Sleep, how I miss you.

As the mother of a newborn, I'm used to the up-at-night routine.  I've become very spoiled - I'm blessed to have a laid-back baby who is a champ at self-soothing, and who now generally entertains himself at naptimes and bedtime by sucking on his fists until he conks out.  Slowly but surely, over the last few months we've progressed from a 6:30 bedtime with 30 minutes of heavy fussing to a 6:30 bedtime with no fussing at all.  My nighttime feedings went from three to two to one.  Life was good.

And then, this weekend came.  And everything changed.  I don't know if it's because he's been under the weather with a low grade fever, or because of our trip north for his baptism and the change in scenery, or because he's going through a growth spurt or a milestone, but for the last three nights, my 4 (almost 5) month old has been up all hours of the night.  It started on Monday night, when he woke up every two hours.  I'd comfort him and then he'd drift back to sleep.  Then Tuesday, he woke up and wouldn't settle down to sleep, even after nursing.  Last night I gave up trying to put him back into his crib - he screamed bloody murder when I did - and so he spent the entire night in bed curled up next to me, dream-nursing.

I do not like having him in the bed with me - I worry about him rolling face first into our pillow top mattress and smothering himself, or his titanium boned father rolling over him in his sleep - and so when my eyes drifted shut last night it was out of exhaustion and into a twilight sleep filled with bizarre dreams.

I'm exhausted today.  I know that having a baby teaches those who might relish the control of an unchanging routine humility.  And I'm trying to be humble, and roll with the new (hopefully temporary) world order.  But I'm not happy about it.  I want to sleep.  I want my old schedule of a one-time night feeding back.  I want my self-soother baby back, not this loud creature who squalls with fury at two in the morning when he discovers he's alone in his crib.

I have my sleep books with me today, and will call my pediatrician and reach out to my mommy-friends to see what their experiences might have been.  But I know what the answer is.  Gut it out.  Don't undo the months of routine that got him to self-soothe in his crib by getting him used to co-sleeping, even if that means less sleep for you.  Neighbors, stuff cotton wool in your ears if the sound of a screaming baby drifts through our firewall at 2:00am.  Make more coffee in the morning.  Tell myself, "one day he'll be a teenager and sleep all the time."

Ugh. Sleep, I miss you.  I don't what I did to drive you away, but please came back.  Come back to our house...and make your first stop the nursery.

Yours in delirium,
xoxo
MF

The Modern Femme Entertains...Bebe's First Party, Part 2!

Last weekend was a big weekend for the bebe.  He was baptised at his grandparents church, and then was the guest of honor at a fete planned for him by his grandmother and yours truly.  As I mentioned in the predecessor post to this one, I used Pinterest as my inspiration for the party design. 

Thanks to Bebe's godmother, who is a talented photographer, I can show you all how we did making our Pinterest inspirations a reality!

 

We set up the food indoors.  On the menu: Beef sliders, pasta salad with black olives and goat cheese, black bean salad with cilantro and jalapeno dressing, iceberg coleslaw with buttermilk dressing, and cherry tomatoes stuffed with tuna salad.

Keeping with the red, white and blue theme, I ordered plates and napkins from the Oriental Trading Company. (I also got super cute dessert plates which aren't in the photo, but which you can see here.)

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I wanted to use some sort of outdoor decoration to jazz up the outside space.  I thought these blue and red gingham banners did a great job!

 

 

I had pinned a cute picture of a galvanized steel tub holding drinks, but in the end thought these clear tubs were even more attractive!  We had two tables - one with beer and wine, and one with sparkling juices. (I have to send a shout-out to my wonderful sister-in-law, who tied all the beautiful bows on the floral arrangements.)

 

We set up a kids section in the shade, and handed out bubbles for the kids to play with, which were a huge hit.  And, as you can see, I really got into the red, white and blue theme with capris and a top from H&M.  (Similar styles here and here.)

Bebe's uncle (and godfather) offered to take up grill duty, and spent most of the party deftly turning out yummy slider after slider. Isn't he wonderful? Being naturally debonar, he also matched the red, white and blue theme - with no advance planning! Brilliant.

