Like every mother in the world… I have been so busy lately with the boys, work and just “being”… that I completely forgot about making an appointment to get my hair done. The last time I had it done was right before Fashion Week… all of a sudden, Halloween night – I looked in the mirror and quite literally scared myself. It wasn’t until the next day – I KID YOU NOT – when my 2 1/2 year old son looked at my hair as I was putting on his shoes and said to me, “Mommy, what’s wrong with your hair?”

Yup. Benjamin was right. I had been working on a good 2 inch root. Now, there are ways to hide the roots (look for future posts…), but that didn’t work for my 2 1/2 year old son, especially that up, close and personal.

I’ve mentioned this before… but one of my best friend’s from childhood does my hair. She knows exactly how I like it… and makes me laugh (to the point of tears) every time we get together. When I walked into her salon Friday night, she looked at me and said, “Audrey – Oh, my God!” The root was that bad.

So moms… hair roots. EW! YUCK! ICKY! GROSS!

We gotta try to maintain them the best we can.

They are – after all… a huge, gigantic… Beauty DON’T!

Futuristic Fashions were always something I stayed away from… far, far, far away from!

This week at Daily Dose of Style we’re talking Futuristic Fashions… my question was – “How can you take these fashions and make the WEARABLE?” (You know – without looking like the “freak” at school pick-up!)

Today we concentrated on WORK WEAR… How to take crazy, fabulous, outlandish Futuristic Work Wear and turn it into MODERN wear.

Fashion Profile – Blogger Style
Danielle Friedland

danielle friedland

Danielle Friedland, a lifelong New Yorker, now lives in Maplewood, NJ with her husband Josh, a food blogger (www.thefoodsection.com), 4 year old daughter Anya and is expecting a son any day now! She’s the founder of the wildly popular Celebrity Baby Blog, a blog devoted to celebrity pregnancies and celebrity babies, which was purchased by People.com in 2008. Danielle recently left People.com and works as a social media strategist and consultant. Follow her on Twitter at @that_danielle and check out her blog at daniellefriedland.com.

How far along are you?
38 weeks

How would you describe your maternity style?
I like to show off my belly when I’m pregnant so I’m all about clingy tops and fitted jeans.

What’s an average-day look for you?
Clingy top, preferably with ruching, jeans or knit skirt with athletic mary janes. When I want to dress it up a bit, I wear boots. When I need an extra layer of warmth, I throw on a cardigan – as long as you don’t zip it or button it closed, your pre-pregnancy cardigans will work.

What are your 5 MUST-HAVES for maternity?
1. Clingy ruched knit tops – I bought 5-6 short sleeve tops from Pea in the Pod in the early 2nd trimester and have been wearing them even into the fall with my pre-pregnancy cardigans.
2. Fabulous splurge jeans from Paige Premium Denim – at least 2 pairs since they’re such an integral part of our wardrobe! (Keep in mind Paige recommends getting 1-2 sizes larger depending on which trimester you’re in since they run a little tight/small.)
3. Ingrid & Isabel Bella Band – they let you wear non-maternity knit tops into at least the early 3rd trimester and then beyond as you whittle back down to your pre-pregnancy weight (you’ll get there eventually!).
4. One cocktail or party dress – you’re going to have to dress up at least once. It doesn’t have to be a fancy but a dark color always looks more formal. I have Mayreau cowl-neck dresses in both colors from 1 in the Oven that I’ve worn to a number of occasions. Mayreau Cowl Neck Dress. (See Danielle’s photo above!)
5. New bras – your boobs will generally get a lot larger, almost immediately, so get measured at a bra store or department store like Nordstrom’s buy 2-4 new bras in your first trimester or you’ll get that lovely back-fat, double-boob look. As they always say, if you don’t have good foundation garments, everything else just doesn’t fall into place.

What pregnant celebs do you think just look fabulously-chic?
I thought Sarah Michelle Gellar and her Buffy alum looked gorgeous no matter what they wore. Gwen Stefani has got it going on but she also has an insane wardrobe budget.

What’s your best maternity style secret?
Work that belly – it’s your best feature right now. Everything else looks smaller in comparison.

Thanks, Danielle!

