Lee's Motion Comfort Khakis for Men: Style, Comfort, and Easy Care Combined

My husband appreciates looking good, but he's also not one to stay on the top of fashion trends. Like me, he usually spends his days off in jeans, but for work he has to dress a little more professionally. Those same work pants must first get past children and a slobbery dog before he can even get out the door, though, so he needs durable pants that will look good, stand up to the abuses of stains, and preferably not need ironed. (The last item is my request.)

Lee recently sent us a pair of their new Motion Comfort Khakis for him to try. I've been wearing Lee jeans, shorts and pants for quite a while, but he's fairly new to Lee. His previous dress pants and khakis have been different, pricier brands with a hit-and-miss reputation. Some stood up well to wrinkles and stains, but looked too baggy and high-waisted for a guy his age. Others had a great modern fit, but wore out too quickly.

The Motion Comfort Khakis boast of being wrinkle-free, iron-free, and stain resistant. Right away I'm sold on the idea if it makes my laundry routine a little easier! The twill fabric is mostly cotton with a little bit of stretch to create a comfortable fit as you move.

My husband received a pair of the navy pants to try out. His first impression is that they do run a little on the small size, so consider that when ordering. He was just at the upper end of the lower size, and it was far too tight in the waist. One size up, however, fit perfectly.

Since I didn't wear them myself, I'll have to relay his impressions on these pants. He thought they fit more snug than many of his other pants, but appreciated that they aren't baggy. The lower waist is a plus, too. The waistband is comfortable and has a slight stretch in it. He said the most surprising feature to him was the double pocket on the right side - most of his pants don't have the extra pocket. The pants are lightweight and keep him cool on even the warmest late summer days.

When it comes to the care of the pants, I can provide my opinion here. They really are a dream to care for. These pants require no ironing, show few wrinkles, and may be the best pants he's ever had at repelling stains. Most anything that gets onto his pants (including dog drool) comes right off with just a dab of water on a towel. Anything that doesn't come off right away is gone after a trip through the washing machine.
 
He's worn the Lee Comfort Fit Khakis for several weeks now (at least twice a week and through several washings), and they still look brand new. There are no signs of wear to be found, and even when washed and dried there has been no shrinkage in the length, either.

Took me forever to get a photo of him in the pants. I had to block the door as he was leaving for work, with our dog serving as backup.

To sum up, my husband is very pleased with the performance of these pants. They look good for work, and they're still tough enough to wear when out with the family, too. He likes the versatility and comfort, and I like the easy care of the fabric. (And I think he looks good in them, too. That matters.) I'd call it a win-win.

And yet again, Lee has won over another member of my family. They just know how to make good-looking pants that fit well. 

Full disclosure: We received the Comfort Fit Khakis from Lee to facilitate this review. No further compensation was given, all opinions are my own. (And my husband's opinion, too, in this case.)

Springtime Comfort & Style With Lee Jeans! (Giveaway!)

I've said it many times, and I'll say it again: I live in my jeans. I know many moms love their yoga pants, but this mom needs a little more structure to her bottom half, without the need to dress up the top half to match. Jeans are the perfect middle-ground - dress them up or down, they're always ready to go.

But now that spring is here - and the temperatures have finally caught up to the season - my full length jeans are being stored away as I break out the capris and shorts.

If you're read my blog for any length of time, then you know there is only one brand of jeans I rely on for comfort any time of the year: Lee Jeans. You've probably experienced my story: you try on a pair of jeans, and if they fit at the waist, they're too tight in the hips. If they fit well in the hips and seat, you've got the dreaded waist gap in the back.

So when I tried on my first Lee jeans a few years ago, I expected them to be just like the others. Wrong! They have room for women with hips, the waist neatly nips in with little to no gap, and there's just enough stretch to give you room to move without the jeans then losing their shape.

These are simply the best fitting jeans I've ever tried, and they're the only jeans I know that take into consideration that women have curves. (I've been told that there are some expensive jeans that also fit a curvy body, but who wants to spend $150 on a pair of jeans when I can get just as good of a fit for under $50?)

What I love most, though, are the styles. These aren't "mom jeans" - they're on-trend with the current fashions and look great on any age.

(And OMG could we get rid of the "mom jeans" = ugly assumption in pop culture. I'm a mom, I wear awesome jeans, therefore my mom jeans are awesome!)

Lee recently sent me two of their new Spring styles to try out, and I'm in love all over again. First up is the Stevie Slender Secret Capri:

What I love most about these is the contrast stitching against the dark wash. It looks fantastic dressed up or down, and really stands out in the evening. These are also part of the Slender Secret line, meaning there's extra shaping built-in so you look even slimmer!