 

Apologies for the terrible quality of this picture (taken by yours truly and not my friend!) - but, in keeping with my Pinterest inspiration of monogrammed petit fours, I wanted to show you all the adorable cupcakes that my mother got for Bebe. I wish I had remembered to take a photo of them when they first went out, but by the time I got to them, these lonely guys were the only ones left!

 

All in all, I think we did a pretty good job drawing on my Pinterest inspiration.  Bebe, Mr. MF and I had a great day. 

Entering into party withdrawal...
xoxo,
MF

 

Weekly menus...Travel menu

Hello dear readers.  I've missed writing to you all!

This past weekend the Modern Femme Family traveled north for Bebe's baptism and post-baptism summer party.  The baptism was a great success (no bebe meltdowns, yay!) and the party was both fabulous and fun.  I'm working on a post about the party, so look for that soon.

In the meantime, here's the menu for this week.  I planned this menu on the car ride back home yesterday, to the soothing sounds of a squalling infant (Bebe HATES car rides) interspersed with the pounding of rain on the roof of the car.  With no cookbooks at hand, I suppose you could say this menu is snapshot of my cooking wheelhouse - all these recipes are tried-and-true, and most have been done so many times that I could make them in my sleep. 

• Monday: 
• Lemon roast chicken
• Potatoes Lyonese
• Salad
• Brownies
• Tuesday: 
• Spaghetti with marinara and meatballs
• Garlic bread
• Salad
• Wednesday: 
• Chicken stir-fry with bok choy, water chestnuts and cashews
• Thursday: 
• Steaks on the grill
• Pesto pasta
• Friday: 
• Chilled potato soup
• Pork tenderloin
• Grilled zucchini

xoxo,
MF

The Modern Femme Entertains...Bebe's first party!

My little one is getting baptised this weekend.  After the baptism we are throwing a party for him - his first party ever!  I've been day dreaming about this shindig for a while, and taking a lot of inspiration from Pinterest.  As the event gets closer, I thought it would be fun to do a post on what has inspired me, and then a follow up post after the party to show that inspiration in action!  Ok? Good! 

Let's get started:

The color scheme for the party was inspired by this photograph.  Classic red, white and blue.

I loved this invitation that I found on Etsy.  It was hard to find a classic looking invitation for an outdoor summer party that didn't involve big cartoon grills.

The party will be hosted outdoors on a flagstone terrace that spills out into a grassy, shaded backyard. I love outdoor decorations for parties - they really help to define the space, and add that extra festive element.  Because the bebe's party will be during the day, strings of lights are not practical, but aren't the crepe streamers adorable?

This is going to be a casual afternoon affair, so tubs filled with ice and drinks for guests to help themselves is perfect.  And how cute is the ribbon attached to the bottle opener??

How cute are these monogrammed sweets?  Because this is a party celebrating Bebe, something along these lines is a must.

Finally, because many guests will be bringing their children, it seems only right to have a kid-friendly space for the littlest party-goers to frolic in!

 So there you have it, my dear readers.  These are some of the photos I have in my mind to work with.  Look for an follow-on post from the party to show how I did making my inspiration a reality.

Wish me luck!
xoxo,
MF

Modern Femme loves...Cotton Cardis

It's funny how in the middle of February, a snap 66 degree day is cause for short sleeve shirts and capris, but in the middle of August, a 66 degree morning sends me in a delighted scurry to my sweater drawer. 

This morning, as I stepped out to walk the dog, I opened my front door to a wonderful, cool dawn.  A gentle breeze drifted in from the east, there was dew on the grass, and the rising sun lit up the sky in a peachy, golden pink.  Perfect weather for breaking in my new navy cotton cardigan from Lands End. 

I love this cardigan.  The fine gauge makes it a perfect, soft, summer weight - it looks good when paired with camisoles, sundresses, khakis and shorts.  Lands End got the navy shade just right (it's irritating when "navy" is so dark that it looks black), and the best part is that this cardi can be monogrammed - I got mine done in hot pink thread.

