Makeover Momma

Trend in Motherhood: Wearing insanely tall heels or boots while toting your little one around town.

Makeover Momma™ Rating: C-

Why:

Don’t get us wrong- we at Makeover Momma love empowered, fashionable moms as much as the rest of the world. If a mother wants to strap on her stilettos for a trip to the grocery store…more power to her! If a mom feels like holding her head 4” higher with pride (and impressive balancing skills), than be our guest! But for the majority of us frazzled fashionistas, carrying a 20+ lb. weight of a child (and/or climbing in out of cars, chasing down aisles, or other parent related activities) to be slightly dangerous in high heels.

If a mother is very newly post-partum, it is important to regain core strength, balance, and let stretched ligaments and bones return to their pre-baby shape (more or less) before jumping into those platforms, for fear of injury. And if you are simply too busy and tired to care about wedges and the like? Try turning to classic ballet flats in a bright color or with cool accents to punch up an outfit.

Double Duty Diet Food – Ian’s Brand French Bread Pizzas

Why: One box of Ian’s French Bread Pizzas carries 2 separate mini pizzas, in both organic “Whole Grain” and gluten/dairy-free “Soy Cheesy” versions. This is perfect for you and your child to split, and share as a fun, crunchy meal

What: One French bread pizza is 250 calories for the whole grain, and 220 for the gluten, dairy, and casein free- about the same as buying a fancy Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice variety, or grabbing a Slim Fast shake. Instead, you get a nice light lunch with crunchy carbohydrates, protein, and calcium…

Remember: If sharing the gluten-free version with your toddler, keep in mind that the soy cheese is barely a sprinkle. Try melting an additional tablespoon of low-fat cheese or soy cheese for more flavor (but keeping in mind that also means more calories). For a truly filling meal, pair this pizza with a dark green spinach salad, flavored with chopped veggies, a tablespoon of almonds, and 2 tablespoons of low-calorie dressing.

*All meal suggestions at Makeover Momma™ will include allergen information and suggestions for children with allergies, celiac disease, or additional health concerns.

The next time you find yourself standing in the kitchen while waiting for infant formula to warm or dinner to cook, consider trying this quick Cook Time Workout. We at Makeover Momma™ firmly believe that every little bit counts (no momma is perfect), so even a small amount of fitness can add up to big results. Try this out, and stayed tuned for more monthly Workouts From Home:

· Warm-Up – Grab that baby and march in place very quickly for 3 minutes (or jog in place doing “high knees” if solo)

· Counter-top Push-ups — Stand opposite a kitchen counter top or a sturdy table, place hands on the outer edge, and angle body leaning forward on your toes. Your body should be in a straight line in push-up position. From here, do 30 Counter-top Push-ups in classic stance

· Steady Squats – Using the counter for balance, place feet hip-width apart, parallel, and sit back into a deep squat (as if about to sit on a low stool behind you). Stand up, and repeat 30 times

· Pulsing positions – Return to Counter-top Push-ups, and repeat 10 more. However, finish by “hovering” with arms bent halfway (holding a ½ push-up), and do tiny pulses with upper arms. Pulse for 10 seconds, hold a static ½ push-up for 10 counts, and repeat again.

· Repeat – Do the same pattern with steady squats. Hold at the bottom of the squat and pulse, hold, pulse, and hold.

· High Shelf Jumps – Next, position yourself standing at the bottom of kitchen cabinets. Sitting back into a small squat, jump as high as you possibly can as if reaching for something on the very highest shelf. Land gently, and continue jumping as high as possible for 20 full counts, reaching over head.

Repeat this entire circuit one more time= Counter-top Push-ups, Steady Squats, Pulsing (and hold) positions, and finally the High Shelf Jumps.

Relax, and enjoy your finished product… Stronger legs and that stroganoff baking in the oven!

If you are a busy mother (two words that go hand-in-hand) than you more than likely do not have time to purchase expert beauty tools such as tongue scrapers or eyelash curlers. Even if you are already an aficionado at molding lashes or abrading oral germs, you probably are lacking in time post-baby to get the job done right. Luckily, the following multitasking motherly tip comes to you with no further effort than your local drive-thru or most recent picnic.

Surprisingly, plastic spoons are not as useless as they may seem, and come in mighty handy aesthetically for purposes other than spooning coleslaw. In fact, simply warming a plastic spoon under a nearby lamp (only for a few seconds), can turn the rounded underside into an ideal lash curling wonder. Simply press the spoon on the underside of the eyelashes (best results occur both before and after applying mascara), and watch those peepers widen in minutes! On the flip side, that plastic spoon is also a surprisingly cheap way to banish bad breathe and freshen your mouth when you’re in a bind. Simply use as a tongue scraper to literally scrape your tongue gently of germs, and you could practically headline in your own Orbitz commercial. Now that is what we call recycling for the sake of beauty!