Then there were the Comfort Fit Dean Walk Shorts:

I've never been one for denim outside of the normal blue, but this red is hot! They fit like a dream and the inseam is long enough to prevent any fabric creeping while walking. I've already received so many compliments on these shorts.

To sum up: Lee provides affordable denim that is fashionable, fits real women, and holds up so well through my daily life. The new Spring offerings have only renewed my love with Lee!

Giveaway!

If you're not already a fan of Lee jeans, I'm confident that there's a good chance you will be. And to help with that, I'm giving one reader a pair of capris or shorts (your choice of style and color) so you can start the warm weather season off in style!

To enter, use the Rafflecopter widget below, which will give you all of the options for this giveaway! Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Full disclosure: I received the capris and shorts mentioned above from Lee to facilitate my review. All opinions stated here are my own, and as no two bodies are the same, your mileage may vary. But really, if you have any hips at all, you'll love these jeans.

A Mother's Day Gift That Shows You Really Care

Mother's Day is coming up fast, and my inbox is being flooded with emails about what moms really want for Mother's Day with tips for finding that perfect gift. I don't think the talented people who wrote these gift guides have ever met my family, however.

A sentimental gift? Nope, that won't do for my mom. She generally doesn't like a lot of stuff, feeling it's just one more thing to clutter up her house. As for me, I like some sentimental gifts, but I'm also in the process of purging a lot of useless junk from my house, so... not so much at the moment.

A spa day? Yes for me, no way for my mom. She has never liked anything girly, preferring a simple shower to get the dirt off of her after a day of working hard in the garden than anything involving smelly lotions or people touching her.

It's taken me years to figure out my own mother. When I was younger I tried everything to get her to have that big WOW moment with a gift, but I never managed more than a "oh, how nice, thank you," that was in many ways sincere, but clearly indicated it was nothing she really wanted.

As a mother myself, I now understand what I can do to really show how much I care for my mom. Mother's Day now is usually about providing a service for her in some way. She's amazingly talented - she could teach you how to grow the perfect garden, clean your house, shoot a gun, balance your checkbook, cook a fantastic meal, and gather honey from hives without getting stung by a bee. But even though I used to think there was nothing I could ever do that my mom didn't already do better, I've found her one weak spot.

I'm my mother's technical support.

It sounds funny, I know, and probably not very sentimental. But helping my mom build a laptop with everything she needs, or configuring her wireless network so she can take that laptop anywhere in her house, or walking her though the steps to set up her Netflix account? Those offers of help mean a lot to her and make her life easier.

She's done so much to teach me throughout my life, and now I finally have a skill I can teach back to her so she can enjoy all of the advances in technology that she wants to embrace but doesn't fully understand.

So this Mother's Day, I'm setting up an iTunes account for her and teaching her how to use it so she can download her own apps on the iPhone I gave her recently. (It was my old iPhone - she didn't want to spend a lot on her own iPhone.) She's genuinely thrilled about this upcoming event, and can't wait to learn how to get her own apps. My mom doesn't need a lot, but this simple task for me - which is something she would struggle with - shows her just how much I care about her.

As for me? I'm slowly becoming more like my mom each year. Instead of objects, I want someone to do something for me that I can't do myself or provide a service for something I don't like to do. A massage would be nice to help with all of the stress I store in my back. Or a Maid Service gift certificate to unburden me from my least favorite chore, leaving me time to devote to things I enjoy. Or a Time Lord to take me back in time to give me more hours in the day.

Honestly, house cleaning is my ultimate weak area. Not only is my house a wreck, but I hate cleaning more than just about any other chore and I'm sure I'm not alone. Yes, I'm sure there are some people who truly take pleasure from a job well-done in making their house spotless, but many of us don't count ourselves in that group.

This year, not only am I getting what I want for Mother's Day, but you can get the same special treatment!  I'm giving away a $100 gift certificate to Molly Maid so one reader can also relax in a clean home, spending more time on the things she really cares about than scrubbing the toilet.

Giveaway Rules
Win a $100 gift certificate toward a cleaning from Molly Maid!

Please note that Molly Maid does not offer service in the following locations: Louisiana, Wyoming, Vermont, West Virginia, Maine, Montana, and Alabama. Also Molly Maid does not have coverage in the following Metro areas: Madison, WI, Green Bay, WI, Buffalo, NY, and Syracuse, NY. If you live in any of these locations, you can still enter to win, but will not be able to have a home in those areas serviced. Home cleaning estimates will vary. Winner may use gift certificate toward total cost.

This giveaway will end May 7 at 11:59PM PT, so enter now! A winner will be selected randomly from the comments on May 8 and contacted via email.

