Recently in Mom Snob Confessions Category

It'd be a huge understatement to say that Kristie Ramirez helped launch Bag Snob. She was one of the first people to feature us in the press (with the most amazing article in Dallas Morning News FD!, it is framed in my office) and has been supportive of us ever since. Kristie is the Fashion Director of Texas Monthly (she also did stints as Lucky Magazine's Dallas Editor and was the Fashion Director of D magazine for numerous years) and is possibly one of the chicest girls I know. No one rocks a skinny jean like Kristie!!! I love her style but I love her mom tips, too. Thanks for the honesty Kristie-- now who else has fed their kids breakfast for dinner? Hands, please!

Mornings are tough for moms. Do you have any tips or advice on how to look put together with no time to spare?
Since mornings are so crazed, I limit my choices and stick to a very basic uniform: J brand skinny jeans, alexander wang tee, sue london flats, and my sue gragg coin necklace. It's easy and low-key. If I've got meetings right after carpool, I ALWAYS have my outfit pulled the night before and walk out the door with heels in my purse and flip flops on my feet. I can't manage 2 kids in 5-inch Marnis

Do you have efficient and tantrum free travel ideas? Special gadgets, toys or treats?
My 5 and 2-year-olds have their own separate DVD players that they carry in their own backpacks, so I don't have to deal with an "I-don't-want-to-watch-what-he/she's-watching" tantrum. I also have an arsenal of snacks...everything from lollipops and gum to ease takeoff/landing ear pressure to grapes, crackers, peanut butter. My 5-year-old always travels with his Nintendo DS and we both play it!

One of the most inspiring moms I know is my dear friend, Shannon Hori (CBS Evening news anchor in Miami!).  Shannon gave birth to beautiful twin boys, Colt and Cade, last year and was told that Colt had to undergo immediate open heart surgery for a rare heart defect.  Imagine watching your newborn suffer (including having a cardiac arrest in your arms!) yet feeling utterly helpless-- but through it all, Shannon remained strong.  Her baby boy (now perfectly healthy!) endured in his first few months more than anyone should have to in a lifetime and I believe he made it through because of Shannon's unbreakable faith and love.  Shannon's positive outlook on life has touched her friends as well.  When we first met (at a wedding 5 years ago, I'd just given birth and was feeling fat and tired.  Of course the most gorgeous woman in the room decides to sit next to me!  Luckily she was also the nicest woman in the room and we've been close friends ever since.) I'd complain about missing my friends in LA and wanting to leave Texas.  She'd always tell me "You can not think like this or you will never be happy.  You have to change your attitude and choose to be happy regardless of where you live!".  Wise words that I still adhere to today-- I miss you, my friend! 

I am excited to introduce you all to Shannon.  Read on for her tips on rearing twins!  

Mornings are tough for moms. Do you have any tips or advice on how to look put together with no time to spare?
9-month old twin boys leave their mark - under my eyes. I have huge, dark circles. The one thing I try to put on before leaving the house is concealer. And if I can manage to run a brush through my hair too - then it's a great day. I feel very lucky that I get my make-up professionally done every day before I go on the air to anchor the news at 5 p.m. (a couple of times I've even fallen asleep during the application.)

Do you have efficient and tantrum free travel ideas? Special gadgets, toys or treats?
When we travel in the car the boys have constant entertainment in the form of a live person. When I'm driving, our nanny sits in the back and talks and sings to the boys. When my husband drives, I'm in the back with them (and I can put on quite a show.) I wonder when I'll actually sit in the front seat next to my husband again?

I have depended on the trusted advice of my good friend, Kimberly Schlegel Whitman, for years now. Kim is one of the first people I think of calling when I have an "uh oh" moment. She somehow always knows the right thing to do!  I have no idea how she juggles her life as an author (of four books-- check them out here), radio personality, lifestyle expert, her many national speaking engagements and mommy to JR (a bouncing soon to be two year old!)!  Read on to find out how this busy mom stays sane and chic!  Follow Kim on Twitter here!
 
