Going (almost) "commando" (Updated: the winner is...!)

Once, while getting my hair highlighted, I announced to my stylist that my husband "doesn't let me wear Spanx."

The woman sitting in the salon chair next to me, who apparently decided that if you are getting your hair done at the same time then you are entitled to participate in each other's conversations, piped in with: "Oh honeeeey, and you let your husband tell you what to do?"

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Now, anyone who knows me...or more importantly, knows my husband...would scoff appropriately here.
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Fortunately, my hairstylist did.
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It's not that Hubby does or doesn't "let" me do anything. That's not the kind of relationship we have (nor the kind of people we are), but it is true, that there are certain things he feels really, really strongly about, and Spanx is one of them.
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Do you know Spanx? Perhaps you own several and are already planning the persuasive comment you will leave for me after reading this post, telling me what I'm missing out on. For the rest of you who may not be so sure what I'm talking about, let me give you the short version. It's a high-end designer girdle. There are various styles and they all do essentially the same thing: suck, smoothe, and shape. Every time Kim Kardashian steps out for the night in one of those incredibly tight and slutty dresses of hers? She's got one under there. For sure. They really are supposed to be magical: they suck everything in (think: cycling spandex shorts made for any and all parts of your body) and eliminate all lumps, bumps, dimps, and rolls. They make you look thinner, tighter, leaner.
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So why, I am sure you are wondering, wouldn't I want to wear one of these contraptions for Hubby so I can look oh-so-much-hotter in my date night dresses?

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"Cause when I come home and want to take that dress off I don't want to be confronted with something a 60-year-old would wear. I don't wanna find a wet suit. The flaws you all obsess over? Trust me, we don't see 'em. And the ones we do? We don't really care about. Men know what you have under there, and we're just damn happy to be spending time with it."
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Hubby doesn't ask for a lot. He's not a demanding kinda guy. But he does ask that if I don't feel that I can wear the dress without something "minimal" (his word) under it, then just don't buy it.
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Esentially, if my outfit and my lingerie got into a fight, Hubby would be rooting for the undergarments.

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As much as this guy does for me, I can live with this. Believe me, I have been tempted. I have stood in the dressing room, a hot dress clinging to my 37-year-old Cuban Mommy body, and I have thought: "Oh, almost... If I could vacuum myself into one of those Spanx things, it just might work..."

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But then I remember his requests. And I remember my drawers full of lacey, flimsy, wispy nothings, and how the truth is, I do feel pretty sexy in them, especially on the days I don't stand too long obsessing in front of the full-length mirror. (And, if you've ever tried one of those things on, you know that whatever it's sucking in has gotta go somewhere, so you tend to have a bit of my-cup-runneth-over-effect, and I don't think I'm willing to create back cleavage in order to make my ass look smaller).
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So flimsy it is. And fortunately, I've recently found a whole new realm of flimsy: Cosabella. I'm not usually into the whole random product review or giveaways, but really, when a high end lingerie line that has a collection inspired by "Sex and the City" contacts me, I'm not about to say 'no.' And when my thong arrived in the mail that was promised to be the lightest, thinnest, best no-panty-line panty in the market, Hubby was not about to say 'no.' This thing was like the anti-girdle. And Hubby likey. And since it was comfortable, me likey too.

Source: Cosabella

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So I sacrifice celebrity-red-carpet-like perfection (as if!) so Hubby is happy when he comes home. I may be missing out on a whole lot of amazing outfits that I could've worn if only I'd given in to the miracle of Spanx, but at the end of the night, I don't think he's obsessing over my lumpy thighs or my still too-soft abs...at least not in a bad way.

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Giveaway! If you'd like to dare to strip away the shapewear and give some flimsiness a try, here's what to do: 1)Visit the Cosabella site and check out the goods; 2) Come back here and comment on your favorite item/s; and 3) Tell me why you should win a Cosabella Aire Set (Thong OR Hotpant AND matching Bra, valued at over $70). Deadline: March 4th.

My First Product Review and Give-away (Woo hoo!)

So how cool is this?!? I get to give stuff away! Yup. Neat, huh?

So Maggie from Ecostore USA asked if I'd review a couple of their products. Since I've always been interested in "green" products, but have not had much luck finding any in the stores that actually work as well as the "other" stuff, I was pretty psyched (but a bit skeptical, I must admit).

For the last couple of weeks I've been using their Naturally Antibacterial Spray Cleaner on my kitchen counters, which are usually quite grimy especially from the baby's powdered formula, which creates a layer of thick and usually hard-to-get-off milky gunk. I was thoroughly impressed by how well the spray got everything off and did not leave my granite smeared and filmy the way some other sprays usually do. The smell, also, is waaaaay better than most antibacterial sprays, which make me feel like I'm trapped in a fog of chemicals.

The other product I tested, Baby Sleepytime Bath Aromatherapy, was an even bigger surprise. I poured it into the tub for both of the boys, and at first, the smell was a bit shocking. It's strong...almost like incense, but really, really yummy. After a few days of using it, I think it was making me calmer and more relaxed. I loved the way it made the whole bathroom smell. Overall, I figured "OK, so it's basically aromatherapy. Smells good. Fine." But after a couple of weeks, I noticed that neither of the boys' eczema had flared up, as it always does in the summer. Coincidence? Maybe, but I highly doubt it!

So here's the fun part...the first two readers who email me at but-then-i-had-kids@hotmail.com will receive their choice of one Ecostore USA product. Just email me your name, address, phone number, and choice of product (check out their website to pick!). I figure we can all do our part to make this world a bit greener for our kids' futures, right?