Enter up to four times by doing each of the following:

• One Entry - Tweet about the Molly Maid contest (you can even use the handy-dandy Tweet below, if you like) and leave a comment here with either the Tweet or the URL to the Tweet. Please be sure to tag your Tweet with #MollyMaid4Mom.
• One Entry - Post about this contest on Facebook, and leave a comment here saying what you posted. Please tag the post with the #MollyMaid4Mom hashtag.
• One Entry - Write a blog post about the contest and -- you guessed it -- leave a comment here with the URL to the blog post.
• One Entry - Just leave a comment on this blog post!

Sample Tweet: I just entered to win $100 toward a cleaning from Molly Maid! You can too! http://bit.ly/JJCm0B #MollyMaid4Mom

Good luck, and may we all get exactly what we want on Mother's Day!

Full disclosure: Sponsored posts are purely editorial content that we are pleased to have presented by a participating sponsor. Advertisers do not produce the content. I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all my own.

My Slim-Fast Slimdown (& Giveaway!)

I've been a Slim-Fast Women of Wow ambassador for about two months now, and I have to say it's going great! I've lost five pounds and I'm halfway to my Vow to Wow goal of reaching 158 pounds. (Which is considered a healthy weight for my height.)

Five pounds may not sound like a lot, but when you consider that I had been at a plateau for months before this, unable to break through the 166 mark no matter what I ate or how much I worked out, it's a pretty fantastic accomplishment. The last five pounds will be the hardest, I'm sure, but with Slim-Fast I'm confident I can do it.

The plan has been so easy to follow. Some friends have asked if I get bored with the shakes and meal bars, but the truth is, I don't! There are so many varieties that it would be hard to get bored, although I do have several favorites that I keep going back to.

My favorite shake by far is the French Vanilla, with the Rich Chocolate Royale coming in a very close second. These taste like dessert shakes to me! For an even healthier shake, you can blend some fresh berries in with the vanilla shake for a real treat!

My favorite meal bar is the Chocolate Cookie Dough bar. This tastes amazing, and keeps me going for hours at a time! I honestly don't know how they put the cookie dough flavor into something that's only 200 calories.

The snack bars taste like candy bars to me. Especially the Chocolate Nougat Gone Nuts snack bar. If you like Snickers, you'll LOVE this snack bar!

Giveaway!

Not only has Slim-Fast given me the tools to help me reach my goals, but they want to help you have your moment of wow, too! I've got one $50 American Express gift card to give to one lucky reader - use it towards new workout gear, an outfit to celebrate a milestone, or whatever you'd like!

To enter: use the Rafflecopter form below to collect multiple entries.  (If you don't see it, wait a moment - it can take a minute to load.)

Finding Shakespeare in Anonymous

There comes a point in every mom's week where she can no longer watch another cartoon or kid show without feeling the urge to pluck her eyes out. This is often solved by scheduling a movie night, or just watching a romantic comedy or costume drama DVD after the kids are in bed.

Well, if you like costume dramas, I've got the movie that will serve as a remedy to any amount of preschool programming.

I first heard about the movie Anonymous just before it was released to theaters. The film poses a question that some scholars have debated for years: who actually wrote Shakespeare's plays and poems? It's always seemed unlikely that the barely educated son of an illiterate glove maker could go on to write some of the greatest plays in history, filled with incredible details about lands Shakespeare never saw and history that he likely never learned.

While most academics still accept that Shakespeare wrote his own works, there are some who believe that it was actually a member of the nobility who wrote all of them using Shakespeare's name. During that time period, it was considered scandalous for a nobleman to write plays for the general public, so should he wish to do so he would have to do it secretly under a different name.

Anonymous is a fictional what if? story that assumes that Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, was the true Shakespeare. The film often jumps back and forth through time, featuring Edward as a younger man, dreaming of poetry and writing while flirting with the younger Queen Elizabeth, and then Edward as the disillusioned older man, looking for a way to express his political opinions and incite change in the country and finding that means of expression through secretly play writing for the London stage.

Woven in the fiction is a wealth of historical fact, however, and the movie brings the characters and world of Elizabethan England that some of us vaguely remember from history books to life in stunning detail and complexity. The visuals presented in this film are breathtaking, with every aspect of the world displayed in painstaking detail, from the crowded, dirty city of London to the manicured estates of the nobility.

I should add at this point that the movie is not as historically accurate as you might think it to be. It's a story pursuing a theory in history, and as such that story takes many liberties with the source material. (In other words, don't let your teens watch this to pass their world history test.) But where the details may be fictional, the sensibilities, politics, and culture of that moment in time are preserved and resurrected on the screen.