As I’ve mentioned before on Mom Generations… I have just launched a new daily video style series with Lesley of FashionTribes.com called Daily Dose of Style – http://dailydoseofstyle.com/. We’re bringing together different verticals that normally don’t cross – which is silly because lots of moms want to be stylish, and many fashionistas need (and want) to be practical. It’s the perfect union.

So back to the diamonds and the giveaway!

Sam’s Club has provided Daily Dose of Style with some stunning diamond items to give away. Yes, I did pluralize “items.” This will be the first diamond giveaway… the second giveaway of a few items (retail value $2000) will be LIVE during our Daily Dose of Style Twitter party on Thursday, November 19th at 9PM EST.

Diamonds aren’t easy to purchase. You really must go into the purchase with some knowledge of what you want and what you’re looking for… kind of like some Jewelry 101 Shopping Tips:
· Know your personal style. Know your price points. And know the feeling you hope (and want) to convey with your diamond selection.
· If that special someone is a true original, look for jewelry with an innovative, even bohemian feel, such as bangles or vintage earrings or something from Sam’s Club eco-friendly Love Earth™ collection.
· Keep in mind: The majority of Sam’s Club engagement and diamond studs are certified by an independent party – whether you spend $2,000 or $200,000.

We thought it would be fun to get the action going with a diamond giveaway 2 weeks in advance of our Twitter Party… why not, right!? Give yourself a little bling… a little frost… a little something-something! Diamonds are all about creating a memory, so we want to do that for you before the holidays.

Feast your eyes on these gorgeous .96 ct. t.w. Diamond EarringsRetail value: $399.00.

# Diamond hoop earrings, .96 ct. t.w., prong set
# Diamond Color: H-I
# Diamond Clarity: I1
# 14K white gold
# Shared prong setting

They can be yours… we’ll be picking one lucky reader to win these beautiful earrings! So how do you enter to win?
1. Leave me a comment telling me your favorite diamond item at Sam’s Club.
2. Leave a comment over on FashionTribes on Lesley’s post.
3. Follow @DailyDoseStyle on Twitter.
4. Become a Fan on Facebook of Daily Dose of Style.
**And – of course – you will have additional chances of winning by attending our Twitter Party on November 19th!**

We tackled this question/dilemma this week on Daily Dose of Style… check it out:

I was exactly 2 1/2 years old when Jane was born. I wish I could tell you I remember her coming from the hospital, but I can’t… the one thing I do remember is that I didn’t want to leave her side once she was home.

I always knew how special it was having a sister. Maybe it’s because my mother never had a sister… and till this day, I can tell, it’s the one thing in life I know she wished she had had. But you can’t choose these things, they choose you. So my mother really instilled in Jane and I the importance and love of the sister bond.

I can’t quite put into words how special Jane is to me… it’s funny- we are so very different in so many ways, yet so alike in many other ways. It’s always so strange to see the differences in us… Jane hates coffee. I can’t function half a second without a cup. Jane’s a Scorpio, I’m a Gemini. Jane’s a marathon runner. I’m lucky if I can complete a 5K! Jane is living in NYC. I’m back in Rhode Island. And we’re amazingly alike… our sense of humors, our love of family, our love of kids, our love of competing and keeping ourselves healthy.

I remember when I found out I was pregnant… I hoped (upon) hope that baby would someday have a bond with a brother or sister the way that Jane and I (along with our brothers) have for each other. It made me want to have more kids… I never dreamed 4 boys back then! And even so, I cannot wait to see my own sister as a mother someday.

Jane… I love you. I wish I could celebrate with you in NYC! But I will absolutely have a piece of cake with you this weekend!

Happy Happy Happy Birthday!!

I’m one of those women who needs to (literally) walk around in a pair of shoes before I can comment on them. I think it’s only “fitting” to do so… otherwise, how can you really gauge the life and comfort and feel of a shoe?

This past summer I got a pair of Kuru (called “World’s Most Anatomical Active Footwear”) shoes to try… specifically, Womens Black Rapid.

I wanted something I could walk in comfortably. I wanted something I could dart after a little boy in – comfortably (if that’s at all humanly possible). I wanted something appealing to the eye (come on, after all… I do like me some pretty shoes). And I wanted something that would last. If I’m going to be in these shoes, I want them to last.

When I got them… I have to say, I loved loved loved the look of them! Black with pink stitching… as if they were made just for me. Appealing to the eye – check.

