hollywood housewife

friday (no) links - driving the boat

After nearly twenty years, I've finally learned to drive the boat.

Make of that what you will.

*

I always consider Memorial Day to be the start of summer.  And we've had a wonderful first week of summer.  My parents and my sister and her kids are visiting, and we're having such a great time.   

Can you believe that it's already June?  It's not like this year has flown by or anything, but I just keep finding myself in June.  I will turn 33 this month.

*

Reminder that tonight is the end of the Jose Eber World's Fastest Flat Iron.  You just have to leave a comment on the post telling me your greatest hair disaster to enter. 

*

As always, the HH facebook page was hoppin' this week.  Click here to join us. 

*

I've been meaning to say thank you for all the messages of love and support that I received last week.  I know what it's like to feel connected to someone that you only know online, and the sweet reaching out through the digital world made writing that post worth it.  Thank you, thank you, friends.

There was a local tragedy on the lake in my Oklahoma hometown last weekend, and even though I did not personally know the victim, it has affected so many.  Please be careful this summer.

Wishing you the warmest of days, the making of memories.

Happy weekend, HH readers.

Enter your email address in the box in the right sidebar to receive my posts as emails, or subscribe using your favorite reader.  If you're more the facebook type, you can "like" HH here and receive all my posts + original content in your news stream.

mom swimsuits

Buying a swimsuit since becoming a mom is a whole different deal that it was when I would grab the cheapest bikini I could find before Spring Break.  It's not just about a changing body - although that's a consideration, too - but about the actions this body sees while in a swimsuit.  No longer am I floating around on a foam chaise, adjusting my straps as the sun climbs.  I need a suit that can stand up to a running toddler and a grabby baby.  I need to be able to bob around in the water and also chase someone while spraying sunscreen.  I need to be able to lift a tiny person in and out of the boat, I need to be able to bend over and also jump.

I need to be able to do all of these things without a boob falling out.

I need to be able to do all of this while still looking cute.

It's a tall order, really.  I ordered a bunch of suits online (because I couldn't deal with a swimsuit dressing room), and just sent back the ones that didn't work.  Here are the three I decided on for the summer:

 

Ruched Femme Tank from JCrew / Polka Dot Bandeau One-Piece from Gap / Jersey Lomellina One-Shoulder from JCrew (it looks like they no longer have the one-shoulder version, but here is the bandeau tank version)

All of these turned out to be flattering and sturdy.  I'm actually wearing the one-shouldered Lomellina in our recent family pictures.  We spend a lot of time in swimsuits in the warmer months, so I felt okay about purchasing all three.  I also have my eye on this one from Ann Taylor.

And if I was a bit more daring, I'd wear this one or possibly this one.  But, I'm not.  So.

Do you have a good mom swimsuit recommendation? 

To see the rest of my summer-at-the-lake style, you can click here. 

{giveaway} jose eber world's fastest flat iron

Have I adequately expressed how much I despise doing my hair?  I'm just not good at it.  So good hair tools are essential to my beauty regimen.  After my trusty flat iron of five years sputtered and died, I tried this Jose Eber World's Fastest Flat Iron.  And oh, my.  The straightening iron technology has changed, my friends. 

I gave it my ultimate test, which was to throw my hair into a messy bun while wet.  Hours later my hair was nice and kinked and crazy.  Which is pretty much how it looks on any given day that I've been too busy to do anything else. 

My hair went from this to this in literally minutes.  The Jose Eber flat iron was so smooth and easy, I didn't have to go over each lock of hair multiple times.  One pass and it was done.  This has now become my hair styling tool of choice.   

This week, the kind people at Jose Eber Hair want to give one lucky HH reader their own World's Fastest Flat Iron, valued at $139. 

Here's what you do:

• Leave a comment on this post telling me your greatest hair disaster.
• You have until Friday, June 1 at midnight EST.
• I'll choose a winner using random.org and post the winner here.
• Open to the US only.
• Only one entry per person please.

You can find more about Jose Eber Hair or their website or like their facebook page.

Good luck!

happy memorial day!

*all photos by andy duty photography

friday links - memorial weekend edition

My friend Drew came to visit last weekend.  We had the most wonderful time, lazing around in the swimming pool and taking in the last of the Lakers home games.  We ate long meals and good restaurants and talked until my throat hurt.  We have been friends since elementary school.

*

If you were part of the HH facebook page, then you could've answered my poll question about internet usage in the summer.  The answer shocked me!  The facebook page is also the only place you could found out where I was guest posting this week. 

*

Anyone else watching Duck Dynasty?  Just us?  Okay.  I love A&E.

*

For your weekend reading pleasure:

For people who like writing and words you'll like Write Less, Say More: The Power of Brevity. (Lifehacker)

I thought this was a fun series, I clicked through and read several of them: Things I'm Afraid To Tell You. (Apartment 34)

Oh, parenting.  It's so much more emotional and complicated than we can ever capture.  I thought this post was beautiful: In Which My Son Doesn't Like Me Sometimes (Sarah Bessey)

I laughed out loud at How To Pose Like a Fashion Blogger. (Not So Lonely Londoners)

*

I hope you have fun plans for Memorial Day.  Be safe out there. 

Happy weekend, HH readers!

Enter your email address in the box in the right sidebar to receive my posts as emails, or subscribe using your favorite reader.  If you're more the facebook type, you can "like" HH here and receive all my posts + original content in your news stream.