Amazingly, for a movie about Shakespeare, there isn't a lot of screen time for the man himself. When Edward de Vere asks the writer Ben Jonson to get his plays onto the stage under Jonson's name, Jonson hesitates and Shakespeare is only too happy to step forward and accept the applause. In this story, Shakespeare isn't the noble genius we may consider him to be, but rather a drunken, scheming actor ready to blackmail a nobleman to get the fame and fortune he wants.

The cast is made up of both newcomers and legends. The older version of Edward de Vere, played by Rhys Ifans, is a delicate balance of a man crushed by past rejection yet, deep down, still filled with the passion that drove the actions of his youth. Vanessa Redgrave plays the older Queen Elizabeth, while Redgrave's daughter Joely Richardson is the younger version of Elizabeth. Each brings to the character a depth well beyond the classroom description of the "Virgin Queen" of England.

My one complaint with the film is that if you don't already have some knowledge of the material or of some of the history, it can be difficult to follow through the dizzyingly large cast of characters. I love Shakespeare and Elizabethan history was the focus of my first college degree, so it was easy for me to keep up, but others may occasionally feel lost in the details. I can't even fully explain the story in this review because there are so many layers involved!

Still, it doesn't detract from the basics of the story and may leave some viewers wanting to seek out more information on these historical figures. Anonymous may not change your opinion on the subject of who actually wrote the works of Shakespeare, but it will entertain you with an intriguing theory on what could have been, provide a beautiful study of Elizabethan England, and possibly even invite some debate among friends about who was the "real" Shakespeare.

Anonymous is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray. The Blu-ray features extended and deleted scenes, a featurette on Shakespeare, commentary with Director Roland Emmerich and Writer John Orloff, and more. The DVD has some of these features, too, but if at all possible, get the Blu-ray. The high-definition treatment is really a must to appreciate all of the gorgeous detail in this film.

Full disclosure: I received a copy of this movie to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed here are my own, and your opinion of dramas with men in tights may vary. I especially have a love for movies featuring the Earl of Oxford because my husband played the character when we were once actors at the Ohio Renaissance Festival many years ago. True story.

With Moby, No One Is Lost

Divide and conquer isn't just a battle maneuver - in my family, it's the only way we can get everything accomplished that we need to do. Whether it's being on opposite sides of town, with me grocery shopping while Aaron picks the kids up from camp, or just on opposite sides of the zoo with each of us entertaining one child we often find ourselves apart from each other.

So how do we keep in touch? Our phones, of course. And there's nothing more frustrating than trying to get an update on where your spouse is only to get a voicemail message because he can't hear the phone or can't answer it at the moment. Those are the moments when I think, "Just SHOW me where you are!"

Well, now that's possible with the Moby app for iPhone.

Moby is a private location sharing service that lets you stay in touch with friends and family without having to call or send a text. You can share your location with a select group, check in at a particular location, or even send out a request for help. Even if another person doesn't have the Moby app, you can still send them updates on your location.

While some location sharing services allow anyone to see where you are, Moby is completely private, allowing you to control exactly who can see your location.

Hey look, there's my husband.

There are so many uses for this app. Parents of teenagers can have their teens check in when out late to make sure everything is OK without that embarrassing call to mom. When meeting friends, you now no longer have to search when your friends say they're at a restaurant you've never heard of - you can simply see their location and know exactly how to get to them. (Assuming you can read a map, of course.)

For us, it's most useful when we're at the same place. Our two daughters are night and day, which often leaves us taking one kid each to a different location. This app is perfect for checking in so we know where the other pair is and can find them quickly if needed.

Moby works best if all family members have the app downloaded to their iPhone, but anyone can benefit from it as long as one family member has the app on their device and others have access to email. The family member who has the Moby app can share their location with any other family member (whether or not they have the app) and the other person can receive messages from you via email.

Downside: At the moment, Moby is only available for iPhone and iPad users. But fear not - an Android version should be launching in the next month or two! Android users can get on the waitlist to be notified when it's available.

Final thoughts: I do like the Moby app. It is a little hard on battery life, but a new version should be released soon to deal with that flaw. I'm hoping I can convince friends at BlogHer to download it so we can keep track of each other at the conference next week!

Full disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Moby and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Smart Gloves For Your Smart Phone

I never thought I was going to become an iPhone junkie, but now that I've had it for over a year, I often wonder how I lived without it. That phone is my lifeline when I'm out of the house - anyone I could ever need to reach, in just about any method, is available to me at the touch of a finger.

Of course, winter in Ohio can make my love for my smart phone a little difficult. Anyone in cold weather has likely faced the dilemma of using their phone versus risking cold fingers. More than once last winter I was seen furiously trying to answer my phone with my gloves on, only to remember that the gloves block the ability for the phone to sense touch and so I had to quickly tear off my glove to answer the phone.

