http://www.mommyq.comMommyQ

There, I said it. One of my friends on Facebook recently admitted to liking the new Miley Cyrus song, “The Climb.” I have a lot of respect for people who willingly admit potentially embarrassing truths, so I took her lead and decided to throw props to Tori Spelling, especially in the wake of her mother’s continued public betrayal.

I have to be honest, I wasn’t a big fan of Tori Spelling during the 90210 days. In fact, I didn’t really like the show at all. The plot was horribly predictable and the amount of hair gel being used on the boys was obscene. Last year, I started watching reruns of Tori & Dean: Inn Love and was just amazed at how quickly I started to like Tori. She was funny, sincere, sweet, honest, goofy and even vulnerable.

The show didn’t seem overly contrived  me and the whole notion of a Hollywood couple trying to downsize their lives (while pregnant) and renovating a B & B at the same time was pretty entertaining. I haven’t seen the new show, Home Sweet Hollywood, but as a mother with two small children myself, I know it can only be non-stop chaos. The good kind.

Today rumors fly about Tori’s weight and Tori’s psycho mom, Candy, etc. I have no idea what’s true and what isn’t, but I feel sorry for her. When push comes to shove she’s a woman, wife and mother trying to make it all work. That’s no easy feat. If my mom started sending open letters to TMZ about what should be private issues, I’d be mortified.

Maybe this all a big publicity stunt – who knows? If it’s not, It’s just plain sad. And not the good kind.

If you’ve got a few [hundred] bucks burning a hole in your pocket, dive right into this girly collection for Fall. Leave it to designer, Helena, to create some seriously stylin’ looks for your little princess. This collection is available at Neiman Marcus and it’s pretty magnificent.

Simplicity at its best! Check out the tissue-weight wool Color Block Dress in shades of lavender, ivory and brown. Lush! Retails for $144ish in sizes up to 24 months. It also comes in youth sizes.

Next up is bright & oh-so-festive Plaid Dress in red, white and black plaid. How cute would this look with black tights and black shoes or white tights and red shoes. So cute! Retails for $110ish in sizes up to 24 months. Youth sizes too.

Last, but certainly not least is Reversible Faux-Fur Coat. One side features rich, brown, faux fur and the other side is micro-polyester with Faux fur trim.  How cute is this? It can even be belted. Retails for $250+ and starts at size 2T.

If you shop Neiman Marcus now, you can get a FREE NM Kid Tote with an online purchase of $175 or more!

MommyQ has been wearing the same perfume for about five years, so I decided to pick a new scent. Today I sniffed four horrible fragrances before I finally found two I liked. Is it wrong the coffee beans were the best smell by far? Anyway, I know my nose doesn’t always know. I had to ask the friendly salesperson her opinion a million times. Finally, I had two faves to choose from…

I really loved 212 by Carolina Herrera. It’s an off-beat, floral fragrance with musk undertones.  Too much musk makes me feel nauseous, so I am really careful about that component. 212 is fruity, fresh and timeless. It was a contender.

My second favorite was Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana. It is a stunning scent that is fruity, floral and lively. I liked it a lot and could not decide. Finally, I sprayed one on one wrist and one on the other. I’m sure I reeked something fierce after I left. I would have no idea because my nose was on overdrive and I smelled nothing.

Anyhow, 212 was the winner. Now I stink of femininity and confidence. Awesome.

So readers, gimme some feedback! What is your favorite mommy fragrance? How long have you been wearing it? How often do you shop a new scent? Also, do you have a perfume for day and a different one for night? Do tell!

Baby legs are cute. Baby legs with Perfectly Princess Tights from Mud Pie? Beyond cute. Like into the stratosphere of ridiculously precious.

These pink & black, polka dot-tights feature Mary Jane’s at the foot along with a pink, ribbon flower. You are only in luck if your baby girl wears size 0-6 mos. Snag yours today at Amazon for $16.49.

It’s time to list a few of MommyQ’s favorite finds online right now. All of these items are currently on sale at PoshTots and ooh-la-la, are they cute!

Go wild, baby! I just love this needlepoint embroidered Green Zebra Pillow. It will add just the right amount of pizzazz to your baby’s nursery or your child’s room. Love the green & white! $45

My yummy favorite with the funny name…Petunia Pickle Bottom! This is the Corsican Blue Cross Town Clutch and it is exactly what every busy mommy needs. You just can’t deny the perfection that is Petunia. This tiny tote is PVC-free, wipe-able, water-repellent, stylish and sporty. And it’s on sale for $62!