Mornings are tough for moms. Do you have any tips or advice on how to look put together with no time to spare? You can always tell when I have had a hurried morning when my hair is in a pony tail! I love the look and I am always thrilled that it doesn't seem to go out of style! I keep a stock of simple rubber bands that are the same color as my hair in a drawer and I grab and run when I need to. I also love to buy dresses because it is so much faster for me to throw on a dress than it is to select a top to go with the pants then maybe a belt or a scarf...I could play dress up all day and I lose all sense of time in my closet! I also keep a stash of LuLu Lemon outfits to throw on. They are tailored in a way that most exercise clothes are not and, somehow, they seem a bit more polished than typical exercise clothes.

Ella 4 1/2, Zack 2 1/2 and Olivia 4 Weeks

I am so happy everyone is loving the Mom Snob Confessions. I will be bringing them on a weekly basis now so if you would like to nominate someone I should feature, please email me.

Jori was our Tot Snob editor when we first launched. She made Tot Snob what is is today and I owe her everything. Her responsibilities to her tots and family were always her #1 priority so she had to leave us =( Her mother in law is Florence Shapiro, a Texas state senator, so you can imagine she has a lot on her plate.

What can you not live without, no matter what it cost, you will sell your left arm for it if you have to?
Having a newborn, right now I can't live with my night nurse Heidi! I'd sell my diamonds and mortgage my house for her. She comes every other night, so I still get my nighttime bonding in...call me crazy but with 2 toddlers sometimes that is the only Olivia and Mommy time we get. Heidi is fabulous. The nights that she comes my husband and I rest easy knowing our daughter is in good hands. When Olivia gets a little older, she will help us train her to sleep through the night without a pacifier or swaddle - two things our kids have come to love. If you're in the Dallas area and interested in using a night nurse, I highly recommend Heidi!

What indulgence do you do that is just for you?
First, I exercise which helps me to clear my head. Then, to really unwind I head to the spa for a massage or facial. Nothing does wonders like a little pampering!

What special training or skill di you wish your husband has?
Breastfeeding?!!

What is the worst dinner you've ever served?
I am so embarrassed to have this written...Kid Cuisine frozen dinners. Could someone please invent nutritious ready made meals for when you're in a pinch?

Confession Time. What have you done to cut corners, save time, save sanity, just had no time or because you were simply lazy?
Two things. First, because my son is attached to one particular sippy cup (he has to drink his milk out of it or someone's going to have to pay!), I sometimes take them out of the dishwasher full of dirty dishes, rinse them, and call them clean just to avoid a meltdown. Also, I pretended not to smell a very stinky diaper while I finished shopping at a department store.

Maya, Julieta's daughter

We all have our dirty little secrets but when it comes to motherhood, there is nothing to be embarrassed about if we had to cut some corners or do things that we're not exactly proud of. We've all been there. I had to shut my 2 screaming tots in the car one time so I can finish a phone interview with the LA Times while standing on the sidewalk. There was a tight deadline for the reporter and I wanted to make sure I got my quote in! I want to liberate ourselves from any guilt we may have because sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do. That's why I am starting this new column, Mom Snob Confession, where moms can not only come clean but be proud of their creative tactics. The first person I thought of for this is Julieta. I work with her (she is the Director of Network and Community Marketing at Glam Media) so I know how tough and demanding her job is but she is also a single mom with no family support. Whenever I am feeling overwhelmed, I think about how easy I have it because I do not know how she gets through the day sometimes!

First of all, what indulgence do you do that is just for you?
I am religious about my pedicure. Every 3 weeks. I also try to get a massage every other month but it is hard because of lack of time.

It is 6pm and you have nothing planned for dinner. What is your emergency recipe you can whip up in 30 minutes or less? 15 minutes...Spaghetti (or any pasta), steamed broccoli, steamed carrots, butter, parmesan cheese. You have everything you need, carbs, veggies, a little fat and protein. My daughter loves it and it does take 15 minutes.

What is the one piece of advise you'll to pass down to your daughter when she has kids of her own?
Learn how to be organized. I think it has helped me tremendously specially because I have done it on my own so being organized has helped a lot. And give your kid lots of kisses and hugs. I don't think you could ever give your child too many of those.

Confession time. What have you done to try to get through the day?
Do a conference call in the car while I drove my daughter around to fall asleep so I can talk. Another thing I used to do is when she was around one, I would feed her dinner while she took her bath. It would save me so much time and I could put her to sleep right after and go back to working.