And don't get me started on those fingerless gloves for smart phone users. Of all parts of my hand, my fingers are precisely the parts most prone to cold and therefore what I want to keep warm the most!

I was recently made aware of a new product called Agloves, however, and it's like my blue-fingernail prayers have been answered.

Agloves make it possible to keep your gloves on and use a touch screen phone at the same time. These stretchy, knit gloves are made with silver-coated nylon thread throughout (hence the name - Ag is the elemental symbol for silver) to provide the connectivity needed to operate any touch screen.

I always thought that touch-sensitive screens were based on body heat, but actually they're made to react with the bioelectricity in your skin. Put a barrier between your skin and the phone, and those little ions can't flow the way they're supposed to. Agloves, however, allow those ions to flow freely thanks to the highly conductive silver thread.

Now, I know what you might be thinking: metal coated thread? Sounds uncomfortable, right? I can tell you that when I received a pair of these for review, the first thing I noticed was how soft they are. They feel just as soft as any knit gloves, and they are just as warm, too.

I'm really impressed with these gloves. I can use my iPhone without taking my gloves off, and the phone responds to my gloved finger just as well as it does when it's skin to glass. The gloves can get wet, are also washable, and the silver will not wash off or wear off. They're available in three sizes, with a sizing chart to help you pick the right fit.

Unlike other tech gloves on the market, these keep all of your fingers covered and warm while still providing full, 10-finger conductivity with your smart phone. (Some only provide conductivity with your index finger and thumb.) The black is stylish and looks great with winter sports wear as well as a formal wool coat. Cost-wise, these are extremely well-priced gloves, at $17.99 a pair.

And if you needed one more reason to love Agloves, consider that they were created by a "mom-preneur" looking for a solution for a common problem. Support your fellow mom-run small businesses!

Win a pair!

Agloves has graciously provided me with one pair of gloves to give to one lucky reader! The winner can choose which size works best for them.

To enter, leave a comment below telling me your favorite outdoor winter activity. (Mandatory entry.) Be sure to leave a valid e-mail address so I can contact you if you're selected as the winner.

For additional entries:

2. Follow me on Twitter @mommystory and tweet this contest leaving me a link here in the comments. (one entry)
3. Follow @TheAgloves on Twitter. (1 entry - leave a comment here with you link)
4. "Like" Agloves on Facebook. (1 entry - leave a comment here with your Facebook username)

One of each entry per person, US residents only.

Giveaway will close on Sunday, November 28 at 11:59pm ET. One winner will be selected by random drawing to win the pair of Agloves. Winner has three days after being contacted by e-mail to respond or another winner will be chosen in his or her place.

Get FREE SHIPPING on Agloves!

If you can't wait and want to get some of your holiday shopping done, Agloves has also provided readers of Mommy's Must Haves with a great promo code for free shipping on any order from Agloves. Simply enter the code mommusthave in the coupon code box to get free shipping on your order through December 15, 2010!

Full disclosure: I received a pair of Agloves to facilitate my review, and no further compensation was received. A positive review was not guaranteed - all thoughts are my honest opinions. You can bet I'll be taking advantage of that discount code, though - I've got a lot of holiday shopping left to do.

Eye-Fi Makes Backing Up Photos Even Easier

I've listened to several people at blog conferences rave about their Eye-Fi cards, and for the longest time I never knew what they were. Wi-fi for your camera? How does that work?

I recently had the chance to try out an Eye-Fi card, and now I think I understand a little better. The Eye-Fi card is an SDHC memory card with built-in 802.11n wireless ability. That means that when you're in your home wireless network, you can easily upload your photos from your camera to your computer with no cables, and no need to remove the memory card.

Setup for the Eye-Fi card is a breeze. Put the card in the included USB card reader, plug it into your computer, answer a few questions, and you're ready to go. It took about 10 minutes to completely set everything up and take a test photo to make sure it was working properly.

I put the 4GB Eye-Fi Connect card to work at Halloween, as I took many, many photos of my girls in their superhero costumes, snapping away safe in the knowledge that the 4GB card could hold hundreds of images. The Eye-Fi software gives you the option to upload all photos directly to a website like Flickr or Picasa, but I prefer to edit and pick and choose which photos I want share so I didn't enable that option.

However, each photo was quickly transferred to my computer only seconds after being taken. At the end of the night, I turned off the camera and went to my photos folder on my computer, where all of my photos were waiting for me. Perfect!

Eye-Fi cards can transfer video as well as photo, too. All Eye-Fi cards also feature the Endless Memory setting, freeing up memory on the card as soon as photos are securely transferred to your computer. Upgraded features include Geotagging and the ability to upload photos to your computer from any Wi-Fi hotspots in the US.

