Birthdays, Bond Nailpolish, and Beautiful Oscar Fashion.

I’m back! So I’ve been away for a bit..last week my husband and I took the week off to celebrate the boys’ first birthday. That’s right, they are now ONE year old. How quickly this year has flown by. It sounds so cliché but I had to say it. It’s been by far, the hardest year of my life. Physically, mentally, emotionally, it’s been hard. But it’s also been the most rewarding, the most satisfying, the most educational year of my life. I have learned a lot about being a mom, of course, but more importantly, feel that I have changed even more as a person,than I ever have (and the last few years have been ones of MUCH growth and change for me) for the better. I have to say, nothing really helps you do that more than having children.

Today, there are a few topics I wanted to cover and so will try to hit each one quickly and concisely.

Topic #1. What do you get for a 1-year-old for their birthday? It was the same dilemma at christmas time. Do they really know or care? Do you? Do you want it to be something they’ll have and cherish forever or can it just be a toy or a book or clothing? When I was pregnant, I read about a cool idea for celebrating your child’s birthday and my husband and I decided that’s what we would do. Instead of (or in addition to, if you want) giving gifts, you give an experience. It could be a trip, a new activity or adventure. A new food. Anything you want. I had desperately wanted to take the boys to Hawaii for their first birthday. But after a blood pressure raising, one hour flight to see my parents over the holidays, we realized there is a reason that the parent to child ratio SHOULD be 2 to 1. Technically, to travel with twins, you should have 4 adults. A 7 hour flight to Hawaii would be nothing short of a stress test on my heart. I can feel my blood pressure going up just thinking about it. So for now, we would have to change our plan. We would have to drive somewhere, and at this time of year, there are not many places you can drive to that are going to give you much of an experience at all. So we decided to stay close to home and go to Whistler..a snowy, mountainy retreat. It was a week of lounging around, napping, eating at amazing restaurants, and just enjoying being a family. We took the boys sledding for the first time ever, and celebrated their birthday quietly, just the 4 of us. It was pretty great.

I’m glad we decided that this is how we will celebrate our children’s birthdays. I’m sure we will make little tweaks and give material gifts in addition to this, but knowing what I know now, I feel confident that they will look back when they are in their 20’s and 30’s and be appreciative for the extra effort we made.

Topic #2. OPI “Real” 18 Karat Gold Topcoat . So, moving abruptly onto something else completely, but has anyone else heard of this new topcoat? It is real, 18 Karat, Gold Leaf Fleck top coat by OPI. “The Man With the Golden Gun”, obviously inspired by the new Bond flick. I heard about it last year and haven’t seen it anywhere until just a couple of days ago, so naturally, when I saw it on the shelf, I had to buy it. Now, I have to preface this review by saying this topcoat is almost $30.00. Give or take, depending where you get it. I applied one coat over Nicole “My Lifesaver” and have to say I was a bit let down. The gold flecks were very sparse and barely visible. Then I added a second coat…definitely better. I like the gold tone, and I like the irregularity of the “leaf fleck”, but honestly, this could just be gold foil paper and it would look the same to me. Obviously, you are paying top dollar for the “18 Karats”. If you have an extra thirty bucks lying around you may wanna give this a whirl. I know I will use this product often and forever (I’ve NEVER run out of nail polish, have you?). I can think of many other things in my life I’ve spent more money on and not gotten nearly as much use out of. That is how I justify it. But it’s not exactly a miracle product and if you are not the type to frivolously spend money on these things, consider yourself warned.

Topic #3. Finally, I had to get a little blurb in about the Oscars last night. I always look forward to the Oscars. I look more forward to the fashion than anything else, and I take it very seriously. Every year, I’m usually sitting in front of the TV by 2:00pm, BEFORE Giuliana Rancic and Kelly Osbourne even get there, with a glass of wine in my hand. I’m a little obsessed, what can I say? This year was no different, other than the fact that there was a baby monitor sitting next to my wine. Anyways, I’m not going to go on and on about the fashion hits and misses. I mean, what do I know? Fashion is subjective, right? But I WILL give my opinion on a few things. Firstly, Jennifer Aniston can do no wrong, but I really missed her trademark, figure accentuating dress tonight. What was up with that red flouffy number she was wearing? But I digress, she is still America’s sweetheart and my favorite Friend. She looked gorgeous, and SUPER happy. The dress wasn’t awful, I just expected more. Amy Adams’ dress was GORGEOUS but I was a bit disappointed with the hair and makeup. I would have loved to see the hair a bit more polished and the makeup a bit more smokey with a pale lip. My fave dress of the whole night was on Zoe Saldana. Amazing!

Others worth mentioning; Jennifer Hudson and Jennifer Garner, and Adele! Jennifer Hudson was rocking her hot bod in a tight navy number and Jennifer Garner wore a beautiful shade of plum. Adele looked every bit the sultry Bond singer in a sparkly black dress that was well suited for her figure. I loved Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Lawrence. Sandra Bullock wore a gorgeous lace fitted dress and Jennifer Lawrence didn’t disappoint in a cinderella style gown with simple jewellery. I was pretty happy with the fashion, and I have to say, I thought Seth MacFarlane did a great job!

What do you guy think? Gifts or Experiences for your kids’ birthdays? Or both? Or neither? Anyone try the 18 Karat gold top coat by OPI? Was it worth its weight in Gold? And finally, what did you think about the Oscar fashion this year?

Thanks for stopping by everyone!