As the temperature begins to return to more civilized numbers, my cardi will make appearances at early morning dog walks, rainy afternoons when the air conditioning gets a little too cold, and outdoor cocktail hours.  For $49.00 (monogramming is $6 extra), it's a great deal, and a perfect addition to your late summer wardrobe. 

xoxo,
MF

Full Disclosure Series: I'm a sucker

For pretty packaging, that is. This came in the mail last night, and now I'm pretty sure I need one of each of these. Because I love anything yellow and blue:

Weekly menus...Nigella Lawson's "Forever Summer"

This weekend I decided to cook out of Nigella Lawson's Forever Summer* cookbook.  (I absolutely adore Nigella.  Forever and ever, amen.)  Here, then, is the menu for the week of August 19, 2012:

• Sunday Night Dinner: 
• Pappardelle with zucchini, Marsala and pine nuts (FS page 32)
• Picnic fried chicken (FS page 141)
• Brownies
• Monday
• Saffron-scented chicken pilaf (FS page 143)
• Grilled asparagus with roasted garlic
• Tuesday
• Black and blue beef (FS page 122)
• Hasslebeck potatoes (FS page 151)
• Salad
• Wednesday
• Short pasta with asparagus, lemon, garlic and parsley (FS page 41)
• Grilled chicken breasts with french vinaigrette marinade
• Thursday
• Stir-fried steak with house marinade
• Jasmine steamed rice
• The Rainbow Room carrot and peanut salad (FS page 58)
• Friday
• Cook's night off!

If you would like a recipe from above, let me know in the comments.

xoxo,
MF

* For some reason, it appears that Nigella's cookbook has been retitled "Nigella Fresh." To me, however it will always be "Forever Summer," since that is what mine is titled.

Modern Femme at Home...Making the bed and DIY Lavender Linen Water

I love making my bed.  It's a calming morning ritual that makes me feel I'm starting the day off right.  I love leaving the house knowing that my bed has plumped pillows, a fluffed comforter, and taut sheets.  And nothing, but nothing, beats pulling back the covers of a tucked-in bed, and crawling in between smooth, cool sheets after a long day. 

A couple of months ago, I added a step to my bed-making routine and began spraying my sheets with homemade lavender water.  Spraying the sheets not only imparts a pleasant scent to them, but as the week goes on and they start to get more and more wrinkled, it also helps to smooth them out and keep them feeling fresh.  You can buy linen spray but it's so easy to make that I prefer to make my own.  All you need is a spray bottle and some lavender essential oil, which you can buy at a Whole Foods or a health store.



Homemade lavender linen spray: Mix as many drops of lavender oil as you like with water in a spray bottle.  Ta-da!

You might be rolling your eyes - especially if you are not a bed-maker - and thinking spraying your bed is over the top.  But here's the thing - for minimal extra effort, I get maximum, multi-sensory output: my eyes get a pretty bed to look at, my nose gets lavender scented linens, and my skin gets cool, smooth sheets.  It's a total win-win situation! 

To prove it to you, I timed myself this morning to see how long it took me to make my bed, including using the spray.  It took me all of three minutes. See below for the blow-by-blow.

7:24:  Remove the pillows from bed, pull back the top sheet and comforter. 

Spray fitted sheet with linen water. 

Smooth sheet and tuck edges firmly under mattress. Pull top sheet back up over bed.


7:25:  Spray top sheet with linen water, pull tightly up the length of bed.

Make hospital corners by folding the top sheet up over the side of the bed, tucking in the lower half, and then pulling the top half down and tucking in again under the mattress.  Pull comforter up over the top sheet.

7:26:  Smooth comforter over top sheet.

Fold top sheet down over the top of the comforter. Spray with linen water. Put pillows back on bed. 

Spray pillows with linen water. 

7:27:  Put decorative pillows back on bed. 

Done! Isn't it pretty?  I can't wait to go to bed!

xoxo,
MF

Modern Femme: Full Disclosure

So, as I was considering what to post about this morning, I got to thinking on how people present themselves to the world through social media.  We all try to write clever Facebook status updates, have witty tweets, take cool pictures through Instagram, or create our perfect lives on Pinterest.  It's so easy to pick and choose what you share with the world, to create the best version of yourself through the Internet and social media.  It's so easy to take yourself too dang SERIOUSLY.

We're going to try and keep it real here on Modern Femme.  Part of being a modern femme, after all, is knowing when to take yourself seriously, and when to laugh at yourself.  In that spirit, I am starting the Full Disclosure series, or as I like to think of it, a celebration of the imperfect.  I hope that you can not only come visit this blog to be entertained or inspired, but also to laugh a little at me.  Trust me, I can be a hot mess. 