Overall, I like the Eye-Fi card. Being able to transfer photos without taking out the memory card is a nice feature, and the Endless Memory setting is nice, too. But unless you have the upgraded Hotspot Access feature, the card will only transfer photos when in your home wireless network.

Also, one disadvantage to me is your computer and camera have to both be on and awake in order to transfer photos. I have a laptop, so I have to keep it open while photos transfer, and my Canon Rebel has a tendency to go to sleep mode if not used for 30 seconds. When I wanted to transfer several photos at once (taken outside of my home wireless network) I had to keep hitting buttons to keep my camera awake so the photos would continue transferring.

Do I recommend the Eye-Fi card? While I don't know how useful it would be if you only take a single photo here and there, I think it would be very useful for someone with a taste for photography, whether hobby or professional. If you take a lot of photos away from home, I'd recommend the 8GB Eye-Fi Explore or Eye-Fi Pro, both of which include Hotspot Access.

Eye-Fi cards are available in 4GB and 8GB memory, and can be found in many retail locations, including Amazon. They'd make great gifts for the photography fans in your family!

Full disclosure: I was provided with a 4GB Eye-Fi connect card on loan to facilitate this review. No compensation was received and the Eye-Fi card was returned after writing the review. The links above include an Amazon Associates code, meaning that if you click them and purchase anything at Amazon, I get a tiny percentage of the sale. (And thank you if you do!)

Hooray For MORE Pants That Fit!

I still maintain that I am one of the hardest figures to fit clothing to. Smaller waist, big hips. Bordering on plus size, but with a small bra size. Average height, but a long torso so every shirt is too short.

As I've said in the past, jeans shopping has always been the worst for me. I live in my denim, but finding denim that fits me properly is like trying to find the foot to fit the glass slipper. I've had luck with only two brands of jeans, one of which I now can no longer fit into because I've lost too much weight. (Yay getting fit! Boo missing out on one brand of great jeans!)

However, Lee is sill there for me, and I am truly thankful for that. Ever since they challenged me to try a pair of their jeans a year and a half ago, promising they could find a pair that fit me, I've been sold on Lee. They make jeans that fit all women, not just teens and those who are blessed to have slightly more proportionate curves than me. I live in their bootcut jeans in the colder months, and in their capri jeans in the summer. I love the Natural Fit line, and I especially love their No-Gap Waistband line of denim.

Back in the spring, Lee sent me a pair of their Slender Secret Nassau capris in black to try out. I had just eeked down to a slightly smaller size, and when I received these found they fit at this smaller size, but were still a little tight. I stashed them in a dresser, knowing they'd be perfect in a month or two. I liked the slightly dressier stretch sateen fabric, and the patent belt added just the right touch of professional to make this an option for work.

This was one of the first times I've been able to try out non-denim from Lee, and once again they didn't disappoint. Once the heat of summer arrived, I found these pants in my dresser again and found they now fit just perfectly. (Thank you, diet and exercise!) I love that there is plenty of room for my hips, but the waist also fits properly - no gaping! I've worn them to work with sandals and received several compliments. I also appreciate that after several washings, they still look like new - no fading and no pilling.

And thanks to this pair, I've expanded my work wardrobe to also include the Slender Secret Claudia Capri and the Comfort Fit Straight Leg Pant, which I have renamed the World's Most Comfortable Work Pant Ever. You've never seen someone so happy to get dressed for work.

If you've read my other Lee reviews, I probably sound like a broken record, but I honestly love these pants! I can't count the hundreds of other jeans and pants I've tried on in my adult life, and 99% of them didn't fit. Now it's easy for me to buy new pants - I walk into Kohl's (my shopping mecca of choice - yours may vary), and go right to the Lee displays.

Sure, not every pair of Lee fits me, but I know the Slender Secret, Comfort Fit, and No-Gap lines are good bets for a good fit on a curvy figure. If you want to know which Lee pants would fit you best, be sure to try out their Fit Finder online - it's always worked for me.

If you happen to be going to BlogHer, look for me there - I'm sure to be wearing one of my favorite Lee pants during the day! And if you're still looking for clothing for BlogHer, check out the great sale prices at Lee's website right now!

Full disclosure: I am a Lee Fit Ambassador, and as such received the pair of Slender Secret Nassau capris mentioned in this review. All other pants linked in this review were purchased by me, and I've got the credit card debt to prove it. No positive review was guaranteed nor expected - and considering I received these over two months ago, Lee may have thought I forgot about them. But I didn't, because I really, really do love them.

