The royal wedding was amazing! I am still giddy from it. Princess Catherine, as she is now known, looked beautiful. Her dress didn’t exactly blow me away but hey, it wasn’t my wedding. Besides tuning in to see her dress, I was very excited to see all the hats on display. I wish we wore more hats here in America. Here are a few that took my breath away and two that didn’t…

Lady Frederick Windsor – so chic!

Santa Montefiore and Tara Palmer-Tomkinson

It took me a second to take in but the two sisters looked smashing!

The Beckhams.

Can they do any wrong? No.

Princess Letizia

The Spanish princess looks so elegant in this tulle-topped rose colored hat. Gorgeous!

Zara Phillips

My absolute favorite hat at the wedding. It looked better from another angle and so striking against her blonde hair. I need this hat!

Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice.

Uh, sorry girls. You lose. Eugenie’s is tolerable but Bea’s is just horrible.

*Have a royally fantastic weekend!*

Written by Lea Barlow • Leave a comment

My bestie out in California is probably getting a good laugh about now.  She introduced me to the FiveFinger shoes over a year ago. My response? No freaking way would you ever catch me sporting those silly things. Besides, she hikes mountains in Peru. I go to the grocery store. She paddle boards and surfs in Hawaii. I go to swim lessons at the local rec center. I think you get my drift. But recently I have had a change of heart. It started two weeks ago when I began kettlebell personal training sessions. Kettlebell exercises are best done barefoot for balance purposes. I don’t like being totally barefoot so my best option was to give the funky toe shoes a try. To my complete surprise, I LOVE them. I even wore them right out of the store. I have been wearing my hot pink Sprint pair for a few days now. Here are my pros and cons so far:

Pros:

Very natural feeling.

Easy and comfortable to run in. My cardio consists of interval sprinting and the transition has been easy. It was a little weird at first but now I’m used to it.

I am already feeling the use of muscles that are not used when wearing a typical athletic shoe.

For some reason, I love driving in them!

Perfect for my workouts on the hot deck and dewy grass.

Cons:

Very natural feeling. I say this again for two reasons. One, it was strange going into the gym’s bathroom stall because I felt barefoot. Two, I stepped in a pile of mud (at the time of impact I thought it was dog poop) and entirely felt the squishing where with a normal athletic shoe you would never feel it. In this regard, the shoes take some getting use to.

Right now, I have to tape my heels while wearing. This will pass as well once the shoes are broken in.

You will get lots of questions about your new footwear. Lots. From total strangers. But depending on your personality this may be a pro.

Tip – definitely go to a store and try them on before you purchase. My husband ordered them online and had to return for another size. If you are local to the Tampa Bay area try In Search of Balance. They have a great selection and are wonderfully nice people. Outside of the bay area click here for a list of stores near you and here for all the benefits of the FiveFingers. Give them a shot. If I can sport these shoes, so can you. Who knows what’s next? Maybe I’ll let my hair go gray and buy a Subaru…

Written by Lea Barlow • 6 Comments

I have been having a horrible time this spring keeping the bugs off my kids. They are both completely riddled with various bug bites and it is so maddening. Their poor little ankles look like they are straight out of a trailer park. In years past, I could have just brought them back inside but now that they are older being constantly outside is necessary for burning at least some of their endless energy.

Because I just can’t tolerate spraying them down with large amounts of toxic chemicals I have gone in search of more natural bug repellents. Here are some very helpful tips to protect you and your little ones throughout bug season…

When you’re outdoors, strive to wear light-colored clothing. Many mosquitoes use their vision to locate targets from a distance; dark clothing and rich foliage are prime attractants.

Whenever practical, try not to be outdoors for long stretches at a time when you are hot. You release more carbon dioxide when you are hot, and carbon dioxide is a major attractant of mosquitoes.

Try not to be outdoors after an intense workout. Vigorous exercise can result in significant lactic acid build-up in your muscles, and lactic acid is a strong attractant of mosquitoes.

Burning citronella incenses at the table is, in fact, a double-protection against insect bites since mosquitoes and gnats detest the smell of citronella and smoke. Avoid serving bananas as part of your dinner course since most insects adore this sweet-smelling fruit.

Don’t eat salty foods. Eating salty foods can cause you to produce higher-than-normal amounts of lactic acid.

Wipe off perspiration on a regular basis. Perspiration attracts mosquitoes via thechemicals contained within. Perspiration increases the humidity around your body, which also attracts mosquitoes.

If possible, stay away from pools of water. Even mud puddles and moist plants attract mosquitoes.

Start planting! Rosemary, marigolds, lemon grass and lavender are all natural mosquito repellents. Growing these plants in your backyard or garden will give you a double benefit – freedom from mosquitoes and a beautiful, colorful garden.

Multiple studies reported that taking vitamin B1 supplements starting in April throughout the summer is a proven way to make you less prone to getting insect bites.

Stay away from DEET containing bug sprays since they have been reported to be quite toxic if used regularly covering larger parts of the body or on children. Try using naturally based insect repellent sprays instead containing citronella, lemongrass, peppermint and vanilla oils for worry-free and effective protection against insect bites.

H&H Recommendation: Dr. Ben Kim’s Anti-Bug Spray.

Written by Lea Barlow • 1 Comment

Denim overalls, coveralls, jumpsuits or whatever they are being called at the moment are always a style no-no. A big, giant no-no. At any age.  I say this because I saw a rather unfortunate example of one on a classmate of Tennison’s. The normally very cute four year old looked ridiculous in his farmer get-up. No, I am not actually slamming a toddler’s fashion sense. His father dropped him off that day. Enough said. He had an excuse. You don’t, if you decide to wear any of the following…

The Denim Coverall.

Aside from the fact it looks like you are a commercial painter by trade, doesn’t it look like it would be quite chafing?

The ‘Sexy’ Denim Jumpsuit.

Unless you are going on a job interview at your corner tire store, please avoid.

The Denim Romper.

I love rompers but as each year passes they are becoming tougher and tougher to pull off. This denim version can be worn by our babysitters, not us.

Written by Lea Barlow • 2 Comments