1.  I have off weeks on what I blog about, whether it be menu planning or egg timer tricks or beauty routines.  There was a two week period where I would have rather stabbed my eyeballs out than look at any of my cookbooks.  I. Was. Sick. Of. Them.  I don't remember what we ate - probably a lot of pizza delivery - maybe even beer and cereal.

2.   I let my dog lick my kid's face.  It's totally gross and my husband hates it, but I just really want my dog to like my kid.  And so far my kid hasn't come down with any horrible disease.  Though I feel really bad about it every time I watch my dog lick the floor/her butt/lamp posts.

3.  I talk to myself.  Like, all the time.  In the shower, when walking the dog, etc.  It helps me work through stuff - whether it be a blog post I'm trying to craft, or a issue I'm trying to get to the bottom of.  My neighbors are probably used to it by now.  "There goes Mumbles," they say, shaking their heads, "poor thing, off her meds again."

4.  I'm a total TOTAL hypochondriac.  I once cancelled a fun day of social engagements because of a lump on my wrist that I was convinced was a...DA DUM DUM....tumor.  Wrist cancer people!  It could happen. My doctor practically laughed me out of his office.  My friends flat out laughed at me, period.  It was a cyst, by the way, in case you're wondering.  My uncle offered to smash it with a Bible.  I have supportive family members.

5.  I'm an impulsive spender.  I had a dream last night that I spent $400 on placemats and then - this is where it turned into a nightmare - had to go home and tell my husband.  Sadly, this situation is probably not *that* far off from reality. 

I'll stop there. But hey, don't you already feel a little bit better about yourself?  Or at least, that maybe you're not alone.  Hypochondriacs of the world, unite!  (But don't get too close, I think I'm contagious.)

Until next time, I remain imperfectly yours,
xoxo,
MF 

P.S. I can't spell the following words:  weird, lavender, necessary. If you see those words on my blog, you better believe spell check caught and fixed them before the post went up.  xo

The Modern Femme at home...Menus and grocery shopping

This post is going to tackle one of everyone's favorite tasks: menu planning and grocery shopping.  Judging from the amount of pins, tips, and tricks that I see about these subjects on Pinterest, people are always looking for ideas of how to make their menu planning and shopping easier.  Well, here comes I, adding my two cents into the mix!

My mother has been my inspiration in this department.  (Well, really in all departments - love you, Mummy!!)  Every Saturday, Mum would sit down with her cookbooks and recipe binder and write out the dinner menu for the week on the back of an envelope.  When she was done, she'd stick it on the fridge, and we could all take a look at what we could expect in the days ahead.  Chinese chicken Mondays? Yay! Spaghetti and meatball Tuesdays? Yay! Leftover Wednesdays? Boo!!!!!!

Besides being informative, and assuring your family that you are, in fact, going to be feeding them, planning the menu for the week is immensely helpful for the cook and grocery shopper, who often are one and the same.  I follow in my mother's footsteps and plan a menu every weekend.  Here is my dinner menu for this week:

And now, my chicken scratch, decoded:

• Sunday:  Summer garden pasta, grilled steak and arugula, lemon yogurt cake
• Monday:  Chicken piccata, pasta with garlic oil, salad
• Tuesday: Grilled rib eye steaks, grilled asparagus, salad
• Wednesday:  Weeknight bolonese, salad
• Thursday: Grilled chicken with balsamic vinaigrette marinade, pesto pasta, grilled zucchini
• Friday: Tuscan white beans, fresh baked bread

Next to each recipe I write the cookbook in which it can be found (i.e. "HEIT" = "How Easy Is That" by Ina Garten) and the recipe's page number.  This is clutch, because I am ditsy enough to not remember on a Wednesday where a recipe came from on a Sunday, and there's nothing more annoying than pawing through your cookbooks trying to find your recipe while the hungry masses give you the hairy eyeball!