It is often said that fashion and style should not be repeated. Trends and designs seem to go in and out of season as quickly as our kids chose favorite foods (last week peanut butter, this week toothpaste), but there are certain looks that remain timeless throughout any decade (hello, Jackie O!) Call us crazy, but our favorite Budget Buy Of the Month is an ode to new momma Jennifer Lopez, pre-preggers. Although J-to-the-Lo may be bonding with her twins at home as we speak (write), last “spring season” she was rocking a breezy lemon dress that would make any mother feel (and look) like sunshine.

Try Candie’s® Solid Crochet Dress in Gold, from www.kohls.com, on sale for only $34. Typically, we budget mommy mavens may consider “only $30” an obnoxious phrase (how many diapers could that buy?), but this dress is truly an outfit in of itself. Comfortable enough to eat a big meal, soft and relaxed through the bust-line to avoid nursing-pain pinches, and flowing enough to be highly forgiving. Try pairing with bangles and sturdy heels a la J.Lo, slipping on a soft cardigan and ballet flats, or even wearing over slim-fit jeans with tasteful accessories. Hello springtime!

Winter weather can make even the most angelic of eaters want to curl up with a cup of soup… and add a side of triple-sized-carbo-bread and super-choco-cake. Comfort food seems to be the catch of cold weather and holiday merriment, and can add an extra pinch in your pants faster than you can say “pass some more turkey.” As a mother, holiday seasons can be even more stressful with all of the cooking, planning, baking, standing, demanding, reprimanding, wrapping, packing, and department store attacking…leaving most of us too tired to even think about a healthy meal.

Worry no longer, “Oh Winter Weary Nutrition Mommas”, for below we have listed the top 5 brainless and painless “comfort food” healthy meals for on the go moments=

1. Warm Easy Breakfast: Quaker Oatmeal instant oatmeal packed in “Maple Sugar”, with ¼ cup of walnuts, and ½ cup of Craisons (dried cranberries.) It’s like a warm maple cobbler crunch for breakfast!

2. A Seasonal Smoothie: Try this make-shift Pumpkin Cinnamon Protein smoothie*= blend 8 oz. of new Silk Pumpkin Spice Soymilk, pinch of cinnamon (it raises the metabolism!), one 60-calorie container of Dannon Light n’ Fit yogurt in vanilla, and ½ a banana or cup of ice (for texture). Simple but yummy!

3. Toasty Deli-Style Lunch: Try Healthy Choice’s new grilled Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Panini, with one 100-calorie mini bite bag of Sun Chips on the side. It just sounds…warm, doesn’t it?

4. Take-Out Worthy Hot Dinner: Heat up a whole grain Lean Pocket in Supreme Pizza flavor (because nothing says comfort food like pizza), and add a small side salad for nutrients. Salad seem like too much effort? You can grab pre-packaged spinach, pre-cut baby carrots and cucumber, and all you need is 2 tablespoons (no more) of a clear dressing of choice

5. Pie-Inspired Parfait: Take a Yoplait Light yogurt in “Apple Turnover” flavor and mix in 100-calorie pack of Blue Diamond almonds (does the portion sizing for you), and ¼ cup of chopped apple (or fruit of choice.) It’s like calcium filled apple pie!

Stay tuned each month for more Healthy Meal in a Hurry! Please leave suggestions or comments for healthy meals you busy Makeover Momma’s would like to see!

*All meal ideas and suggestions at Makeover Momma™ will offer gluten-free alternatives, for children with celiac disease, allergies, or other health concerns. Note — above recipe is not dairy or soy free.

Staying fit can seem nearly impossible as a new mother…and can seem down right impossible if you have a full family to boot. Many women report gaining weight or a decline in overall physical fitness after becoming married, let alone after they’ve had children. Although, some wives or partners are blessed with spouses who are Tri-Athletes or naturally fit (hello, Angelina Jolie), the majority of us ladies may have a hard time keeping ourselves fit while balancing the needs of our families. In my case, those needs most often include my husband’s overwhelming desire to watch NFL highlights in his boxers while eating a box of Drumsticks (either the ice cream cones or the chicken- takeout, your pick). Needless to say, in order to keep everyone healthy, you just might have to employ some sneaky tactics to get everyone involved.

To kick off our “Fit with Family” monthly idea, we realized that one of the easiest ways to get the family involved isn’t an elaborate class or work-out regimen, but rather simply changing the channel on the station they’re watching. So pop in one of the following workout DVDs reviewed in the weeks to come, and you just might get everyone up off their feet…and lifting something other than ice cream cones.