They slipped on easily. There aren’t any laces, so sometimes you run into the problem of not being able to slip over your foot without performing-some-kind-of-gymnastic-move. I’m happy to report, not the case with the Rapids. I even sat down when I first got them, thinking it may take me a few shakes and pushes to get them on. Ahh… pleasantly surprised and happy.

(Before a 7AM stroll with Henry around the block. Photo courtesy of my son William!)

But it’s when they are on… and continue to be on… when I notice the COMFORT. It’s funny, on the website the fit is described as a “relaxed fit”… truthfully, that nails it to a “T.” The fit is a snug, relaxed fit. Almost as if the shoe contours to your foot. You’re totally going to laugh at this, but I described them as “Spanx for the feet” to my mother the other day. That’s how cozy and “in-place” they are. And these babies can haul. I’m not kidding, my feet get quite the workout throughout the week. I’m at home. I’m at the park. I’m running errands throughout town. I’m strolling down Main Street with my boys. I’m carrying Henry down to the local coffee shop. I’m even raking (OK, sometimes…). It’s remarkable that my Rapids have been able to keep up with all that and then some. There’s not many shoes you can say that about… at least not without damaging or ruining them – especially on the raking in wet leaves. (*The Rapids are water and stain resistant!) Not to mention you can take these anywhere because they have collapsible uppers. Meaning – I can wear my high black boots to a meeting all day long, crush my Rapids into my work tote and then as soon as we’re moving to dinner and drinks… slip them on under the table. HEAVEN.

And there’s more than just that Rapids! You can find shoes at Kuru in these different categories… Womens Shoes , Mens Shoes , comfortable shoes , extremely comfortable shoesand so much more! You will really love the different selections for you and your family. Plus – talk about fabulous customer service – there’s a 100% Free Exchange policy.

And then there’s the technology… and to be honest with you, I couldn’t do it justice. Kuru Footwear has a very cool and easy to understand YouTube video on their site explaining the beauty and genius behind all Kuru Footwear -

It’s about that time. It’s getting colder. Your belly bump is getting bigger. And you need a coat. I remember I tried my hardest to fit into my “pre-pregnancy” winter coat when I was pregnant with Benjamin… but it just wouldn’t button. There are some fabulous looking winter coats out there right now, and this is the best time to shop for them – when every size and color is fully stocked. I (reluctantly) bought a white winter coat when I was pregnant with Benjamin. It was the only color available… and I just knew, I just knew it was going to be dirty – and fast. So I’m a big proponent of buying when styles/colors/sizes are in stock and ready to go!

So where to shop for maternity coats? Easy. Destination Maternity.

After devouring the many gorgeous styles, these are my (5) favorite maternity picks for winter coats (if I were pregnant, which I’m not – I don’t want any rumors starting…):

Zip Front Nylon Blend Maternity Coat

Button Front Wool Maternity Coat

Toggle Closure Wool Maternity Coat

Zipper Pocket Boucle Maternity Jacket

Fleece Long Sleeve Maternity Jacket

My advice for where to shop for some shoes? Shop for Classic Shoes at Shoebuy.com I’ll tell you something extra special about ShoeBuy.com – right now enter the code: TREAT and get an EXTRA 20% off AND FREE SHIPPING! (Mom… Here’s your beloved Steve Madden shoes, at a discount!)

When I was putting out a call to people for my Mom Generations and Lifetime Moms Holiday Gift Guide, I heard from the company cinda b.

cinda b is all about the bags – handbags, totes, changing pads
, baby bags, travel bags
, flat iron and curling iron cases, sunglass cases, wallets and so many more accessories. What captured my attention the most was their cosmetic bags
! Exactly the type of cosmetic bag I have been looking for.

I love the bright, bold colors and designs. I love the the flat stand bottom, so it easily stands upright. I love the softness to it. And I love knowing I can pop it right into my pocketbook and go. I don’t have to worry or think about my makeup spilling all over my bag.

As soon as I saw the cosmetic bag – I knew I loved it. (I have Roundabout Red.)

They also come in different sizes – small, medium, large and extra-large. I’m sticking with medium.

Definitely check out cinda b. I absolutely love finding places that have amazing products and at great prices for moms!

GapKids