Musings About Life... After Birth

Here’s the most recent update in my adventures participating in the American Express Membership Rewards “Live On Points” challenge to revamp my bedroom using points only:

So, we checked out the furniture at the outlets and ultimately, it was a big ‘ol bust. There was lots of good stuff, just nothing like what we were looking for. Oh well. We tried, right? Back to the drawing board.

Tomorrow my plan is to drag my poor husband (and visiting mother-in-law and the two boys) to Crate & Barrel to look for dressers, night tables or a bed. We may never get invited back again.

Here’s the most recent update in my adventures participating in the American Express Membership Rewards “Live On Points” challenge to revamp my bedroom using points only:

I might think I know most everything (at least my husband likely would say that I think so), but sometimes, you guys know the real deal. A reader recently left me a comment suggesting I could get more bang for my Pottery Barn/Crate & Barrel/Restoration Hardware buck if I check out these stores’ furniture outlets. I did a little research on Membership Rewards and realized that the PB, C&B and RH store gift cards you can purchase using points CAN be used at factory stores. Awesome! I did a quick search for outlets in my ‘hood, and all of the Big Three have outlet outposts at the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets in Leesburg, VA, which is only about 45 minutes from my house! Woo hoo! Guess where I’m heading this weekend?

Here’s the most recent update in my adventures participating in the American Express Membership Rewards “Live On Points” challenge to revamp my bedroom using points only:

This week, I’ve got 100,000 points to use, which is essentially the equivalent of $1000. A lot of money, but I’m not sure if it’s enough to purchase chat I really want to get, which is some dresser-like storage for our bedroom. My husband and I have an older house, so we have teeny, tiny closets. I don’t have enough space on this blog to reveal how bummer-fic this is for me, a real-life, Jewish Carrie Bradshaw - at least when it comes to clothing consumption. My shoes and clothes are all squeezed into the little space I have like commuters heading uptown on the 6 train at 6 p.m. It ain’t pretty.

Since we can’t make closet space, I’m going to look for a dresser of sorts, but a tall, multi-drawered one, because we have a big wall where we can fit a decent-sized piece of furniture. But it’s can’t be too big, or it would be pretty overwhelming for the room, which isn’t exactly huge. Ultimately, I’d like it to be something with lots of drawers like this Marston 8-drawer tall dresser from Restoration Hardware:

Unfortnately, the price ($2150) is outside of my alloted points range for this month, so I am going to visit some more furniture stores and hit the internet for the next couple of days to see if there’s a cheaper alternative. Got any suggestions? If so, let me know, y’all!

I’ll be co-hosting “Broadminded” today! You can listen in from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST on Sirius 102 and XM 155. Fun!

I’ll be announcing the start of our “Get Your Summer Started” Giveaway, which is SO AWESOME this year! We’ve collected 30 of our favorite summer beauty and beach essentials and have gathered them all together to create 30 gift bags - one of which we’ll give one away each day in June (‘cause there are 30 days in June, right?). Here’s a preview of just some of the things in this year’s gift bag:

Diva Tweezers
MISSION Skincare Ultra Lip gloss in Strawberry Pomegranate
Eos Lip Sphere in Lemon with SPF 15
a Beautyblender makeup sponge
Supergoop! Sunscreen Swipes
H20+ Face Oasis Shine-Neutralizing Gel
a Tweezerman Sole Mates foot file
Twist Organic Water
Mineral Fusion Hydration Mist, Blow Haircare Beach Blow Texturizing Mist
a Gaiam aluminum water bottle
a sampling of summer haircare products from Elie Elie salon
a SurgiCare Shower Off Body Cream Kit
a lip glaze from Make-up Designory
Boscia Blotting Linens

...and tons more that we’ll talk about later (I can’t spill all of the beans now!)

To enter to win, sign up to follow me on twitter (I’m @chelseakaplan) and then send me a tweet!