While I'm doing up my menu, I keep my grocery list next to me.  After a billion rambling trips through my grocery store, I decided to create the most efficient shopping routine possible by designing a custom grocery list (sorry for the grainy photo):

What you're looking at is a grocery list that is mapped out according to the layout of my grocery store.  When I walk into my store, I arrive in the produce section, then the deli, butcher, etc.  I went to my store one day and mapped out the layout, including taking pictures of all the aisle signs to create the aisle sections (ex. Aisle 1 in my store is where I find bread, peanut butter, jam, water, etc). 

When I make my menu, I have a print out of my grocery list and I add what I need in the respective sections.  When I'm done planning for the week, my grocery list is ready to go with me to the store.  I can be in and out of my store in under 30 minutes because of this list.  If there are no items listed in one of the aisle boxes, I can skip that aisle entirely!  It has  cut down on unnecessary purchases because I'm not wandering through the aisles looking for things and getting tempted by stuff I don't need - I know exactly where I have to go and what I have to pick up. I also have eliminated that most aggravating situation of being on one end of the grocery store, realizing you totally blew by something on the opposite end of the grocery store that you need, and having to backtrack.  I hate when that happens!

This routine works really well for me.  I tend to do this first thing on Sunday morning, when I have the most energy - in my pjs with my coffee and piles of cookbooks.  To keep it interesting, I challenge myself to make a menu using cookbooks from only one author - or from only one cookbook.  And nothing is better than knowing you don't have to think up a meal on a weeknight when you're exhausted!!

I'm thinking about posting my weekly menus every Monday on the blog. Would anyone find that helpful? Let me know.

If you guys have any questions or additional thoughts on menu planning and grocery shopping, let me know in the comments.

xoxo,

MF

Modern Femme loves...Votivo Candles

Happy Monday all! Aren't we excited to be on top of another work week?  I know I am. 

A million years ago, I was a shop girl in a little boutique in LA, called The Jumping Dog.  It was the kind of retail experience that you could only have in LA - bonefide movie starts would come in to the store, and I would very studiously not stare at them, like a good Angelino does.  Guess what?  Stars need last minute gifts just like the rest of us do.  They drag their spouses to stores just like you and me.  And some of them try to wrangle deals on purchases like the meanest cheapskate you might know.

Anyway, I digress.  While I was working at the Jumping Dog, I was introduced to Votivo candles.  And since then I have been a loyal fan.  Which isn't to say that I haven't bought and used other candles (hello Target! Hello TJ Maxx! Hello World Market!), because I have and do.  But every time I buy and bring house a random candle from someone other than Votivo, I am ultimately disappointed.

The first thing that gets me is their fragrances.  Votivo has amazing fragrances - and while they seem strong when you first open the box, when the candle is lit it somehow evaporates into the air, leaving a subtle sweet scent that isn't overpowering.  My favorites are Lavender Chamomile Pear:

and Clean Crisp White:

These candles also burn FOREVER.  Seriously - one can last me up to six months, even with regular use.  The wax takes a long time to evaporate (or whatever it is that wax does).  What cools and dries burns as good as new when relit.  And the glass containers have been repurposed in my house - I have one holding all the pens next to my notepad in the kitchen.

Love these!  If you pass one in a store near you, at least pick it up and take a deep breath.  Wunderbar.

xoxo,
MF

Modern Femme eats...pantry linguine

I can't stay away from you guys today! It's still Sunday and I'm stuck at the house with the little man and no car. Mr. Modern Femme had to work today and left us behind with nothing in the fridge! Or did he? Hunger is the most inspirational of kitchen fellows.

What I found, after some scrounging, to work with: Roasted garlic oil, handful of ripe cherry tomatoes, red pepper flakes, a hunk of Parmesan, half a bag of linguine and some wilted basil.

What it made: Yumminess!! Which I'm enjoying this very second as I fold laundry and post this from my iPhone blogger app.

Modern Femme loves...French Toast Pudding leftovers

Good morning, my dear readers.  I hope you're having a delightfully lazy Sunday.

As a follow-on to yesterday's post, I just had to pop online and say that life is really, really good when you can enjoy a warm bowl of French Toast Pudding leftovers, smothered in maple syrup and berries.  The baby is napping, the sun is shining, and I'm tucking into this velvety goodness and enjoying one last cup of piping hot coffee in peace and quiet. Ahhhh.