• Dynamic Partner Yoga is a DVD that practices the idea of using your significant other to stretch deeper and find more strength in basic yoga postures. Although the uber-yogi in me secretly wishes I could stretch and twist intimately with my hubby, finding a closer bond and spirituality with our exertion…I know that this is really just an open invitation for him to make more weird bodily noises, and crude pretzel jokes. I think most women should probably keep the yoga chants to ourselves, unless we have particularly enlightened and open-minded spouses.

*LESSON LEARNED: Yoga might make our muscles lean and long, but it might just be too much of a stretch for the average Joe

• Leslie Sansone Family Health Package features 3 different family oriented “Walk at Home” workouts: Family Walk, Kid’s Walk, and Teen Walk. I greatly recommend trying all of these DVDs, or whichever one pertains to your family the most. The Family Walk is geared mostly for parents with children of all ages, and helps them follow along with your movements (or in some cases, simply run wild) while you get a low-impact aerobic style workout. However, The Kid’s Walk and Teen Walk are targeted specifically for your children to do (and not for you), but I would jump in and try these if my daughter was old enough!

*LESSON LEARNED: Personally, all of these DVD’s provide cardio, movement, and calorie burn (and who can argue with that), but probably something you’d rather do once your child is long past the toddler age

Stay tuned for next weeks conclusion to Fitness Momma DVD reviews!!

I often think that the baseball hat was invented purely for the busy new mother…and her subsequently funky hair. If it weren’t for my varied collection of adorable baseball hats (ok, I admit that I am partially fooling myself into the “adorable” adjective choice), I would probably never leave the house. Let’s face it: when you’re a time-starved, exhausted mother your previous 3-hour shower record becomes a faint memory and the salon worthy blow-dry sessions a near laughable extravagance of the past.

Never the less, there are ways to feign that “just washed” look…without resorting to your go-to University cap. Read on for ideas:

• Go With The Powder: I used to think that baby powder was only meant for my baby’s bottom…until I realized it was the best multi-tasking product that I could own. All it takes is a small sprinkle of baby powder into your palm, massaging it evenly throughout your roots in a “shampoo” motion, and letting it absorb the oils in your hair. For added volume, pull your mane up into a high cheerleader-style ponytail, and let the baby powder absorb for a few minutes before shaking down to find new-found volume. Kind of gives a new meaning to that phrase ‘baby powder fresh’, doesn’t it?

    We Recommend: Shower to Shower Absorbent Body Powder: $4.69. Better yet, look for the “Shower to Shower” Shimmer powder, which has a soft shimmer that will add luster to your highlights (especially for blondes or those with light colored locks)

• Get Sprayed: Many new “spray” shampoos are out on the market, and they are especially good for dark-hair mothers who aren’t keen on the powder. Any woman in a rush can simply aim the bottle at her scalp an arm’s length away, and lightly spritz her roots in a typical “hair spray” fashion. Although lots of high price brands such as Oscar Blandi or Bumble & Bumble offer this product, we at Make Over Momma™ prefer products that any momma could afford, so many drugstore varieties can be found with a little bit of searching.

     We Recommend: Psssst Instant Spray Shampoo, Unscented: $5.59 is affordable, clever, and gets the job done when you’re in a rush. Then again, many classic “Desperate Housewife”-esque bottles are popping up, that (although slightly reminiscent of the 50’s and lacking snazzy packaging) are surprisingly effective and cheap. Batiste Dry Shampoo= $5.99 is one of the many basic spray varieties, as well as Klorane Dry Oat Shampoo= $14.95 which brushes impurities out of the hair, leaving it soft and refreshed.

Have a motherly beauty dilemma, post-partum problem, or product that you want solved or addressed? Let us know!

Perhaps, no other famous mother could fit the bill for our Celeb Momma Look of the Month better than Miss Katie Holmes and the classic feminine style she epitomizes. The doting mother was seen most recently carrying sweet daughter, Suri Cruise, looking chic and sophisticated as usual. Donned in a comfortable red sweater dress, black knee-high black boots, and wide black sunglasses, her look is simple enough that any mother on a budget could achieve it.

GET THE LOOK: On a budget? No problem! Read on for ideas to get Katie Holmes sexy sweater dress ensemble without breaking the bank:

DRESS IDEAS

• Isaac Mizrahi For Target Merino Turtleneck dress in Bing Cherry: $44.99

• Mossimo for Target Kimono Sweater Dress in Venetian Red= $27.99

BOOT IDEAS

• Mossimo Gracie Heel Stretch Boots in Black= $29.99- (shown above)

• Wet Seal Basic Boot in Black= $29.50

Have a celeb momma fashion that you love, and want to know how to get it on a budget? Let us know, and we’ll help you Fashion Mommas!