Why isn’t “the living end” a phrase anymore? It’s like “dreamboat”. I wish we still said both of those.

Anywhoo.

Remember my Ode to my Lands End Swim Suit last year? I have literally been a Lands End evangelist since then. And since I added my giant hide-my-face-and-shoulders hat to it, I am easily the best dressed mom at the pool. OK, I’m at least the most modest AND the least sunburned. (My hat is black, but this is the one I really want! It’s purple!)

Roxy By The Sea Hat

This year, I wasn’t going to get a new suit. My Lands End from last year still looks brand new. It’s still comfy, it’s not stretched out or out of style. It’s adorable. (I’m still not taking a picture of myself in it. Don’t hold your breath.) But when Lands End asked if I’d like to try a new suit out this year I said, “HOLLA!” Just kidding. (Isn’t Holla! kinda out now?) I actually said, “Yes, please!’

So, for right at $100 I got a really cool adjustable tankini/tunic top. It is the COOLEST. The sides are adjustable so it can be short or long. I love this because it can move with your comfort level. I tried it down low and up high. I like it both ways. Plus, I love the strings hanging down. (Did you click to see the picture?) Oh! And the straps are removable. (Which I will never remove, but that’s cool.)

My husband suggested I get a regular bikini bottom instead of a skirt. *blush* So, I compromised and GOT BOTH! The skirt is adjustable (like the top!) and I think it is adorable. Even when you’ve got it hiked up to the highest, it still covers up the important parts!  The bikini bottom is not exactly like a bikini–it’s got a little more coverage and makes me not feel like I’m falling out of 2 strips of fabric. But because it’s the tummy control version, it’s a little tight around the legs. Not sure how much I like it, actually. (::whisper:: maybe I need a bigger size…::)

Now, with my suit from last year, I can mix and match and come up with SIX different bathing suits! I’m so excited!

When was the last time you had a suit you loved? Here’s some tips to finding one that you actually WILL love!

Land’s End is the LIVING END is a post from: ohamanda.com

source: herbstkind

Every morning I wake up and check my email. (Not first thing, of course.) I look to see if any amazing emails have come my way, delete the random newsletters that I’m pretty sure I’ve unsubscribed like 1200 times and then I click on my DEALS! folder. And this my friends, is where I get excited. I have about 10 emails from all the deal sites–Groupon, EverSave, GroopDealz (the handmade crafty one!), Mamapedia, Tippr, Crowd Cut, Half Off Depot, Juice in the City (for moms!), Zulily (CUTE kids’ clothes), Living Social and Living Social Getaways.

I’m not a shopper, so this is my kinda shopping–someone sends me a specific {awesome} item to buy that is like 50-90% off! And I don’t even have to take a shower to buy it! And on top of that, if I share the deal with someone else, I usually make money (or credit) to buy more stuff. I mean, this is how shopping should be!

So, you know it’s coming…there’s a NEW site that’s launching in Atlanta (and some other little city…uhm…oh, yeah, New York). It’s called little birdie. Isn’t that sweet? It’s like twitter and the sisterchicks all rolled into one!

little birdie is different in that it has deals for all the fun stuff you wanna do with your kids–children’s museums, pottery classes, ballet lessons, gymnastics, camp, nature centers, skating rinks, restaurants, shops, theatres and more. {MY FAVE!} I’m totally hoping for more Center for Puppetry Arts and some swimming lessons for Lydia!

Anywhoo, if you sign up for little birdie (which launches in a couple of weeks) you will be entered to win a crazy (as in awesome) $4500 dream kids’ room makeover from celebrity decorator, Sherri Blum! And a $1,000 shopping spree.* {To learn more and enter, please visit here.}

And if you’re twitter-ific, you need to check out the little birdie Twitter Party on Thursday! There’s going to be 3 prizes from Sherri Blum (personalized wall art) and 3 from little birdie ($25 credit).**

When: Thursday, February 17^th from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. ET
Where: #littlebirdie tag on Twitter
How: To participate, follow hostess @ResourcefulMom, sponsor @littlebirdieUSA, @littlebirdieATLand @littlebirdieNYC and special guest @SherriBlum.

So, what email do you get excited about reading?