Life is good, no?

xoxo,
MF

The Modern Femme entertains...Saturday morning breakfast

I started this post originally with a couple of long, and frankly, boring paragraphs about entertaining.  Instead, because I want to get to the good stuff - the breakfast party I had this morning for some friends, let's just use a bulleted format for my introduction:

1.  I like throwing parties.
2.  Used to be dinner parties, now includes lunches, brunches, breakfasts and seasonal parties.
3.  I like feeding people.
4.  I like feeding people food made from scratch.
5.  This used to make me hell to live with because I'd get wicked stressed before the party and take it out on my husband, the poor thing.
6. I'm better now.
7.  I have some thoughts on how to go about reducing stress related to entertaining, but I'm not going to go into great detail, because it's pretty simple:

Relax.  No one is going to notice that little thing that you're freaking out over, whatever it is. Promise. Have a good time.  Remember that your friends want to see you, not just be fed.
Don't commit hari-kari if what you make isn't as good as you hoped for/was too small of a portion/somehow fell apart at the last minute.  That's why God invented wine and Chinese takeout.

ANYWAY, let's move on.  I had a breakfast get together this morning for some friends and their two little boys! It was fun.

I used a very casual place setting, piling everything on a table runner to encourage a family style atmosphere.  Since my friends have little ones, I wanted to keep everything as laid back and kid-friendly as possible.

Love white as a base color for any party, because it makes everything else pop.



Being a new mother myself, I still have a lot to learn about making a home kid-friendly, but I did learn one new thing today: melamine plates (love this one) and cups are the way to go for kiddie guests.  Less stress for everyone when the little mister or misses decides she wants to smack her plate on the table!

Another thing I do now before any party is lay out the serving dishes I will be using.  This is the big take-away tip dear readers. By laying out the bowls and serving ware you need in advance you don't need to root around for them while trying to be a good host, and it helps remind the more forgetful among us of all the dishes we intended on serving.

From left to right: serving ware for the maple bacon, maple syrup and butter (for the French toast pudding), fresh berries, and granola. (Not pictured, a serving bowl for the yogurt.)

It's worth giving this old trick a try for your next party.  There's something calming about seeing these trays and bowls, all lined up and ready to go.  Makes even the most stressed host feel a little better prepared.

I have a stable of old reliable recipes for brunch and lunches, but breakfast was a first. After giving it some thought, I settled on the following menu:

• French Toast Bread Pudding, from Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa)
• Maple Roasted Bacon, again from Ina
• Fresh raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries
• Vanilla yogurt
• Granola
• Fresh squeezed orange juice

I chose the first two dishes because they were easily assembled in under five minutes and then baked in the oven.  No muss, no fuss.  I could be calm and collected as my guests arrived, happy in the knowledge the breakfast was cooking away in the oven.  Beats slaving over a hot stove to make individual french toasts and sputtering bacon!! 

Everything came out nicely.  Of course, I forgot to take pictures of most of it, but I was meticulous about photographing the production of the juice.




The juice ingredients.  I like to use a little bit of pineapple when making fresh OJ.  I think it brightens the taste.

Juice, baby, juice!! 

 Almost there...

Et voila.  Fresh juice, just waiting to be devoured.  Do you like my attempt at an arty shot?  It's hard to tart up juice, folks.  Gotta try where I can.

I think fresh juice really can help take the whole breakfast experience to the next level.  While there was french toast, bacon, and some berries left over, this juice was all gone.  Lip smacking good.

Verdict: a breakfasty success.  It was nice to catch up with our friends, and the french toast pudding was good - though more pudding than french toast.  I totally meant to get a picture of the food on the table, but I done forgot.  I'm new to this whole photo-taking/blog thing.  I'll get better, I promise.  The best I can do is show you what a heaping portion of the french toast looked like:



 Mmm.  Pour some maple syrup on that, in the name of love.  (Oh yes, I did just go there.)

And finally, because I like to keep it real here at Modern Femme, I'm going to leave you with a closing shot of how I roll during post-guest-departure cleanup:

Awww yeah.  Ain't no bacon grease I can't scrub when Sam's at my side.