Here’s the most recent update in my adventures participating in the American Express Membership Rewards “Live On Points” challenge to revamp my bedroom using points only:

So, for my initial 50,000 ($500 value) points purchase, I decided to get myself a new rug to replace this positively nauseating one my husband and I have had for years. I actually think the “rug” is a banded piece of carpet we got a like, Home Depot or something. Both of my kids have barfed on it at some point or another, and our dearly departed cat peed on it a few times too. Lovely, no?

In order to find a nice replacement, I went to the mall to look around, stopping in at Pottery Barn. I’m a big fan of PB’s rugs - they’re really pretty and durable, and I figured that they’d likely have one that matched the robin’s egg blue and khaki color scheme in my room. They can be expensive, but the other day when I was in there I noticed that they were having a really good rug sale, and found one that I knew would be perfect for the space, not to mention my points budget.

So, once had made my decision to purchase the rug from Pottery Barn, I knew I had to cash in my first 50,000 points for a Pottery Barn Gift card. I logged onto membershiprewards.com and saw that with my points I could actually get two $250 egift cards, which would allow me to get them within a few hours and then use them immediately in-store or online. The online points redemption process was super simple - after creating an account, I went to “use points”, then to the “shopping” section, then “gift cards”, which is where I found the PB ones. I picked the ones that equaled 50,000 points (the two $250 egift cards) and then a few hours later, the link to print them out appeared on my membership rewards account page. Really, it was as easy as pie. I’ve had online Target shopping experiences that were more labor-intensive.

Here’s the rug I’m going to get (as well as a rug pad to go under it to keep it from slipping around!):

Okay, so how cool is this? Check it out:

I was recently contacted by the folks at the American Express Membership Rewards Program, who asked me a) if I had an Amex (Um, totally - in fact, I use it way too much and often get “Honey, this month’s Amex bill is kinda ridiculous” talks from my husband) and b) if I used their membership rewards program (Yes, all the time - those points aren’t just for frequent flyer miles and stuff, sisters - you can get Saks 5th Avenue gift cards and all sorts of other cool things with those points!). After I passed muster, they asked me if I would be interested in taking part in their “Life On Points” challenge. The task at hand: revamp a room in my home using only Membership Rewards points to pay for the things I want and need for the project, and document the experience as I go along.  They’ll credit my account with 300,000 points (roughly $3,000), alloting 50,000 points to use in week one, 100,000 in week two and 150,000 in week three. On week four, they’re giving me an awesome membership rewards prize to give away to one of you so you can begin using points to get your home spruced up for summer!

Who am I to refuse a challenge, Amex? I’m in! Bedroom, you’re about to get a much-needed facelift. (And sorry, honey, but this won’t include items from Victoria’s Secret.

So, for the next few weeks I’ll be blogging about my experience using American Express Membership Rewards points to purchase some new goods for my bedroom. Namely, a new rug to replac a seriously disgusting one we’ve had for years, some new night stands to replace the ones that absolutely do NOT go with the rest of my bedroom furniture and some new bedding to replace my mismatched sheets.

Fun! Stay tuned…...

One of the most-asked beauty-related questions I get from you guys and everyone out there in radio land is “How do I get rid of these damn lines and bags around my eyes?”. Trust me - I get is. What a drag it is getting old…and having kids who wake up at the crack of dawn.

Today, I’ll be joining Broads Molly and Christine of Sirius XM’s “Broadminded” to highlight the new Clarisonic Opal, which totally gets the job done. If you’d like to listen in to hear our complete review, tune in Wednesday to XM 155 or Sirius 102 at 2:30 PM EST.

The latest product from the wizards that created the Clarisonic skincare brushes, this eye-area age-fighting innovation combines sonic infusion technology with an anti-aging serum to dramatically reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around your peepers. Kinda like a vibrator for you eyes, its gentle sonic massage infuses serum into the outer layers of the skin for 30 seconds, immediately rendering visibly smoother, firmer, more hydrated skin and minimized appearance of under-eye puffiness. With repeated use, the claim is that you’ll notice the kind of difference an extra four hours per night of sleep gets you. Sound too good to be true? We’ll be checking it out to see if it is, in fact, that miraculous!