*No purchase necessary.  Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., 18 or older who are expecting a child (pregnant or in the process of adopting or surrogacy) and/or have a child or children 12 or younger.  Sweepstakes starts 3:01pm ET 2/15/11 and ends 11:59 p.m. ET 3/31/11.  Void where prohibited.  For complete details, see Official Rules at http://bit.ly/fcy6hQ, which govern.

**No purchase necessary.  Must be a legal resident of the 50 U.S. or DC, 18 or older.  Ends 9:00 p.m. ET 2/17/11.  Void where prohibited.  Winners will be selected on a random basis during the party by ResourcefulMom.com and will be notified via @resourcefulmom. Failure to claim via an online form within 48 hrs of notification will result in prize forfeiture.  Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible participants.  Credit is subject to terms and conditions specified by little birdie. Sponsor of Door Prize Giveaway: ResourcefulMommy.com.

why this post is awesome: I’m not sure if it is. I was excited to share this sponsored post with you because I really do love all those group deal sites. And this one is a family-friendly site in Atlanta! I’m not opposed to sponsored posts, but I did commit to this before The Awesome.

I Actually *Heart* My Inbox! is a post from: ohamanda.com

photo by Greg Mooney

We went to the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta to see the theatrical version of Disney’s Mulan. And can I just say that it was like every single thing I loved all wrapped up into one?

Family time? CHECK. Theatre? CHECK. Musical Theatre? CHECK. Puppetry? CHECK! Cool Kids’ Activities? CHECK. Disney? CHECK.

The Alliance Theatre is one of my favorite places in Atlanta anyway. It’s part of the Woodruff Arts Center and it just feels metropolitan and swanky and Atlanta-ish. I love it. It’s a cozy theatre that doesn’t have a bad seat.

Our seats were row A. We walked straight down to the first row and felt a little stupid because we could not locate seat 130. We walked up and down the front row at least 3 times. And the whole time all I could think was, “Oh my goodness, we’re going to sit on the front row with a 1 and 4 year old. A 4 year old who hates loud noises, surprises and scary costumes.” Finally we realized our seats were row A on the BALCONY. Oops. But much better for our little girl who needs to be eased into new adventures.

However, I did not need to worry about the scariness. Every scary part was handled with such creativity! Let’s rewind a bit…in case you don’t know Mulan is the story of a Chinese girl who poses as a man to join the army and fight for the emperor. Mulan’s anscestors play a big role…but how do you show ghostly figures in a play?

How ’bout by using puppets?! The actors had huge backpack puppets that waved and glided above their heads while they spoke and manipulated the arms. I love this type of puppetry and love seeing it in theatre.

Each of the actors (except Mulan) played at least one other part. In fact, the entire show was done with just eight actors! EIGHT! They were are all very funny and great at jumping from character to character. Lydia’s favorite was Mushu and Mulan, of course. Because Mulan is basically a princess. And princesses are always a fave.

The show had some original songs in it that don’t appear in the movie. And they had to change some of the story line to make it work on stage. But I think it really added to the story. There was a whole male-female-yin-yang thing that really worked. And that’s not even my thing—but it kind of fleshed the story out even more.

It was a 70 minute show with no intermission but Lydia and Asa were mesmerized. (OK, I had to give Asa some pretzel sticks and a cup of milk to keep him quiet.) We laughed and I may have even had a tear in my eye when Mulan’s dad said, “The greatest honor is having you as a daughter.”

Then the best part came afterwards–since it was the opening day they had a huge Chinese celebration in the lobby. We got a passport and then had it stamped at every station. The Center for Puppetry Arts helped us make a shadow puppet dragon. The Atlanta Zoo let us pet a snake. The Atlanta Symphony let the kids try out any instrument they wanted. They had fan dancers, sword fighting demonstrations, face painting, animal balloons, actor autographs and more. We had an absolute blast. It made the story come even more alive for Lydia. And it totally made me want to have a Mulan birthday party!

If you are in Atlanta, you will want to take your kids to see Mulan. It’s a great story, told with such creativity and being at the Alliance Theatre will make it an adventure in itself!

Disclosure: Complimentary tickets were given for the sake of reviewing the play.

Alliance Theatre: Disney’s Mulan (Reason #842 Why I Love Atlanta) is a post from: ohamanda.com