Till next time, dear readers, may your parties be fun, your guests charming, your food divine, and your dishes few.

xoxo,

MF



Modern Femme loves...L'Occitane

As a teenager, I had tremendously oily skin.  I used very light moisturizers when I wasn't using prescription creams, and would break out anyway.  This continued well into my 20s.  Now in my 30s, I've noticed that my skin is shifting from oily to normal (I guess) - and drinks up moisturizers that I wouldn't have dared slather on my skin even 4 years ago.

My most favorite skincare brand is L'Occitane, the French skincare line.  I love their Shea Butter Ultra Rich Face Cream.  I started using this last year as part of my evening skin care routine, and my skin has never, ever felt so soft. 

I didn't have a single breakout when using this cream - I'm telling you, it must be made out of fairy dust and unicorn horn.  A-mazing.

For the summer, I decided to try something a little lighter, and switched to L'Occitane's Angelica Hydration Cream.  I use this at night, and my skin hasn't lost any of its softness.  And still no breakouts!





I cleanse my face at night with the Shea Cleansing Milk.  I started using this in the winter, but have kept up with it - although it's part of the Shea line and a creamy cleanser, it's not so heavy that you need to set it aside in the warmer months. 

I love the smell, and it cleans my skin well, taking off 90% of my make-up, without leaving my face feeling dry or tight.

Finally, the last L'Occitane product I'm using is their Shea Butter Fabulous Serum.  I use this as part of my morning and evening routine.  I'm not sure how I feel about serums in general - they seem to be all the rage now, the way exfoliating scrubs and masks were in the past decade (just writing that makes me feel old).  L'OC says this product smooths fine lines and helps to regenerate the skin. 

Whether this serum is doing all that it claims, I can tell you it isn't hurting my skin (no breakouts, etc), and I haven't noticed any increase in fine lines.  It has gotten pretty good reviews on the L'Occitane site as well!

 And finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention my all-time favorite L'OC product:



The Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Cream is the BEST. CREAM. EVER.  I don't know where to begin.  It's thick, but absorbs immediately into your skin, leaving no residue.  One tub lasts forever, because you only need to use a little bit.  It has a light, clean fragrance.  After a week, my skin was the softest it's every been.  I used it every day during my pregnancy, and didn't get a single stretch mark.  In short, I'm a total convert.  If I could only use one L'Occitane product for the rest of my life (what a sad, sad day that would be!), it would be this one.

I also love their Lavender Hand Cream, as I mentioned in my "The Modern Femme Travels" series. It has just the right consistency for repeated daily use, and the scent is divine! 

There are other L'Occitane products that I would love to try - their Immortelle line gets consistently high reviews, but will have to save my pennies. 

I love these products (no endorsement deals here, just genuine fandom) as you can tell.  Any L'OC fans out there?  If so, what do you use?

xoxo,

MF

The Modern Femme at home...egg timer trick

We've all been there.  It's at the end of a long day, and all you want to do is go lay down.  The family has been fed, the kids put to bed, the pets walked and watered. 

And now you're staring at a pile of dishes, or baby bottles that need to be washed and refilled for the next day, or food that has to assembled for lunch tomorrow, or laundry that has to be folded.  You contemplate the Goliath of a task in front of you and hear that siren song:  "I'll do it tomorrow. I'm tired.  I'm going to go watch tv/take a bath/go to bed."

I've done this so many times, I've lost count. The promise of tomorrow is a mirage, because often, you don't do it tomorrow.  The laundry sits unfolded in the corner for the week, the dishes pile up, people get sent off with money to buy lunch instead of being sent out with food. 

So, here's what I do, when faced with my Goliath task, feet sore, eyes bleary, will weak:



I get my egg timer.  I set it for 10 minutes.  I tell myself "get as much as you can done in the next 10 minutes, and then you're done."   And every time, I end up finishing the task before me, for one of two reasons: 10 minutes sounds deceptively short, but you can get quite a lot done in that time; and even if I haven't finished the whole task, often by the time the 10 minutes is up I'm nearly done, or have gotten enough done that I'm determined to finish the whole task.

If you struggle with completing chores when tired, give this a try.  If you can't stomach the idea of 10 minutes, start with 5.  Most of us can do anything for 5 minutes, even if we're exhausted.  And nothing feels as good as knowing that when you do go watch tv/take a bath/go to bed, you can do it with a feeling of satisfaction that you faced down your Goliath and won.

xoxo,

MF