Wanna get one for yourself? They’re $245 at sephora.com. Or, if you’re feeling lucky, we’ve got one to give away - as well as one Clarisonic Plus Skincare System to banish your body blemishes, just in time for tank top season! To win both, here’s what you need to do:

I’m in the process of writing a book about the infertility process, and I’m looking for women who’ve gone through it who will share some of their stories about the craziest thing they did or felt while they were going through it (Me, I wanted to shoot Britney Spears after hearing she got knocked up. She was pregnant and I wasn’t? WTF?). If you’ve got a wacky story like that, send it along to me at chelsea@themomtourage.com, and that will be your entry. If you haven’t, no worries! Just send me a story of what it was like watching or supporting a pal going through the infertility process.  Again, email me at chelsea@themomtourage.com and that will be your entry.

The winner will be chosen at random this Friday - good luck!

Sisters, let me hook you up with the glorious news that might just revolutionize your summer: Spanx, a favorite of muffin-topped moms like me, has recently introduced a swimwear line. Just in time to suck in post-pregnancy guts everywhere by pool season, the slimming swimsuits are super-cute (no matronly Mom-suits here - swear!) and really, truly make you look 10-15 pounds lighter.

On Wednesday, April 21st, I’ll be joining Broads Molly and Christine of Sirius XM’s “Broadminded” to highlight Spanx’s new swimwear line - we’ll even be trying on the suits in-studio! If you’d like to listen in to hear our complete review, tune in Wednesday to XM 155 or Sirius 102 at 2:30 PM EST. And, as a bonus, we’ve got five $150 shopping sprees to Spanx.com to give away! To win, sign up for The Momtourage’s mailing list - you can do so in the green box at the top, right-hand corner of this page and then post a comment in the comments section of the blog, indicating your name (we’ll match it up to the name and email address you give when you sign up for the mailing list!). If you’ve already signed up for the mailing list, just leave a comment with your name - we’ll find your address!

The winners will be chosen at random this Friday - good luck!

If you’re looking for some great Mother’s Day gift ideas (or suggestions to offer someone who might need a hint as to what to get you), we’ve got ‘em! As always, we love the selection offered at SHOP.com - below, find our favorites:

For the Martha Stewart Mom: Pink KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer with Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl, from $299

There’s nothing like mom’s homeade baked goodies, right? If she’s the queen of cookies, she’ll love this mixer, the Rolls Royce of baking appliances. It comes in a veriety of colors, but what’s prettier than pink?

For the Eco-Friendly Mom: Picnic Plus Eco Natural Wine Cheese Basket, $59.99

Now that the weather’s getting warmer, she’ll love packing an alfresco lunch in this woven basket made from 100 percent all-natural and renewable resources.

For the Fashionista Mom: Vera Wang Lavendar Label “Lillian” flats, $195

So very Audrey Hepburn, these perfect little ballet flats are polished and pretty, just like Mom. They come in a variety of colors, but we especially love the pewter, a neutral metallic.

For the Sporty Mom: Weider Premium Exercise Mat, $34.99

Not all exercise mats are created equal! This one, which is ultra-think and cushiony, will keep Mom completely comfy and supported while she’s toning up.

For the Green Thumb Mom: Cortina Planters, $39.95

These gorgeous 16-inch round planters are perfect for flowers or herbs. Though their finishes mimic ceramic pottery, but they’re actually made of lightweight polypropylene so they’re both shatterproof and easier to move. Hidden inside is a 1-gallon reservoir, water-level indicator and an easy-fill funnel to help her keep her precious plants lush and healthy all summer long.

And lucky for you, SHOP.com is giving away a pair of the Vera Wang Lavendar Label “Lillian” flats to one lucky winner! To enter to win, send an email to us at info@themomtourage.com with your size!

For a chance to win one of Mutsy’s awesome Easygrow High Chairs, become a Mutsy fan on Facebook and post a comment about your favorite Mutsy product!