Smart for Life and underWAY Provide Sweet Options for Weight Loss

Many of us constantly strive to reach our "ideal" weights, but navigating soccer carpools, business trips and bedtime stories often get in the way of our achieving results. Healthy eating on-the-go and exercising suffer when schedules become busier, and sorting through the plethora of products and services on the market proves an overwhelming, time-consuming effort in itself. I want to lose weight, but I want it to be easy, and I also want my food to be portable, going with me with little prep. That's why I agreed to review products from underWAY and Smart for Life, to see if it was possible to find diet foods that are actually filling, portable, and tasty without being full of artificial ingredients.

The underWAY supplement drink, infused with a special HeroFiber and heart-healthy vitamins, works naturally to suppress your appetite and quench your thirst. underWAY curbs your hunger two ways. Its special formulation not only takes longer for the stomach to absorb, it also slows the absorption of what's already there, making you feel fuller, longer. What's more, its unique ingredients stimulate your stomach, telling your brain you've consumed more calories that you really have which, with underWAY, is almost zero! It contains no preservatives, sodium or caffeine, with only 10 calories and 2 grams of carbs per 8 oz. serving. HeroFiber, a soluble dietary fiber, helps maintain normal levels of cholesterol, glucose and insulin that are already in the normal range.

Smart for Life all natural, 60% organic products offer great snacking on-the-go, containing necessary nutrients like Omega-3 fatty acids and HeroFiber, with zero trans fat and making you feel fuller, quicker. Adopting a new 7-meals-per-day schedule featuring 6 cookies or products plus a balanced dinner allows your body to maintain steady blood sugar and glucose levels, and to burn more fat for a longer portion of the day. For variety, Smart for Life also offers soups, shakes, bagels, cereals, cupcakes and more.

A recent study done at the Boca Raton Smart for Life Weight Management Center showed that out of 46 subjects that used a portion-controlled, protein-rich, low fat cookie with unique fiber technology, all subjects lost weight with the average being 13.1 pounds in 35 days. Five subjects lost over 20 pounds in 35 days and 20 subjects lost over 15 pounds in the first 35 days. The 46 participants lost a total of 601 pounds with one patient losing 38.7 pounds in 35 days.

My experience:
I was sent a variety of products to try out, including cookies, cupcakes, cereal, shakes, soup and two flavors of the underWAY supplement drink. All of these products are designed to work together, with the solid foods being interchangeable in the diet to provide some variety.

The goal is to eat one cookie roughly every two hours during the day with a large glass of water to help keep you full all day long, with a balanced regular meal at dinner. The cookies are loaded with fiber, and I was pleased to see that I could pronounce every ingredient written on the package. (And lots of those ingredients were organic!) I'll admit I was a little surprised at how small the cookies were when I opened the package - how was one tiny little cookie going to keep me happy for 2 hours?

Surprisingly, the cookies were very filling! One cookie was enough to get me through for two hours, and I liked that I could simply bring a cookie with me if I knew I'd be out and would probably get hungry. The underWAY supplement drinks also helped during those times when I needed a little something extra to help me feel full until it was time to eat again.

I loved the chocolate chip cookies, but the oatmeal raisin cookies were a little too dry for me. The carrot sunshine cupcakes were delicious, and the chocolate cupcakes were equally tasty. Both the grape and the acai-pomegranate underWAY drinks were good, too - there was a slight aftertaste, but it was barely noticeable when drinking it very cold.

If you have a serious weakness for sweets, this diet would likely work well for you. If you get burned out on sweets easily, I wouldn't recommend it, as nearly every meal is something sweet. I didn't get bored thanks to the variety of foods, but I did find myself a little tired of sweets after day three.

The only downside I found to the Smart for Life and underWAY plan is that it doesn't seem to be quite enough if you're working out along with dieting. On the days when I went running, one cookie wasn't enough to help me recover, and I found myself unbearably hungry during that time. But the plan is perfect to use for my non-running days. Using the Smart for Life system when I'm not exercising would be a great way to make sure I don't undo my progress from the days I exercise. And then I also wouldn't worry about sweets overload, too.

Did I lose weight during this one week trial? I'll be honest: no, I didn't. But I also wasn't able to follow the plan exactly on the days when I was working out. I am, however, still losing inches while the scale remains the same, so clearly something is going right. I've been on the biggest plateau of my life for months now, so anything that keeps the scale from going up is a winner in my book.

Would I recommend Smart for Life and underWAY? Yes, absolutely. The food is made from quality ingredients, it's tasty, and it does a good job at keeping you feeling full. Those who aren't fond of sweets or who exercise heavily may not be interested, but anyone else would likely enjoy the plan.

If you want to try it for yourself, here is a special 10% discount code for underWAY and Smart for Life products. Please use MCUS10OFFUW for underWAY products at http://www.underway.com/ and MCUS10OFFSFL at http://www.smartforlife.com/. These codes expire Aug. 30th.


