybe PR companies want to share it with their employees!

How about this:

Blogger CanCan of MomMostTraveled.com fame is wrapping up her last year as a teacher. After June 19th, CanCan plans to focus full time on blogging and freelance video production.

CanCan quips, “The other day I brought a salad to school for lunch, but I ended up being very hungry all day and had some green beans from the school canteen. I wanted some Pho but they only had the other kind of noodles that I don’t like. Since I can’t have dairy I was sort of screwed and they even had neon green dim sum instead of gyoza that day. I was super bummed.”

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CanCan says her first order of business after the school year is to organize her closet and get rid of old baby stuff, “maybe on craigslist or eBay, or a yard sale,” says the busy mommy blogger.

….

I bet they will be glad to know!

This post was inspired in part by Mommy Niri.


CanCan’s Personal Style

May 29, 2011 CanCan, Health, Links, Mom stuff, Pictures 5 comments

I am going to BlogHer ’11 this August in San Diego and I couldn’t be more excited. Yesterday I was doing my weekend prowl around the blogosphere and stumbled upon a contest for a chance to win a STYLE SESSION at BlogHer ’11 with some of my favorite fashion-savvy blogging mamas.

The idea of a Style Session strikes a chord with me.

In the last two years, I have become more “myself”. Two major things have happened since 2010:

-I turned 30.

-I magically grew a back bone.

These two developments have influenced every area of my life.

Before I turned 30, I had become used to being treated as incapable. Not good enough. Stupid. Inconsequential. Ridiculous. Always wrong.

Things came to a head and I was at a breaking point in both my personal and professional life. Something was going to snap. And it did. In a good way.

I started to realize that I wasn’t the one with the problem. These people were sick and I was allowing them to treat me according to their twisted perceptions and unhealthy sense of entitlement.

I stopped trying to please these critics who would never be satisfied anyway. If I did everything wrong anyway, why bother? It was freeing.

I went to a professional development workshop where people asked me about what strategies I had used for certain obstacles. They excitedly wrote down my ideas. I saw that I wasn’t an idiot as I had been made to feel.

I started to pay attention to the way I felt. For the first time since Deeds was born, I began to exercise regularly. At night, in my home, with DVD’s, after the kids were in bed. Though weight loss wasn’t the goal (I just wanted to follow the prescribed “30 minutes, 5 times a week”), my body began to change shape, and I liked it.

I discovered a dairy sensitivity and cut it out of my diet. A lifetime of problem skin began to clear up. I cut gluten out of my diet. I began to eat a high raw vegetarian diet. My skin looked kind of awesome.

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I went to dEliA’s. Yes. dEliA’s, a store for tweens. No not the skanky one, you might be thinking of a different store. I tried on skinny jeans. The teen sales associate told me how good they looked on me. I know it is her job, but I totally agreed with her.

I bought skinny jeans. When I was 30. I spent my teen years in oversized clothing. It was the 90′s but I could have been way cuter.

I’m actually way healthier than I was 15 years ago. I never would have believed that after two kids, I would be in the best shape of my life.

As such, I’m a relatively new fan of fashion and style. Trying on clothes and playing with different looks is a blast now that I have the positive self image to match.

As a teenager, I thought that life was pretty much over when you hit 30. Actually, I’m really excited about what the future might hold.

My biggest fashion and style challenge is

1.) I’m like a frackin’ kid in a candy shop. I don’t want to end up looking like Punky Brewster. Unless that is in. Is that “in”?

2.) I was an expat in Asia for 9 years and I don’t know the difference between Asia-tastic and fashion. Asia-tastic involves lots of ruffles and sequins. I lurve sequins!

Style me. I’m yours.

MFF

Moms Fashion File will be attending BlogHer in San Diego, will you?
Moms Fashion File ( a fashionable collaboration between SassyMomsintheCity, SavvySassyMoms and MomsTrends) will be hosting a very special style suite where we will be conducting a limited number “Style Sessions” for some very lucky bloggers!   If you would like to WIN a ”Style Session” in the suite here is what you need to do!
Style Session Submissions:
1.  Write a blog post on your blog telling us why you are in desperate need of  a “Style Session” with Moms Fashion File and our secret agents.
2.  Share some of your biggest fashion/style challenges.
3.  Send us a link when it is live – brooke@powermomsmedia.com
4.  Tweet/Facebook “I want to WIN a Secret Style session at #blogher11 from @momsfashionfile”  *Leave a comment here telling me you did so!

#SalsaCraving Salsa Sensations BlogHer 2011 Delegate Bonus Footage

May 25, 2011 CanCan, Videos One comment

Just in case my application for the Salsa Sensations Delegate for BlogHer ’11 didn’t deliver enough salsa-themed inspiration for you…

The never before seen BONUS FOOTAGE.

This was found both in the vault and on the cutting room floor.

Super exclusive.

Also? I eat salsa on stir fries and salads. I am just that into it.

Sometimes, there aren’t enough chips for all of that goodness.

Will Blog For Salsa

Salsa Sensations is sending one person to BlogHer 11, and they invite you to submit a video telling the world why Salsa Sensations should pick YOU to be the 2011 Salsa Sensations BlogHer Delegate.

The lucky Salsa Sensations delegate gets a sponsorship package worth about $2,000, including airfare, hotel, conference pass, incidentals, and of course SALSA!

Entries are due by June 10th and the winner will be announced on June 15th. WOOHOO!

Visit the Salsa Sensations website for the details.

Salsa Sensations BlogHer 11 Sponsorship Contest #SalsaCraving

May 22, 2011 CanCan, Videos One comment

Will Blog For Salsa

Salsa Sensations is sending one person to BlogHer 11, and they invite you to submit a video telling the world why Salsa Sensations should pick YOU to be the 2011 Salsa Sensations BlogHer Delegate.

The lucky Salsa Sensations delegate gets a sponsorship package worth about $2,000, including airfare, hotel, conference pass, incidentals, and of course SALSA!

Entries are due by June 10th and the winner will be announced on June 15th. WOOHOO!

Visit the Salsa Sensations website for the details.

Check out my entry video!

Half Cultured: Lao and American Culture Short Film

May 18, 2011 CanCan, Laos, Links, Teaching kids different cultures, Videos 5 comments

Vientianale Film Festival

Last weekend was the second ever Vientianale Film Festival, an event in Vientiane, Laos that showcases local film makers.

I created the short film Half Cultured, which is a relatively objective contrast of Lao culture vs. American culture.

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Like all of the aspiring film makers that entered a short film to Vientianale, I hoped to win a cash prize to replace the cameras that were stolen from my home when it was burglarized on three separate occasions in 2010.

While I didn’t take any honors, and my film is extremely amateurish, it was shared today on the facebook page of a local Vientiane magazine called Pai Sai. Then it was shared on Facebook 150 times in 20 hours.

I am gratified that the Lao, American, and expat community are so enthusiastic about Half Cultured. I kind of figured that it would have a limited appeal to a very narrow group of people, but perhaps it is more universal than I thought.

Jojo, my 6-year-old, submitted a one minute short that he wrote and directed (I filmed). The name of his film is Rocket to the Future. He actually won the Rising Star Award basically for being the only submission by someone under 16 years old.

Film makers that we are, Jojo and I even got asked to pose for a photo at the film festival when a girl came up and introduced herself as my Fan. To my knowledge she is the first and only.

This is a milestone for my baby book.

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