You can even go wild in a cool, retro-inspired, subtle way with this beautiful Vintage Giraffe Print. The print is framed in a hand-painted, off-white frame that has been hand rubbed for a distressed, cottage look. $75.40, what a deal!

This is a great gift for the special new mommy and her bundle of joy. It’s the Lime & Brown Set that features the ‘ultimate’ swaddle blanketand two matching burp cloths! The blanket is soft, pre-shrunk cotton flanel and genrous in size. If mom forgets how to swaddle baby like a burrito, there are directions on the blankie. Nice! Set is on sale for $23.10. Happy shopping!

I’m surrendering to being a fashion “don’t” this year, because there’s no way I’ll ever erase my eyebrows.

According to a recent article in The New York Times, eyebrows are out. Mechanical is in. This year, the forehead is the perfect blank canvas for beauty. In NYC, fashion-forward men are bleaching them away and some women are shaving them off.  If they aren’t shaving them off, they are blocking them out with cosmetics. Forget buying a new bag or a hot pair of heels to spice up your wardrobe, just sport shown brows.

So you mean a few years ago when my husband (who shaves his head) was haphazardly shaving his face and cut off an eyebrow – that was fashionable? Poor guy! Had he known, he might not have felt so silly all those months he spent waiting for it to grow back.

And me? Well, I’m a brunette and the idea of lopping off my eyebrows in the name of fashion seems rather hasty. They help to define my facial features. Although I do have bangs, so you can’t see them that well anyway. Maybe I should! After all, these tough economic times are making us all more cutting-edge. (Excuse me, what?!?) Ah, yes…because eyebrows are so high maintenance.

How many times have I thought to myself, “I could save thousands of dollars a year if I just didn’t have to deal with my eyebrows. How I wish there was a way to avoid that costly habit.” I guess my prayers have been answered. Lather up!

It’s time for a little science lesson… Do you know what borosilicate glass is? It’s the exact same type of glass used in laboratories due to its superior strength, durability and resistance to exploding into a zillion pieces. (It helps if you picture a mad scientist laughing maniacally.) It’s also much lighter than the glass typically used for baby bottles.

The smart folks at Coddletime have created baby bottles using this borosilicate glass. Tada! These award-winning bottles are the ‘next big thing’ in feeding since WeeGo. The list of benefits is pretty impressive:

• Extremely resistant to high heat and breakage
• Lightest glass baby bottle on the market
• Anti-colic
• Soft, wide and stretchy nipples mimic breastfeeding action, preventing nipple confusion
• The semi-transparent food grade silicone bottle wrap protects from scratches and allows for easy viewing of contents inside
• Non-toxic, BPA, lead, PVC and Phthalate free
• Microwave and dishwasher safe
• Winner of iParenting’s 2009 Best Product and 2009 Hottest Product awards
• World’s first borosilicate glass feeding bottle
• Packaging is made with eco-friendly mat

Go see for yourself at BabyEarth. One bottle retails for $10.

Every so often I come across baby gear that floats my boat. When my diaper bag from Kirsten James Handbags arrived in the mail, I was in awe. This bag was not only beautiful, but also perfectly crafted and absolutely flawless. My mother was with me when it arrived and immediately tried to coax me into letting her have it. Sorry, mom! Not this time.

Kirsten has a variety of styles to choose from, but I picked The Eden Bag. The size is exactly right for a busy mom who needs to use it as a diaper bag, toddler tote or overnight bag. It has a heavy magnetic snap closure and four roomy inside pockets. The designer fabric options are stunning in person. She also has eco-friendly options for green mommies. It shouldn’t come a big surprise that her bags reflect quite a bit of innovation. After all, Kirsten is a NASA engineer.

She worked for United Space Alliance as a Computer Programmer and Corrective Action Engineer.  United Space Alliance is the prime contractor and handles all Shuttle Processing for NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).  As a programmer and Engineer for NASA, she wrote programming code in support of new software applications to support Shuttle processing and worked with operational organizations to streamline processes and build software tools that automate those processes.

Her mommy know-how, creativity and passion for fashion launched her new career as a designer. After having her son and becoming frustrated with the poor quality of diaper bags in stores, she left NASA and began her own line of bags. Feeling inspired? Visit her site to learn more about her story and buy yourself a bag. You won’t be disappointed!