I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of underWAY and Smart for Life and received samples of the products to review.

Parents Need Some Lovin' Too

Valentine's Day is just over a week away now. Remember when it used to be full of butterflies in the stomach, hoping for flowers, wondering if he'll take you out to dinner, and planning a special night that involved candlelight, satin sheets and a bottle of lube?

Sometimes I miss those days.

But now as parents, Valentine's Day is more about scrambling to make sure you bought enough valentines for your kid's class, buying cupcakes to bring in also so you don't look like the lame mom, expecting a card or some candy as a gift from your partner, and if you're lucky a quiet quickie at bedtime with your partner, hoping you won't wake the kids.

C'mon, ladies, it's time to bring some passion back into our sex lives! We're sexual beings - it's how we had our little demons angels to begin with, and we deserve to be sexually satisfied just as much as our childless friends.

To give you a head start, Eden Fantasys has given me a Kama Sutra Earthly Delights Gift Tin to pass along to one lucky reader. If you haven't seen Eden Fantasys before, they are an online retailer specializing in intimate gifts, sensual products, and adult toys that you'd never let your child see.

One thing I really like about Eden Fantasys is how tasteful their website is. With a bright, easy-to-navigate site, they showcase adult products in a way that doesn't make you feel the need to Lysol your keyboard afterward. Reviews are offered for many products, and every detail is provided to help you make the best purchase.

The Earthly Delights Gift Tin is filled with products to help bring some spice back to the bedroom. The set includes sweet almond massage oil, honey almond massage cream, the original oil of love, pleasure balm and sweet honeysuckle dust. While I've never tried out this particular set, I received a set of Kama Sutra products at my bridal shower years ago, and I remember that the honeysuckle dust was so amazingly sweet to taste. The massage cream is great for a post-work massage, whether you're planning a sexual rendezvous or not.

To make this giveaway fun, you have to share a little information with me. Leave a comment below telling me what was the most adventurous place you've ever had sex. If you're too shy to use your normal blog alias, leave an anonymous comment and then e-mail me to let me know it was you.

I'll get you started: it was outdoors at a campsite by the campfire, with a group of boy scouts one camp over.

Entries will be accepted until Sunday, February 8 at 11:59 pm EST. One winner will be chosen by random drawing after that date and contacted by e-mail - so be sure to include a valid e-mail address!

Good luck, and may we all get a great Valentine's Day gift this year!

This contest is now closed - thanks to all who participated!

A Review For The Bedroom

Let's begin by asking all members of my immediate (and not so immediate) family to please click away at this point. Trust me, you don't want to read a review that discusses my sex life. Those who also really don't want to read about sex might want to click away to a happier place for you, too.

OK, just the rest of us now? Good.

We may not talk about it as much as we did when we were wild and childless, but moms do have sex, too. While the public would prefer to place moms in the holy Madonna category of women, the truth is that we're just as sexual as our childless friends. Well, maybe we're more tired and as a result we don't have sex as much as we did, but when we do we want it to be good. I'm not saying that things are boring between my husband and I, but we're both open to trying new things to keep it from ever becoming boring.

I was invited by a fellow mom blogger to try out a product from Eden Fantasys, and encouraged to not let modesty hold me back. So I decided to go for it, asked my husband to help me pick something, and selected the Abelio vibrator.

The first thing I was impressed with was how discreet the packaging was when it arrived. A plain box, with no identifiable information about where it was from. I actually had no idea what the package was until I opened it.

The Abelio is a great looking vibrator. If I have a toy that will be used solo as well as with my husband, I want it to not look so realistic, if you know what I mean. This vibe looks so nice you could have it standing on the table in broad daylight and mistake it for some modern art piece. There is no large dial at the bottom, either - to turn it on, push the base and hold for a couple of seconds. To switch between different vibrations, just tap the base again.

Pros: It has several settings, ensuring you'll find just the right one for you. It's also made of medical grade, velvety-soft silicone, making it one of the safest toys available (no PVC, or jelly-like material that can harbor bacteria and be hard to clean). It's not waterproof, but it is water resistant so it can be used in the shower. Vibrations are strong but not numbing or jarring. It also makes a quiet humming noise, enough to hear in the room but not behind a door.

Cons: While it can be used internally or externally, I found only a couple of the different vibration settings were strong enough for external use. It's also really easy to tap the base when using it, which switches the setting it's on.

Overall, the Abelio is a really nice toy to add a little spice to our sex life, and we're very happy with it. I'm also pleased with Eden Fantasys. The site is easy to navigate, there are reviews of many of the products to help you decide, and if you're still having trouble, there is a forum where you can ask questions without fear of sounding weird. If we should look into any new bedroom toys in the future (likely), I think this will likely be the first place we look.